Opinion

Eggs choice!

Wednesday 27 October 2010 | Published in Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor, While our family is no lover of CITC’s dominant market position we want to thank the supermarket management for allowing us to choose Henergy cage-free, barn raised eggs and at a great price. We have not bought eggs for years because we will not take part in the cruelty of factory farming. While […]

The more sinister stuff...

Wednesday 27 October 2010 | Published in Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor, Hormones are nothing compared with what is really going on. What I would really like to alert your readers to on this occasion is the far more sinister side of the Democratic Party administration when it is under attack for poorly conceived and unjustified actions and not previously experienced by this writer since […]

Punanga Nui takeover 'not a joke'

Wednesday 27 October 2010 | Published in Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor, To Golden Goose, thank you for your letter. No I’m not joking. In 1996 I wrote a booklet called ‘Cook Islands Resources: What are they worth?’ July 1996 was when about 2000 government workers were sacked. One of the visionary projects I put forward was the Punanga Nui Market. The main object was […]

Dirty politics a common CIP trademark

Wednesday 27 October 2010 | Published in Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor, Aue te Akaroa e! It was to be hurled at Wilkie Rasmussen sooner or later – the personal “akakino”, a common trademark of the Cook Islands Party (CIP). As Wilkie commented earlier, they just can’t help themselves. Desperation has now driven them to resort to insults and false accusations. Has the CIP forgotten […]

Reading between the lines

Wednesday 27 October 2010 | Published in Smoke Signals

More close scrutiny and analysis of a manifesto photo from a smoke signaller: “If you look at the cover page photo on the Demo Party manifesto, you will notice that Wilkie is right in the middle with Wigmore and Willis on the side. This is a clear reflection of the true picture of the Demo […]

Kata - October 27, 2010

Wednesday 27 October 2010 | Published in Kata

Our elections tame by US standards

Monday 25 October 2010 | Published in Smoke Signals

With our general elections a little over three weeks away there have been a few small skirmishes between the political parties over public service numbers, the timing of tractor donations to the constituencies and the amount to be paid for each newborn baby. All healthy debate and handled in a typically measured Cook Islands manner […]

Kata - October 25, 2010

Monday 25 October 2010 | Published in Kata

Job spec not changed

Saturday 23 October 2010 | Published in Letters to the Editor

The Office of the Public Service Commissioner has reported that the Head of Hospital Services job should never have been changed so that only a registered medical officer could apply. In the absence of Public Service Commissioner Navy Epati, Chief of staff Priscilla Maruariki responded to question over the debacle. The PSC stepped in when […]

It's not like a resort

Saturday 23 October 2010 | Published in Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor, In response to ‘Fill us in’ on how modern recruitment works in any position, there should be two documents. The first, the Job Description, should describe what the applicant has to do and what they are expected to achieve. The second is an Ideal Person Specification which describes the skills, attributes and preferred […]

Hormone claim backed

Saturday 23 October 2010 | Published in Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor, John Scott (letter October 19) claims that hormones are not fed to his chickens and that my mention of them (hormones) in my letter was “worse than just mischievous”. Playing word games (semantics?) with John will be a real challenge but this point of contention is a matter of definition, so here goes! […]

Working for the 'Economic Games'

Saturday 23 October 2010 | Published in Smoke Signals

“I think what they are suggesting is secondment,” writes a smoke signaller on the contentious election issue of how to effectively utilise the country’s large public service. “It’s like we handled the Mini Games: those who could be spared – and there were many – were redirected to other jobs, like drivers, liaison officers, catering […]

Kata - October 23, 2010

Saturday 23 October 2010 | Published in Kata

Kata - October 22, 2010

Friday 22 October 2010 | Published in Kata

Hospital questions

Friday 22 October 2010 | Published in Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor, Suddenly the hospital has an overdue facelift, staff morale is up, all producing the required output despite big cut in their budget, overseas foreign specialist come and serve and the community get back quality of life and out of the blue yonder the current boss is not good enough with no reo Maori. […]

Privatising the market

Friday 22 October 2010 | Published in Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor, Mike Tavioni is joking right? How will privatisation benefit the micro-business people that this market was originally set up for? Over the years, there has been a move away from its original purpose, which is to ‘help’ small Cook Islands business owners. Instead it’s become a major income earner for the Crown through […]

Battling the Man-of-War

Friday 22 October 2010 | Published in Smoke Signals

Those watching vaka races from the comfort of local watering holes sometimes have small green bottles in their hands, but the paddlers battling it out on the water have another colour of bottle to watch for, the painful stinging bluebottle. The Rarotongan name for the Pacific Portuguese Man-of-War is tu-pakipaki-tai and the type found in […]

Open letter to candidates

Friday 22 October 2010 | Published in Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor, It was gratifying to note that Teariki Matenga (CI News, Monday) recognises that many senior citizens who should be entitled to receive NZ superannuation by virtue of their NZ citizenship and the years they spent in NZ working and paying taxes, are presently denied the benefit because of two contentious, discriminatory clauses in […]

How solid is Demo front?

Friday 22 October 2010 | Published in Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor, Your issue of October 20 published a photo of the Demo candidates line up on page 7 and clearly it was an attempt by the demoralised Demos to present an apparent ‘solid front’. I wonder whether your readers had a good look at the photo. James Beer looks threatening and as big as […]

The biggest concern

Friday 22 October 2010 | Published in Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor, With regards to all aspiring politicians CIP, Demo and Independents making policy statements, promise with regards to political reform, water tanks, pension increases, baby bonuses, health, environment etc. They have all missed the main if not the biggest concern – economic reform. What are they going to do about it? How are they […]