Opinion

End of a beautiful harbour?

Tuesday 2 November 2010 | Published in Smoke Signals

“The Ports Authority must be on to an environmental winner with the call for placing billboards to block the sea views down at the water,” quips a smoke signaller. “Tourists will soon discover that the Cook Islands are the same as where they come from, billboards everywhere, and tourism will decline with less jet fuel […]

Kata - November 1, 2010

Monday 1 November 2010 | Published in Kata

My Papa catches bad people

Monday 1 November 2010 | Published in Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor My Papa is a policeman. I love him because he catches bad people to keep me safe. He is sad when bad people steal and do bad things. He is sad when people die on the road. He works hard. He comes home late at night and goes to work any time. Sometimes […]

Police answer complaints

Monday 1 November 2010 | Published in Letters to the Editor

Police commissioner Maara Tetava has responded to Putoto Powell’s allegations that police treated her in a ‘totally unsatisfactory’ manner following a motor vehicle crash she was involved in last month. Powell had charged in last week’s CI News that police ‘spin doctors’ would likely make excuses for the way they treated her. Tetava responded: “About […]

Why does Telecom need protection?

Monday 1 November 2010 | Published in Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor, I have experienced the most frustrating four years of my life, and perhaps the most costly, and I would like to briefly explain this frustration to your readers. In 2005 I began inquiries with the Prime Minister in respect of telecommunications and in 2007 and 2008 respectively registered companies including a mobile phone […]

Yearly election will fix it

Monday 1 November 2010 | Published in Smoke Signals

“If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em,” quips a smoke signaller.” If it takes an election to get the Tupapa drains fixed, let’s have an election every year. Then the government of the day will fix everything in the 30 days before the election and we can send all the public works fellas home without […]

Kata - October 30, 2010

Saturday 30 October 2010 | Published in Kata

Why do drains now?

Saturday 30 October 2010 | Published in Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor, Really great to see the road drainage work being done in Tupapa but why did it take until just before the elections to get this job carried out? Does that mean the next major road works on Rarotonga will take place in four years time a few weeks before the next general elections? […]

Sad news

Saturday 30 October 2010 | Published in Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor, What a sad day for Rarotonga! I am referring to the article below of the “once again” approved ring road about the “new” proposed Mirage (formerly Sheraton, Hilton etc.) development in Vaimaanga. As multiple visitors to Rarotonga since the early 1990’s, we have always enjoyed driving around or running along the road or […]

Stop farm pollution

Saturday 30 October 2010 | Published in Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor, Despite what John Scott blabbers on about when it comes to the so-called benefits of producing local eggs over those that are imported, to save Rarotonga’s fragile and vulnerable lagoons from further environmental damage as a result of commercial farm pollution, I would much rather spend extra money on imported eggs rather than […]

JP court a circus

Saturday 30 October 2010 | Published in Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor, The Cook Islands News report from the High Court proceedings of October 28 once again highlights the shortcomings in the process of many cases heard by JPs, and the circus it has become. In earlier reports we have read of serious charges where the defendants receive name suppression due ‘to having to inform […]

Bike seats not safe storage

Saturday 30 October 2010 | Published in Smoke Signals

Almost every time you read the Police crime report in the newspaper there’s at least one case involving visitors losing many hundreds of dollars and cameras (usually with irreplaceable holiday snaps) ‘locked’ under their motorbike seats when they park and go snorkeling or hiking. Many visitors obviously don’t realise that the storage compartment under a […]

Why we should use cloth nappies

Friday 29 October 2010 | Published in Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor, I’m all for giving new parents a hand up whilst they re-evaluate their budget, but it upsets me to hear a young mum say she needs the extra money because disposable nappies cost so much. Should taxpayer money fund toxic landfill that is killing our environment? It is so upsetting to see even […]

It isn't rocket science

Friday 29 October 2010 | Published in Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor, I am responding to the letter signed ‘Pro Police’. I appreciate the fact you support your police department, that is in fact admirable. I personally do not have a beef with Cook Islands Police Department. But I would like to know where you get your numbers to back up your claims. I read […]

Theft at 'crisis point'

Friday 29 October 2010 | Published in Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor, We keep reading with dismay the ever increasing and alarming rate of theft and burglaries within our communities on Rarotonga. I sympathise with those homeowners whose homes have been broken into. We have also experienced these unfortunate incidents, not once, not twice, but three times over the past 18-24 months. We have had […]

Kata - October 29, 2010

Friday 29 October 2010 | Published in Kata

Resort's ring road riles

Friday 29 October 2010 | Published in Letters to the Editor

A smoke signaller writes: “With regards to the new ring road to go around the Sheraton/Mirage site in Vaimaanga just announced by Cabinet, this might be a great opportunity for the new Cook Islands Party candidate for Titikaveka, as well as the free-thinking independents standing for that constituency, to question whether they would want to […]

Arnold's madness is scary Dear Editor,

Friday 29 October 2010 | Published in Letters to the Editor

Mr Arnold is now suggesting that locals only be able to purchase businesses here and that locals should no longer be able to sell their businesses for the ‘Best price you can get in a world wide market. Scary stuff! If this populist rhetoric from Mr Arnold is an attempt to become more in tune […]

Let's stop combative politics

Friday 29 October 2010 | Published in Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor, The Smoke Signal that suggests that CIP candidate Tom Marsters and Demo candidate Tapi Taio are conspiring with each other to unseat their respective opposition candidates in Murienua and Akaoa is nothing more than a smoke screen. I happen to find Tom and Tapi and their families as good people. I have a […]

It's appalling, self-mockery

Thursday 28 October 2010 | Published in Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor, Isn’t it appalling for the CIP media team of George Turia, William Numanga and Henry Puna to say that the children of Omoka in Tongareva do not deserve a school? In their very public display of self-mockery, they actually let loose a disgusting biased policy of the CIP. They asked, “Is there any […]