Opinion

Telecom challenged to court fight

Friday 14 May 2010 | Published in Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor, I write to you on behalf of Mervin Communications in respect of two letters by Telecom Cook Islands CEO Jules Maher addressed to your publication. Our response to the first letter published on May 22 titled ‘Telecom one of the cheapest’ is that this was totally misleading. Telecom is the only supplier of […]

Pasture them all out

Friday 14 May 2010 | Published in Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor, It would seem that the laws of today only apply to the Little People and not politicians etc. Terepai Maoate goes scott free from his million dollar blunder while Tamarii Pierre’s driver and others – the little people, I might add – are in jail to pay for their fines. Shouldn’t Terepai and […]

Airport is open plan

Friday 14 May 2010 | Published in Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor, I wish to advise Peter William that the airport was not attempting to build either a beehive or an opera house but a modern open planned airport terminal. It’s a terminal funded by the Airport Authority with no hand outs from aid monies or government, a project that has stood on its own […]

Let's all follow CITC's example

Friday 14 May 2010 | Published in Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor, I congratulate CITC who have stepped up to the challenge and finally realised the needs of our senior citizens in our own society. Well done to you all and you have my strong support. Let’s just hope the eyes of our own decision makers in society are widely open, or shall we just […]

Take marine park further

Thursday 13 May 2010 | Published in Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor, The “largest marine park in the world” article on your front page yesterday makes a huge amount of sense as we have been recently advised by world fisheries authorities that, given the current rate of depletion of fish stock in the Pacific, there will be few fish remaining by the year 2050. However, […]

Kata - May 13, 2010

Thursday 13 May 2010 | Published in Kata

The truth hurts

Thursday 13 May 2010 | Published in Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor, In response to Metuakore Teremoana Kora (Mokare Mataiapo), I am not surprised that someone like him, who is holding the Mokare Mataiapo title, would stoop that low. I can see now where Wilkie Rasmussen gets his racial attitude, after reading Mokare Mataiapo’s letter to the editor. No wonder you and your so called […]

Give it a chance

Thursday 13 May 2010 | Published in Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor, There are 435 golf courses in New Zealand including mini putt. They all offer a cold beer to age qualifying players after their game. This is an integral part of the enjoyment following 18 holes. Come on, fair go, give Coco Putt a licence. They have invested heavily in this very tidy entertainment […]

Telecom doesn't grant licences

Thursday 13 May 2010 | Published in Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor In response to your article regarding the licensing of telecommunications facilities: A recent legal interpretation of Section 4(4) of the Telecommunications Act confirmed that Telecom Cook Islands has no authority to grant licences for the construction or operation of telecommunications networks. Telecom is not therefore, issuing licences to anyone. We anticipate the facilities […]

Telecom needs to improve

Wednesday 12 May 2010 | Published in Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor The Telecom letter to the editor titled ‘Telecom one of the cheapest’ could be called damage control and I was hoping to instigate a response. Guess what, I am still paying 650 per cent less for internet access than the tourists if they buy a WiFi card for 50 megabits. That’s a fact. […]

Kata - May 12, 2010

Wednesday 12 May 2010 | Published in Kata

Do not belittle our people

Wednesday 12 May 2010 | Published in Letters to the Editor

E Tama e, Kia Orana koe e toou aronga angaanga i te aroa maata o to tatou Atu ko Iesu Mesia. Greetings in the name of our Lord Jesus. Te tuku atu nei au i teia leta naku kia koe ma te pati akatenga atu kia tuku atu ki roto i taau Nuti Peapa Kuki […]

Share the direct flight banners

Wednesday 12 May 2010 | Published in Smoke Signals

The newly-launched cookislands.travel website features a banner on the home page to promote the July 4 start of Air New Zealand’s direct Sydney-Rarotonga flights, which needs strong bookings to avoid the country paying for any losses by the airline on this route. A number of local businesses have agreed to place the banner on their […]

George fires back at Tasker

Wednesday 12 May 2010 | Published in Letters to the Editor

Norman George with his grandchild after his not guilty verdict. “/> Dear Editor, Re the letter to the editor by the ex-police commissioner Pat Tasker on May 8. In response to Pat Tasker’s letter, he did not put the record straight, he displayed wilful ignorance with blurred eye views on events leading to the slush […]

Higher airport taxes in ticket

Tuesday 11 May 2010 | Published in Smoke Signals

“For all those beating up on our country’s taxes,” a smoke signaller writes, “these are the airport taxes for a trip to Fiji from Auckland New Zealand next week. The difference is these are in the purchase price of the ticket.” AIRPORT & GOVERNMENT COSTS: Airport Departure Tax NZ$56.40; Airport Security Charge $3.80; Airport Development […]

Kata - May 11, 2010

Tuesday 11 May 2010 | Published in Kata

Sir Terepai not the answer

Tuesday 11 May 2010 | Published in Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor Sir Terepai has got a lot to answer for the millions of taxpayers’ money wasted on the Toagate fiasco and the potential millions of dollars more that could still have to come out of the public purse. With the country’s general elections looming ever so closer, I am not happy to see that […]

Arorangi jetty plan a shambles

Tuesday 11 May 2010 | Published in Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor The unfolding fiasco relating to the Arorangi Jetty project speaks volumes of just how unorganised, disjointed and utterly incompetent this Government really is. During the recent visit of New Zealand’s foreign minister Murray McCully, one of the pet projects that this government pushed hard to receive funding was the construction of the Arorangi […]

A very bizarre political situation

Tuesday 11 May 2010 | Published in Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor, In the past two years, the now five believers and followers of Jim – Rasmussen, Wigmore, Eggleton, Heather and Piho, all planned to have the PM thrown out on a vote of no confidence with the help of the CIP. It was two years in the planning but on two separate occasions they […]

Dear parrots and politics

Monday 10 May 2010 | Published in Smoke Signals

A smoke signaller writes: “It’s really a sad state of affairs that we have to wait around to see the Demo Party spend the time coming up to the election, going through the foregone conclusion of ousting the nazis only to finish up with the same old Dead Party options to vote for. Reminds me […]