Opinion
LETTER: UN Membership bid: NZ behaving ‘like a coloniser’
Tuesday 13 December 2022 | Written by Supplied | Published in Letters to the Editor, Opinion
Dear Editor, If the Cooks wanted to become a sovereign nation, it needed its own citizenship. Cook Islanders would remain New Zealand citizens but “if they want to change it, they can”. Then Prime Minister Helen Clark said in June 2001. “If they want to exert full independence, New Zealand will not stand in their way.”
Kata: Cook Islands law
Monday 12 December 2022 | Written by Supplied | Published in Kata, Opinion
Kata: Private security
Monday 12 December 2022 | Written by Supplied | Published in Kata, Opinion
RUTA MAVE: ‘This is the cultural issue that needs attention’
Monday 12 December 2022 | Written by Ruta Tangiiau Mave | Published in Opinion
There has been a lot of talk about culture lately and what constitutes how it defines us, as a society. If we accept culture is the ideas, customs and social behavior of a particular people, then we accept wearing ei katus and the giving of eis at the airport and award ceremonies as one of our more lovely cultural practices. If social behaviour defines us, then eating and drinking is foremost our larger problem of culture as we battle a health crisis of obesity and NCDs. Domestic violence and abuse are cultural too.
LETTER: Have we earned our NZ citizenship, or not?
Monday 12 December 2022 | Written by Supplied | Published in Letters to the Editor, Opinion
If the Cooks wanted to become a sovereign nation, it needed its own citizenship. Cook Islanders would remain New Zealand citizens but "if they want to change it, they can." Then Prime Minister Helen Clark said in June 2001 "If they want to exert full independence, New Zealand will not stand in their way."
LETTER TO EDITOR: Homosexual Law reform remains in limbo
Friday 9 December 2022 | Written by Supplied | Published in Letters to the Editor, Opinion
‘Science shows us that people are born LGBTQ+’
‘Vicious and uncivilised’ marijuana laws
Tuesday 6 December 2022 | Written by Supplied | Published in Letters to the Editor, Opinion
Dear Editor, Did you know that under the Ministry of Health Act 2013 that marijuana fits the description of a medicine? In the Act it reads in part that, “Medicine means any substance whether of animal, plant or synthetic origin which is used internally or externally for alleviating disease”.
Lawmakers – Hypocrites or pearly white?
Monday 5 December 2022 | Written by Supplied | Published in Letters to the Editor, Opinion
Dear Editor, This writer sat in the High Court, Criminal Division, on Friday and watched two sentences handed down from the 2021 Police operation on Aitutaki – the operation that brought an end to the international, million dollar drug cartel carried out by the young criminals of that island. I would have sat through more of the sentencing, but it was just too painful seeing young lives destroyed.
Gossip – is it true, is it kind, is it useful?
Monday 5 December 2022 | Written by Ruta Tangiiau Mave | Published in Opinion
There are no good ends to those who like to gossip with unconstrained conversation about other people without confirming if they are true, writes Ruta Mave.
LETTER TO EDITOR: History behind Kimiangatau’s founding
Friday 2 December 2022 | Written by Supplied | Published in Letters to the Editor, Opinion
Dear Editor, While it’s good to get new local programmes on CITV, it is not good practice to source material from just one person and not do any cross-checking.
LETTER TO EDITOR: Give us clean water or come clean
Thursday 1 December 2022 | Written by Supplied | Published in Letters to the Editor, Opinion
Dear Editor, While the stated “nearly $90 million” cost to date for Te Mato Vai may not be correct (and many think it’s closer to $120m), we all need to be reminded that when the project was announced at a budget of $59 million, multiple Cook Islanders argued that something like $15 million would put […]
Legal recreational drug of choice
Monday 28 November 2022 | Written by Supplied | Published in Letters to the Editor, Opinion
Dear Editor, Perhaps you have a young cub reporter on staff who could work his or her way through the last five or so years of Cook Islands News and come up with a rough estimate of the percentage of newsprint reporting on the downside of our national acceptance of alcohol as our legal recreational drug of choice
‘Fighting for what is right, writing to make things right’
Monday 28 November 2022 | Written by Ruta Tangiiau Mave | Published in Opinion
Good people who see bad things and say nothing are as bad as the bad people doing them. We need people to stand up and say ‘The emperor is wearing no clothes’, writes Ruta Mave.
Why we need a moratorium on deep seabed mining
Saturday 26 November 2022 | Written by Te Ipukarea Society | Published in Opinion
Do we have to trash the ocean to save our climate? No, we do not. New analysis shows how technological innovation and circular economy models can meet the demand for minerals without deep seabed mining.
LETTER TO THE EDITOR: Time to review electricity rates?
Saturday 26 November 2022 | Written by Supplied | Published in Letters to the Editor, Opinion
TAU (Te Aponga Uira) were quick to respond to fuel increases by increasing their electricity rates across the board.
LETTER TO THE EDITOR: Making up law as they go?
Saturday 26 November 2022 | Written by Supplied | Published in Letters to the Editor, Opinion
Dear Editor, In 2020, Te Marae Ora, through the Director of Clinical Services put out a release that stated “There are no laid down import regulations for methadone”. Methadone is a Class B controlled drug in the Narcotics and Misuse of Drugs Act 2004.
Too much of a good thing?
Friday 25 November 2022 | Written by Supplied | Published in Editorials, Opinion
One in five people treat their own infections instead of seeing a doctor or nurse practitioner to get it checked and get an appropriate antibiotic prescribed if one is needed, says Te Marae Ora chief pharmacist.
Taking care of your ears: Why it’s so important
Thursday 24 November 2022 | Written by Supplied | Published in Opinion, Pet Talk
What do ears do? The obvious answer is – hear sounds. Without getting too scientific, that is true. But ears do other things too, writes Dr Michael Baer, Te Are Manu Vet Clinic medical director.
LETTER TO EDITOR: Pero’s airline ‘a missed opportunity’
Wednesday 23 November 2022 | Written by Supplied | Published in Letters to the Editor, Opinion
Dear Editor, It’s disappointing that this government would choose to reject this new airline proposal (Pero’s national airline dreams dashed again, Cook Islands News, November 19).
Time for climate change action is now – urgency demands it
Tuesday 22 November 2022 | Written by Supplied | Published in Opinion
It was my privilege to lead a delegation from the Cook Islands to Cop27, which was hosted by Egypt, at Sharm El Sheikh, writes Prime Minister Mark Brown.
