Opinion

Preventing a pushers haven

Wednesday 18 May 2011 | Published in Smoke Signals

A smoke signaller reckons many young Cook Islanders have most likely been nave victims of the sellers of drugs who just have easy money on their brains. He says if such a person is convicted but gets off with hardly any penalty like the Manihiki aviation terrorists did our country will be become a haven […]

Dont promote surf tours to Rarotonga!

Wednesday 18 May 2011 | Published in Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor, The idea that Charlotte Piho wants to promote Rarotonga as a surf destination is a terrible self interested money making idea. No local surfer wants groups of tourist surfers in Rarotonga. Perhaps Charlotte would like surfers over-crowding her local break, but we dont want it. We only have a handful of breaks as […]

What happened to open governance?

Tuesday 17 May 2011 | Published in Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor So after several months the PSC terminates the employment of a senior Public Servant without giving the public specific reasons and says he can say no more because it is being referred to the Police for further investigations and it would be unfair to the accused! Excuse me. The public was under the […]

Norman George vs. Teina Bishop

Tuesday 17 May 2011 | Published in Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor, Now that Minister Bishop has finished announcing to the nation what a bad MP I am, then moving motions to the Privilege Committee of Parliament which included having my seat declared vacant, it is time I need to ask questions about him: (1) Does the MP for Arutanga, Reureu and Nikaupara have a […]

Kata - May 17, 2011

Tuesday 17 May 2011 | Published in Kata

Dead mans family must have closure

Tuesday 17 May 2011 | Published in Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor, Ive just seen on One News a Coroner issuing death certificates for the nine Christchurch earthquake victims who couldnt be identified by forensics. This act is giving some closure to families of the nine lost people, closure that is very much needed to help families and friends recover and move on. Of course, […]

Dont turn Rarotonga into a surf destination!

Tuesday 17 May 2011 | Published in Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor, We have been trying to keep a lid on surf in the Cook Islands for past 15 years and longer. Now its going to be exploited. The Cook Islands is and should remain a tourist destination for families (who spend money). Surfers are generally backpackers, who come on the cheap, and just want […]

Where is justice in penalising Bulldogs?

Tuesday 17 May 2011 | Published in Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor, I am writing in utter disappointment in regards to the Titikaveka Reserve League Team that I (Ty Connal) proudly sponsor. Cook Islands Rugby League Committee have kicked the Titikaveka Reserve League Team out of the competition because we were trying to prove a point as we have nine SDA players in our team, […]

Keep our surf secret

Tuesday 17 May 2011 | Published in Smoke Signals

Like our precious fisheries, us local surfers have tried real hard to keep the Cook Islands a secret surf destination, a smoke signaller writes in response to the adventure surfers here on The Awakening mission to find the perfect Cook Islands wave. Ask any local surfer, and believe me theres a few, our spots are […]

Kata - May 16, 2011

Monday 16 May 2011 | Published in Kata

Kata - May 14, 2011

Saturday 14 May 2011 | Published in Kata

Justice system like a coin

Saturday 14 May 2011 | Published in Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor, I am responding to the letter Justice must be served published on Tuesday, May 10. Yvonne, her partner and young family have to live with the stigma for the rest of their lives. You are correct, the judge should have used his/her noodle and shown compassion and given her a grace period, but […]

Genealogy claims rejected

Saturday 14 May 2011 | Published in Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor, In answer to Yolande Brownes letter of April 10, you said that you have seen words twinked out and wording changed or written over. We did not work in the land court registry for you to point fingers at the whole Te Pa Atua Kino family. For your information, Makea Te Pa Atua […]

Id be very careful

Saturday 14 May 2011 | Published in Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor, I would be very careful if I was Norman George relying on NZ Parliamentary rules. The system relies on members applying for leave from their party whips because of the pairing system. It also requires members who absent themselves from the House to seek leave from the speaker. In the past NZ MPs […]

Scrap the purse seine fishing idea

Saturday 14 May 2011 | Published in Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor, Those like Tongareva MP Wilkie Rasmussen who oppose any form of purse seine fishing in our waters should be commended. Similar to the outlawed drift net fishing, purse seine fishing is extremely destructive. Sweeping up every living sea creature in its path tuna, sharks, turtles, birds, other fish species this type of fishing […]

Baa baa islands

Saturday 14 May 2011 | Published in Smoke Signals

Unless Im mistaken, those fluffy animals look very much like a ewe and her lambs looking across a windswept, treeless coastline, thousands of kilometres from our tropical beaches. A great photo, but will it entice people to visit the Cook Islands? The Travelzoo advert appeared on the home page of the Los Angeles Times website […]

Kata - May 13, 2011

Friday 13 May 2011 | Published in Kata

Kata - May 12, 2011

Thursday 12 May 2011 | Published in Kata

For the record

Thursday 12 May 2011 | Published in Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor, Your reporter Rosie Mains must be from another planet. At no time did I say that I refused to attend Parliament on the 17th of February because I was left out of Cabinet. When I did not bother to correct it the first time your newspaper published this fiction, I ignored it hoping […]

$840k fine for fish trucking

Thursday 12 May 2011 | Published in Smoke Signals

The debate over allowing exploratory licences for purse seining in our waters isnt going to go away any time soon and one of our readers thought a news article about a recent court case in New Zealand which followed almost two years of investigations was very topical to the issue of making sure fishing companies […]