Opinion

Children our greatest asset

Monday 13 September 2010 | Published in Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor, I wish to support Moana Rule’s letter and petition for a reciprocal Child Support Agreement between the Cook Islands and NZ. Like Moana, I know firsthand what she is and has been going through. My daughter also is a victim of abandonment. The lack of commitment, inconsistency and irresponsible behaviour of the absent […]

Beautification not political

Monday 13 September 2010 | Published in Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor, I am writing in response to the letter in the paper of September 2 about the Titikaveka beautification contract. The beautification programme is an opportunity for the community to come together and take ownership and clean its own village, ownership of the programme belongs to the village and not to a handful of […]

Mitiaro 'not supporting'

Saturday 11 September 2010 | Published in Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor, Mitiaro is one of the outer- islands recommended to fall into the proposed referendum on “Seat Reduction”. Mitiaro candidate (we await his corroboration on this) may have exposed his support to GPC ( Letter to the Editor Tuesday September 7), but we still see Mitiaro being represented not as a combined but an […]

Feeble excuses

Saturday 11 September 2010 | Published in Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor, This government’s feeble excuses for the lack of effort to improve the dreadful state of the two main roads that encircle the main island of Rarotonga is pathetic to say the least. If anything, the continued failure of Ministry of Works to budget for the full maintenance costs of Rarotonga’s roads year after […]

Pa Ariki: It's time for change

Saturday 11 September 2010 | Published in Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor, As we move towards the forthcoming elections, all Cook Islanders must seriously take stock of the path we have travelled and the successive governments we have had to live under before choosing who they wish to lead them into the future. I say lead because if the last 10 years is anything to […]

Main road ramp danger

Saturday 11 September 2010 | Published in Smoke Signals

A smoke signaller writes: “The new-look Tupapa Nui-o-Ou meeting house looks good, but some questions need to be asked about the brainiacs behind the construction of the wheelchair ramp in the front of the building. My 10-year-old son pointed out to me that someone on a wheelchair can end up in the middle of the […]

Kata - September 11, 2010

Saturday 11 September 2010 | Published in Kata

Apology over name

Friday 10 September 2010 | Published in Letters to the Editor

Cook Islands News wishes to apologise for misspelling Sir Terepai Maoate’s surname in the page one headline in yesterday’s newspaper. This occurred due to a typographical error which wasn’t picked up in the proofing process. Cook Islands News apologises to Sir Terepai, his family, the Democratic Party and everyone affected by this error. We have […]

Fed up with 'political poison'

Friday 10 September 2010 | Published in Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor, I don’t expect you to do anything with this letter but I have a secret desire that this gets printed word for word. Wait till you read it. I was going to explore the acceptable newspaper grammar etiquette but if MPs can exercise their ability to “speak before they think” so can I. […]

Kata - September 10, 2010

Friday 10 September 2010 | Published in Kata

Get real Smart Voter

Thursday 9 September 2010 | Published in Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor, I read “Smart Voter’s” letter in yesterday’s paper. Luckily for “Smart Voter” he has not supplied his name. “Smart voter” obviously has no idea what he’s talking about – if we knew who he was we’d all be laughing at him as he drives down the potholed, patched, roads of Rarotonga. Get real […]

Potholes in sky

Thursday 9 September 2010 | Published in Smoke Signals

“Onboard the Pacific Blue flight returning home after two weeks abroad in New Zealand, we were experiencing some pretty bad turbulence,” a smoke signaller writes. “The captain of the flight announced, ‘Good evening ladies and gentlemen, we apologise for the unexpected turbulence we are now experiencing. However, just think of it as an experience riding […]

Kata - September 9, 2010

Thursday 9 September 2010 | Published in Kata

Law change needed to protect families

Wednesday 8 September 2010 | Published in Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor, I am writing in support of Moana Rule’s child support petition, which is about time, because it’s a serious issue that needs to be addressed. A law is needed to change attitudes otherwise parents will always get up and go with no responsibility, and in the end, our families and children suffer, as […]

$10m contract not right

Wednesday 8 September 2010 | Published in Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor, Minister Smiley Heather’s article in the paper last week regarding the roading project going on now allowed us to see what is really going on within the Ministry of Infrastructure and Planning and the corruption and politics involved. Smiley mentioned that the roading programme is a planned programme with funding coming from ADB […]

Food concerns

Wednesday 8 September 2010 | Published in Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor, Food + hot weather + germs = diarrhea This is a simple equation I’d like to share with food vendors of the Cook Islands, especially as summer returns. Many cooked food vendors routinely sell food on tables and countertops without any attempt to chill the food, nor cover it from the sun, nor […]

Wake up to it!

Wednesday 8 September 2010 | Published in Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor, Good on Brett Porter for setting off a panic at the fuel pump by announcing that the country will be out of fuel this week. He claims no one has the ability to purchase tanker loads of fuel; nice. Yesterday Chris Vaile said that government has restricted Triad’s ability to store more fuel […]

Playing the game

Wednesday 8 September 2010 | Published in Smoke Signals

A smoke signaller writes: “Wasn’t it just great to see the Atiu Warrior Norman George in action, in relation to the Group for Political Change and Mou Piri ‘waiting until the last minute’ in relation to political reform and consulting the people? Just great, let them have it Norman, they have no right to suggest […]

Kata - September 8, 2010

Wednesday 8 September 2010 | Published in Kata

Sir Terepai's 'incredible hypocrisy'

Tuesday 7 September 2010 | Published in Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor, Sir Terepai’s front page comments in Saturday’s newspaper must be responded to. Sir Terepai and his committee have refused to accept that we have time and again submitted the better argument and have presented a clear cut case how his nomination was improper and therefore invalid. They keep coming back and pestering the […]