Opinion

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. […]

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 […]

Kata - May 12, 2010

Wednesday 12 May 2010 | Published in Kata

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 […]

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 […]

Kata - May 11, 2010

Tuesday 11 May 2010 | Published in Kata

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 […]

Kata - May 10, 2010

Monday 10 May 2010 | Published in Kata

Address the immigration anomaly

Monday 10 May 2010 | Published in Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor, In support of recent comments by John Cooper and Dennis Keith regarding immigration requirements of New Zealanders to reside in the Cook Islands, I would like to add that within the next year or two the retirement of many ‘Baby Boomers’ (those born at the end of the war) will be about to […]

Concerned Parent 'completely incorrect'

Monday 10 May 2010 | Published in Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor The second letter by ‘A Concerned Parent’ on Saturday is totally and completely incorrect in all facets of writing. It’s no wonder our young workforce leave this country because of such belittling and undermining tactics aired by ‘Concerned Parent’. It’s the old story about our own people trying to come to bar with […]

Kata slightly off the mark

Saturday 8 May 2010 | Published in Kata

Dear Editor CI News Cartoonist ‘Kata’, is a brilliant artist known for his humorous social and political cartoons in your newspaper, the Cook Islands News. However, Kata was off the mark with his April 27 cartoon depicting John Tangi as a member of a military led dictatorship telling Robert Wigmore he couldn’t stand for the […]

Supporters 'weren't swearing at players'

Saturday 8 May 2010 | Published in Smoke Signals

A reader replies to one of the smoke signals yesterday regarding Tupapa supporters: “I think I have a fair idea who this person is; you may stay in Tupapa, but you’re not a Tupapa supporter. The person who wrote it sounds as vicious as the message and it shows you how spiteful this person is […]

Kata - May 8, 2010

Saturday 8 May 2010 | Published in Kata

Pathetic treatment

Saturday 8 May 2010 | Published in Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor, I was saddened to read what had happened to Helen. I mean the pathetic treatment she received from the police, especially from Inspector Taivero Isamaela.How can this guy now represent Titikaveka as a candidate for any party. He should, at least together with the Police Commissioner apologise to Helen. Helen was just doing […]

Unprofessional call

Saturday 8 May 2010 | Published in Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor I happened to read senior journalist Helen Greigs tirade against the Cook Islands Police in Monday’s paper. I don’t wish to discuss any guilt or innocence associated with it as that is a matter for others. The article itself reads of massive conspiracy theories by a person that is taking things a tad […]

Stick to the point

Saturday 8 May 2010 | Published in Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor, In reply to Pokoinu Trading, you say you have managed an oil industry, it wouldn’t be BP would it? They are good at oil spills and don’t know how to fix it. You are just trying to throw everyone off the point and has nothing to do with the issues. Who cares that […]