Opinion

Aito usage questioned

Monday 21 June 2010 | Published in Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor What’s wrong with using the Maori language of Rarotonga? While it’s good to see young Cook Islanders getting fit through paddling, can someone please explain the relevance of the term aito to this water sport? Aito in the Maori language of Rarotonga is either an eagle or a nuisance. In Mangaia aitoa means […]

Graham questioned

Monday 21 June 2010 | Published in Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor, If Mr Graham has to go back and check his previous articles, then he may realise that I was only raising issues that he has openly deemed to have quoted in the Cook Islands News. I am not going to entertain Mr Graham by reminding him what he said in his previous articles, […]

Special combo pack

Monday 21 June 2010 | Published in Smoke Signals

Raro sandwich boards suddenly got more interesting as seen in the photo at right! Either someone was having a little fun with a piece of chalk and changed the last letter from K to N (or first letter from C to P), or maybe this shop is advertising that they’ve got an internet caf inside. […]

Whatever happened to political reform Mr PM?

Saturday 19 June 2010 | Published in Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor Whatever happened to the political reform that the PM was promoting in January of this year? After the PM’s world came crashing down on him with the Toagate scandal and the resignation of the majority of Democrats, the PM needed to take away the public’s attention from his competence. For six years the […]

Kata - June 19, 2010

Saturday 19 June 2010 | Published in Kata

Worried about dog hit by bus

Saturday 19 June 2010 | Published in Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor I had an absolute great time at the island recently and loved your wonderful country. However on the shuttle to the airport from Vara’s I experienced a very sad and awful event. I have inquired about the follow up with Cathy Sue (at Esther Honey), but just wanted to inform you about this […]

Telecom responds on Aitutaki mobile gripe

Saturday 19 June 2010 | Published in Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor In response to your smoke signal of June 18, I agree that Aitutaki mobile services are currently not fine (but I don’t recall us claiming that they were). We have had sub-standard mobile services on Aitutaki for some considerable time, and this was made worse by the damage caused by Cyclone Pat in […]

Robbing and stealing

Saturday 19 June 2010 | Published in Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor Te akama iteia tu,te keia nei rai tatou i te iti tangata,te tangi,ka peke kite papaa kare o tatou enua akaou,te ta akama nei kotou ite ipukarea e te itingata So ashamed, we are still robbing/stealing our own people. So embarrassed, the papaa will be in possession of our lands again. We are […]

Interference not appreciated

Saturday 19 June 2010 | Published in Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor, What is Temu Okotai trying to prove? Temu Okotai has been interfering with several CIP constituencies on Rarotonga in recent months. What he is doing? Some of the CIP executives are following in the footsteps of what is happening in the Demo camps. For RAPA Cook Islands Party constituency, do not meddle and […]

That's a short one

Saturday 19 June 2010 | Published in Smoke Signals

Those who enjoy an early morning walk or late afternoon paddle but notice the sun rising later in the morning and setting earlier in the evening will be happy to know that tomorrow is the shortest day and longest night of the year for us in the Southern Hemisphere. The Winter Solstice is the moment […]

Tav's tax and the minister

Saturday 19 June 2010 | Published in Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor This week’s revelation that a supposedly successful business called Tav Ltd owes tax and is in the process of being sold up by the Inland Revenue Department (CI News June16 and 18) is interesting for two reasons. The first is that the position is not told from the tax department’s viewpoint. The second […]

Thanks from salsa teachers

Saturday 19 June 2010 | Published in Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor We are Ismael and Merce, the Spanish salsa teachers. We were in your country for a few weeks and we want to give to the people of Rarotonga our best . We have visited other islands of the pacific, like Fiji, Tonga and Tahiti, and in all places the people were so friendly […]

Airport board asked to explain

Saturday 19 June 2010 | Published in Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor Could the airport CEO or airport Board please explain why a former board member and a very minor land owner at that, is being brought over from NZ at Airport expense i.e. is being paid return air tickets for herself and a chaperone to travel from Auckland to Raro and back to open […]

Very sad situation

Friday 18 June 2010 | Published in Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor I like reading your news as I live in New Zealand. What’s happening at home is very sad. Why don’t the people elect a government that can do a better job for the Cooks? Somebody mention before, why did the Prime Minister ask the QR the right for a snap election? He’s the […]

Kata - June 18, 2010

Friday 18 June 2010 | Published in Kata

You can make a big difference

Friday 18 June 2010 | Published in Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor I want to point to an opportunity, right now, for each of us personally to take actions that will begin political reform in the Cook Islands. I recently heard Rarotonga defined as “a scandal surrounded by water”. While this made me laugh, it was ultimately sobering: the fit is just a little “too”good. […]

Aitutaki mobiles 'not fine'

Friday 18 June 2010 | Published in Smoke Signals

You report that Telecom says mobile phones are working fine in Aitutaki,” a smoke signaller writes, “but I have yet to make a call recently that was not so bad that it had to be abandoned. It’s just a question of who gives up first, the customer in Aitutaki or the customer in Rarotonga. It’s […]

Land could bog down septic

Thursday 17 June 2010 | Published in Smoke Signals

A smoke signaller writes: “Saturday’s story on a revolutionary sewage treatment concept for the Cook Islands is inspiring but one wonders if the author Mr Mavromatis and his team are a bit absorbed in the technical side of things and a bit out of touch with the social and land tenure realities of the country. […]

Kata - June 17, 2010

Thursday 17 June 2010 | Published in Kata

Great news to hear

Thursday 17 June 2010 | Published in Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor, It was lovely to hear when I woke up this morning on Australian national radio in Melbourne that the Cook Islands are cleaning up their marine life and much more marine life has returned to the local waters. As we have travelled to Cook Island for our honeymoon in 2006, I thought it […]