Opinion

Purse seine fishing foolish and devastating

Wednesday 11 May 2011 | Published in Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor, I write to say that I, as the Member of Parliament for Tongareva (Penrhyn,) and the island oppose the Governments plans to explore the possibility of purse seine fishing in the Cook Islands. If this goes ahead it will be a most foolish exercise and will have the most devastating effect on our […]

The sticky question of Web suppression

Wednesday 11 May 2011 | Published in Smoke Signals

The New Zealand media is running articles about the arrest of 13 people here on drugs charges, with varying degrees of detail. On Sunday night a ONE News reporter named one of the accused on the evening news with the relevant part of the 6pm broadcast shown only to viewers in New Zealand and blocked […]

Kata - May 11, 2011

Wednesday 11 May 2011 | Published in Kata

Justice must not be cruel

Wednesday 11 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. Well, whoever you are it seems like you dont have any children. Yes justice must be served but not in a cruel way, my dear. As mothers we must be strong, clever and have the strength to fight […]

Competition possibility worth investigating

Wednesday 11 May 2011 | Published in Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor, Id just like to make a few comments regarding the article Affordable Telecom plans to offer more published on Saturday, May 7. I think Mr Jules Maher touched on an important point about the size of the population of the Cook Islands being too small to support competition and to some degree this […]

Ports contract was questioned weeks ago

Tuesday 10 May 2011 | Published in Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor, May I write in regard to the Smoke Signal that yesterday suggested that action could have been taken earlier regarding the low level of local involvement in the port contract. In fact, some weeks ago before the contractor was present on the island, I met with members of the Cabinet on this very […]

Justice must be served

Tuesday 10 May 2011 | Published in Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor, I am responding to the letter Mothers incarceration a mockery published on Monday, May 9. I cannot come to any agreement by the kind of thinking of Yvonnes so-called closely knit family in regards to what she has done to her employer. My sympathy goes out to Mr Smith whose business had suffered […]

Its a vendetta: Sholan Ivaiti

Tuesday 10 May 2011 | Published in Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor, I wish to respond to the release of an article in your paper on Friday May 6 relating to my appointment as the Financial Secretary. First point I wish to outline is that the review of employment matters or processes is the job of the Office of the Public Service Commission, not the […]

Kata - May 10, 2011

Tuesday 10 May 2011 | Published in Kata

Tims cowering

Monday 9 May 2011 | Published in Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor, I refer to recent letters and smoke signals. First, let me acknowledge that, blinded by the outrageous references to boiler in your rag, I did make an inaccurate reference to the RMS Maitai as SS… I have been cowering in my office, flailing myself with a damp cloth, awaiting a visit from Don […]

Not his fault

Monday 9 May 2011 | Published in Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor, We have to give Norman George some credit, its not his fault that the CIP took him in as member for Atiu, they all know what George is like and yet they still accepted him into their fold. George is just a great tactician and a good teller of stories just like any […]

Mothers incarceration a mockery

Monday 9 May 2011 | Published in Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor, I am responding to Ewan Smiths letter in your issue of Wednesday May 4. I would like to correct Mr Smith on a few understandings on what has been a most traumatic time for those involved concerning Yvonne Quarters court case. Please understand that the family of Yvonne in no way condone her […]

Toagate2 not hard to imagine

Monday 9 May 2011 | Published in Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor, Reuben Tylers searching questions in his letter in Saturdays CINews set alarm bells ringing which hopefully are peeling in MMRs ears! Toagate2 would be a blockbuster that would dwarf Toagate1. But instead of making our own favourite son rich, it would put millions into the foreign purse seiners. Imagine the scenario: In the […]

Reigning in the purse seiners

Monday 9 May 2011 | Published in Smoke Signals

Very clever of Cook Islands News putting a picture of Joe Cocker next to the headline Guard our precious marine resources in Saturday’s paper, a smoke signaller playfully writes. Who could resist finding out why Cocker had an opinion on our marine activities? Turns out it was an article by Reuben Tylor and an excellent […]

Kata - May 9, 2011

Monday 9 May 2011 | Published in Kata

Kata - May 7, 2011

Saturday 7 May 2011 | Published in Kata

Good on BTIB

Saturday 7 May 2011 | Published in Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor, Congratulations to the BTIB! I read with interest yesterdays CINews article on the BTIB refusal to approve a foreign company registration application due to the lack of local involvement in their harbour works contract. What a ray of sunshine! We must now all carefully watch our new look Government to ensure they do […]

Money waiting for landowners

Saturday 7 May 2011 | Published in Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor, For the sake of reassuring the 242 landowners who have right of claim to their money being held in their land trust account at this office, I wish to note that your article is misleading where it states that the Registrar is not paying the money to the landowners. That is incorrect. The […]

Singing an old tune

Saturday 7 May 2011 | Published in Smoke Signals

A month ago on being appointed chairman of the board of Cook Islands Investment Corporation, Julian Dashwood said politics will not be part of his game in office, a smoke signaller writes. Now hes singing a different tune and is back to square one singing the age-old national tune of the Cook Islands: Me e […]

Guard our precious marine resources

Saturday 7 May 2011 | Published in Letters to the Editor

I expressed my concerns at the proposal to issue exploratory licences for purse seining when it was first announced. Since then we have had the benefit of further explanations from Ministry of Marine Resources (MMR) both in the newspaper and at public meetings, Ipukarea Societys TV programme on the poor state of Pacific fishing resources, […]