Smoke Signals
Duty free a VAT thief?
Friday 20 December 2013 | Published in Smoke Signals
A smoke signaller writes in to ask a question about the increase in the personal duty free allowance for arriving passengers, which increases from $250 to $750 on January 1. “Can the Minister of Finance or the opposition please explain why we are giving away a potential value added tax content of $5.5 million (100,000 […]
NES 'rubber stamps' everything
Tuesday 17 December 2013 | Published in Smoke Signals
“The National Environment Service has been giving people permission to butcher trees for decades,” a smoke signaller writes in response to reported anger over the recent felling of more than a dozen ironwood and coconut tress on a beachfront section at Vaimaanga. “Remember the ancient ironwoods on the beach where John Scott’s hotel now stands? […]
Chase thieves, not the Queens baton
Wednesday 11 December 2013 | Published in Smoke Signals
A smoke signaller writes: “There was an extraordinary show of police force on Friday escorting, guarding, protecting, defending, shielding, call it what you may, ‘The Baton’, the likes of which can only be compared to an American presidential motorcade. I counted five police vehicles, one behind the other, and at least six foot soldiers. Who […]
193 disadvantaged children: why?
Saturday 7 December 2013 | Published in Smoke Signals
A smoke signaller writes: “The 193 tags hanging on the Westpac Christmas tree representing 193 disadvantaged young Cook Islanders is a wonderful gesture, but does it not raise the question of how such a small community of people can have 193 disadvantaged children? At say five persons average family size, that must represent almost 2000 […]
'Sell 4WDs' to cover back tax
Thursday 5 December 2013 | Published in Smoke Signals
“Government should just sell off one or maybe two of their flash government 4×4 vehicles that they brought with taxpayers’ money to cover the back tax on the pensioners,” a smoke signaller texts to 188. “Do all secretaries need a government owned vehicle when most already own a vehicle themselves? These GA vehicles already have […]
Christianity not so peacefull
Tuesday 3 December 2013 | Published in Smoke Signals
A smoke signaller writes: “As a follow-up to Saturday’s Smoke Signal regarding the invasion of Christianity into the North American Indian communities, Dan George (1899-1981), a Canadian native chief said: “When the white man came we had the land and they had the bibles; now they have the land and we have the bibles.” It […]
Not just a mama and papa market
Saturday 30 November 2013 | Published in Smoke Signals
“I have to share the concerns of the Muri businesses that are affected by the Thursday night Muri markets,” a smoke signaller writes in response to Thursday’s page 7 article. “When you see the Muri Night Markets advertising on national television, they move from the realm of ‘mama and papa just selling food to make […]
Diwali: hiding behind a 'non-issue'
Wednesday 20 November 2013 | Published in Smoke Signals
A smoke signaller writes in response to yesterday’s letter to the editor from Bishop Tutai Pere of the Apostolic Church titled ‘From darkness to light’: “Ho hum, if ever I can’t sleep I start reading one of ‘Bishop’ Pere’s same old same old and, praise Jesus, I am a-gone to dreamland by the second paragraph. […]
'If I was Police Commissioner'
Friday 15 November 2013 | Published in Smoke Signals
“It’s great to hear the Prime Minister has a reward out for the capture of the arsonist,” a smoke signaller writes. “However I would have thought that the $100,000 plus salary the Police Commissioner gets would be incentive enough? If this smoke-signaller was offered that salary he/she wouldn’t sleep till this arsonist was bought to […]
Water rates 'won't go down well'
Thursday 14 November 2013 | Published in Smoke Signals
“Government officials are being coy about the water rates they intend to impose on all households and businesses in Rarotonga,” a smoke signaller writes. “That is not going to go down well with the community – also known as the electorate – if the government uses their own stats on water usage, said to be […]
Whatever happened to 'Go local'?
Monday 11 November 2013 | Published in Smoke Signals
“It’s funny how a non-fisherman, Business Trade Investment Board’s Terry Rangi, says foreign by-catch is a win-win,” a smoke signaller writes in response to Thursday’s front page article about BTIB granting an extra three month licence variation to a Luen Thai Fishing Venture subsidiary to allow it to sell fish to two local retailers for […]
Schools 'before sports'
Thursday 7 November 2013 | Published in Smoke Signals
A smoke signaller writes: “Top government leaders were quick to travel to watch and donate $60,000 to the Cook Islands’ losing rugby league team, which is not a priority. That money should have been given to our two schools that got smoked up. Thank you to the chiropractor who donated thousands of dollars to the […]
Our local drunks 'filling graveyards'
Tuesday 5 November 2013 | Published in Smoke Signals
“I think Tui Short [Justice of the Peace] needs to open his eyes,” a smoke signaller texts to 188 in response to Wednesday’s page 9 article ‘Foreigners appearing in court a problem: JP’. “Because of drunks, it is our people that are filling up the graveyards, the police station and the prison cells – not […]
'Not so fast' on intake land
Friday 1 November 2013 | Published in Smoke Signals
“The government is ready to start the upgrade of our water system which will be distributed on a user-pay system,” a smoke signaller notes. “There are a few stumbling blocks to their grandiose plans. One is the little matter that landowners of the 12 water intakes have not been consulted. There is no guarantee the […]
Play league or grow nita?
Wednesday 30 October 2013 | Published in Smoke Signals
“Bingo!!” shouts a smoke signaller.
Time for a designated fire service
Saturday 26 October 2013 | Published in Smoke Signals
A smoke signaller writes: “It is time a designated fire service is set up for Rarotonga, with the support of local leaders in each vaka, and I agree with Nga [Jessie, Rescue Fire Service chief].
Brown losing the battle?
Thursday 24 October 2013 | Published in Smoke Signals
Dear Editor, Minister Mark Brown must be suffering from a mad rush of adrenalin.
Building the Cook Islands
Thursday 24 October 2013 | Published in Smoke Signals
A smoke signaller writes in response to yesterday’s letter to the editor ‘We are the Grey Power of today’: “To your letter writer Cook Islands New Zealand Pensioner, every time someone writes about a ‘sacrificial journey’ to New Zealand and Australia to pay taxes there to rescue the Cook Islands it makes me ask, really? To put it in perspective, unless you successfully marched with banners down Lambton Quay to the Inland Revenue head office in Wellington to demand that ALL your taxes be paid to the Cook Islands while you worked there (which of course they would have ignored, by law), then your contribution is as a New Zealand taxpayer collectively sending say $15 million of much appreciated aid to the Cooks a year, or about $3.30 per person in NZ.
Don't forget Raro prices
Monday 21 October 2013 | Published in Smoke Signals
A smoke signaller writes: “I am wondering whether the MP Smiley Heather [Democratic Party, Ruaau] is diligent enough with his comments in the newspaper regarding the failure of the export pawpaw industry.
Some Grey Power 'small-minded'
Friday 18 October 2013 | Published in Smoke Signals
“I was shocked and disappointed to see the childish behaviour shown by some supporters of the Grey Power movement at the meeting last Wednesday evening on the tax presentation,” a smoke signaller writes.