Opinion

Jobs for 'boys'

Friday 26 March 2010 | Published in Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor, With the appointment of Cassey Eggleton as a Minister, the coconut wireless has been running hot with talk of inducements and lolly offers from on high. All for the purpose of inducing some MPs to swap sides in order to further bolster their numbers. Watch this space for the creation of new posts […]

Cabinet asked to 'reign in' tourism board

Thursday 25 March 2010 | Published in Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor, ‘Changes needed in tourism’ is a great headline and in my view is the best decision by the so-called tourism board. They should start with a mass resignation for the good of the industry and country. Tata, Dorice, Ewan, Robert, Thomas, Theresa, and Iaveta – get rid of your personal interests at these […]

Tourism brickbats and bouquets

Thursday 25 March 2010 | Published in Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor A bouquet to Sir Terepai. Well done for exposing this tourism tragedy which is what it is. A brickbat to the Tourism Board for allowing this to happen. When we are all in favour of “locals” for “local jobs” how do we allow two extremely talented and competent people to be lost to […]

Kata - March 25, 2010

Thursday 25 March 2010 | Published in Kata

Water wasting

Thursday 25 March 2010 | Published in Smoke Signals

“I’ve just been watching the local news asking us all once again, not to waste water, to use it wisely and with thought for those living on higher ground,” a smoke signaller writes. “The thought crossed my mind when I went to town last Saturday morning where I noticed two organisations offering car washes as […]

It's odd, absurd, obscene

Wednesday 24 March 2010 | Published in Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor Please allow me to clarify some issues raised by Wilkie Rasmussen in his comments on Monday in your paper. Firstly it not an oddity to have a leader of a party elected openly and fairly by the representatives and delegates of each puna in the Cook Islands. This is democracy at work. The […]

Shocked by tourism resignations

Wednesday 24 March 2010 | Published in Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor, The shock resignations of the acting CEO of Tourism, Glenda Tuaine, and Cook Islands tourism NZ manager, Chris Ingram, have the potential to cause serious, long-term damage to Cook Islands Tourism Corporation. If we are not careful, these unfortunate resignations could actually undermine and threaten the unprecedented growth and success that the country’s […]

Parties first, broken promises

Wednesday 24 March 2010 | Published in Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor, Political parties always put themselves first and the Cook Islands Party has broken their promise again. They promised earlier not to hold up necessary funding in government. Now they are screaming that the present Cabinet is failing the people of Aitutaki. The CIP don’t care about Aitutaki, all they care about is forcing […]

Our minority govt is akin to Fiji

Wednesday 24 March 2010 | Published in Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor, Good to see that Finance Minister Wilkie Rasmussen is back in touch again after being ‘out of touch’ for over a week. Pity though that rather than addressing the important issues which I raised last week, he has concentrated on perverting the essence of my statements and thrown in some cheap personal comments […]

Quit the hypocrisy!

Wednesday 24 March 2010 | Published in Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor, Sir Terepai Maoate has the gall to blame good honest people Doesn’t he know that he was the cause of all the problems the current government is facing? Has the man got a conscience? He drove hard for government to buy Toa. Instead he hauled in a huge debt and lots of costly […]

Good on Wilkie for exposing rotten deal

Wednesday 24 March 2010 | Published in Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor, If it is true what finance minister Wilkie Rasmussen explained on CITV earlier in the week in regards of how much this country’s really owes TOA petroleum, then good on him and this government for exposing the full story on the fuel farm debacle. The tax paying citizens of this country have every […]

An attempt at reform

Wednesday 24 March 2010 | Published in Smoke Signals

“It’s interesting that the PM in his letter of August 29 was trying to begin the process of political reform within the Demo Party, but it was obviously shot down by the Maoate/Tongia faction,” a smoke signaller writes. “Also interesting that the MPs refuse to answer any questions about reform, in fact they refuse to […]

Kata - March 24, 2010

Wednesday 24 March 2010 | Published in Kata

'We will win our seats back'

Tuesday 23 March 2010 | Published in Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor, Your paper has an almost daily letter writer with a mission to discredit me, the prime minister and fellow cabinet ministers. For his information, both Jim and I will win our seats handsomely irrespective of whether we are in government as ministers or not. So will our colleagues. His comments that I was […]

PM has the mandate

Tuesday 23 March 2010 | Published in Letters to the Editor

Dear Sir, What makes the CIP think that it can govern? It lost the elections and it does not hold the majority mandate. It was rejected outright by most of the constituencies. Its leader Henry Puna, an MP then was embarrassingly thrown out. For him to claim that Jim Marurai’s government has no mandate is […]

PA-systems overused

Tuesday 23 March 2010 | Published in Letters to the Editor

Dear editor, Last week I went to watch four impressive premier-grade rugby league teams battle it out in the local footy competition. Played on Friday afternoon at Ngatangiia, the first match was between the high flying Ngatangiia Sea Eagles against the snarling Titikaveka Bulldogs. In the second premier-grade match played at Avatiu on Saturday afternoon, […]

Tourism needs fixing, fast

Tuesday 23 March 2010 | Published in Smoke Signals

Something is very wrong in the relationship between the chairman and board of Cook Islands Tourism with those employed at the tourism office. Especially when the chief executive John Dean resigned early and returned to Australia, followed by two very talented Cook Islanders over the weekend, reportedly throwing in the towel: acting CEO Glenda Tuaine […]

Kata - March 23, 2010

Tuesday 23 March 2010 | Published in Kata

Kata - March 22, 2010

Monday 22 March 2010 | Published in Kata

CIP silent on 'excessive' spending until now

Monday 22 March 2010 | Published in Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor, For the last 10 years, the CIP leadership has been silent while Maoate-led governments step-by-step blew out the budget. In 1999, only 1300 government jobs had survived the reform while presently there are close to 2000. The CIP should have objected to every staff addition because the 1996 reform demonstrated that 1300 persons […]