Smoke Signals
Chinese boats fined less than US?
Saturday 19 January 2013 | Published in Smoke Signals
A smoke signaller writes in response to yesterday’s p10 article ‘MMR won’t release fishing penalties’: “The only reason why the Marine Resources secretary Ben Ponia will not disclose the settlement amount for the Chinese fishing breaches, I believe, is because the amount is well below MMR’s fines set for foreign fishing breaches.
What were the fishing penalties?
Wednesday 16 January 2013 | Published in Smoke Signals
A smoke signaller writes: “It’s wonderful and I commend Marine Resources’ minister Teina Bishop on his instruction to the ministry’s secretary Ben Ponia to be open and transparent with the public about the MMR’s activities.
Fish factory on reclaimed land?
Tuesday 15 January 2013 | Published in Smoke Signals
A “CIP tangata rikiriki” writes in and asks: “While fishing is currently a hot topic on the beach, can government confirm or deny the rumour that the newly reclaimed land in front of the Punanga Nui Market is earmarked for the new Chinese fish processing factory? I sincerely hope that this is just a joke because I cannot imagine that this beautiful piece of land, which is badly needed for the congested Punanga Nui Market, will have a stinking fish factory for the whole of Avarua to view and smell.
Minister, where's your tuna?
Saturday 12 January 2013 | Published in Smoke Signals
A number of eagle eyed smoke signallers called in to point out that minister of the Ministry of Marine Resources, Teina Bishop, needs to bone up on his fish identification and fish facts – referring to the picture and accompanying story of the minister on page 7 of yesterday’s CI News.
Will we ever grow up?
Wednesday 9 January 2013 | Published in Smoke Signals
A smoke signaller, responding to yesterday’s smokie ‘Looking for what’s best for the country’, writes: “I was impressed with the writer as I thought all Cook Islanders were nave, often accepting, without questioning, overseas expert advice.
Looking for what's best for the country
Tuesday 8 January 2013 | Published in Smoke Signals
A smoke signaller writes: “An example of a project by so-called overseas experts was the Asian Development Bank functional review of ministries.
Don't look, they're kissing
Thursday 3 January 2013 | Published in Smoke Signals
“A recent edition of Cook Islands News included a letter from a local parent complaining of television shows portraying nudity and sexuality,” a smoke signaller writes.
Not suitable for children
Saturday 29 December 2012 | Published in Smoke Signals
A smoke signaller texts to 188: “What are we trying to promote on Cook Islands TV? Sex scenes? Lesbianism? Prostitution? Vulgar exposure of a woman’s body? My five and two year olds love to watch the Aussie kiddies’ pre-school programmes in the afternoons, but lately I’ve been resorting to turning on a DVD cartoon instead.
Why not keep it in-house?
Thursday 27 December 2012 | Published in Smoke Signals
Responding to last week’s front page article ‘Investigation into alleged infrastructure misconduct’, a smoke signaller asks: “Why on earth would Public Service Commissioner Russell Thomas appoint the former PSC Navy Epati to carry out an investigation into the Ministry of Infrastructure and Planning and the reasons behind Donye Numa’s suspension? Surely his own Public Service Commission CEO can do the job, or even the Audit Office? At least by doing that, no extra costs are involved and the PSC budget will be saving unnecessary expenditure.
Oldest island, first passports
Friday 21 December 2012 | Published in Smoke Signals
The island of Mangaia has been around for 18 million years – estimated by geologists to be the oldest in the Pacific – and now they’ve claimed another first: passports online. A smoke signaller from Auau Enua writes: “Mangaians are already getting their passports online – there are four people in Mangaia who have already received theirs. The first passport renewed online was issued on November 20. Eddie Drollett is very correct about the convenience though [see Tuesday’s p6 article ‘Online renewal within 5 days’]. It’s a lot faster. For outer islanders, gone is the hassle of getting the application form and the money to the High Commission in Rarotonga and then finding someone to collect your new passport and bring it back. The passports come by courier all the way. And another plus: it’s cheaper! However, it should be acknowledged that it is only for straightforward renewing of adult passports. If you don’t have a credit card, you probably know someone who does!”
Take care of visitors
Wednesday 19 December 2012 | Published in Smoke Signals
“The beach at Avaavaroa is one of the most beautiful areas I have ever seen,” a smoke signaller writes. “But passages anywhere are by nature dangerous because of tidal rips. In my opinion the Tourism Corporation should have taken responsibility for the safety of our visitors and signposted all passages with caution signs ages ago. Lots of money goes to enticing visitors to our shores but our duty of care to visitors is lacking. It’s a pity it took a double fatality to get some action and even then the offer to put up signs comes from the New Zealand High Commissioner, not by Tourism, Police, Internal Affairs or even the Cook Islands Investment Corporation. Even local people can forget how dangerous passages can be. I am told Avaavaroa is where two men drowned while fishing.”
Long ear of the law
Monday 17 December 2012 | Published in Smoke Signals
A smoke signaller emails us from New Zealand: “Hi, I spotted this on [social networking site] Twitter under ‘This is why New Zealand police need to recruit more people with an understanding of different languages and cultures’.” The Twitter post provided a link to the original posting (see image) and discussion on the equally powerful social networking site Facebook, where there was lively discussion on the topic and plenty of thumbs up. Some making comments doubted the existence of a language called Cook Islands Maori and a number of Cook Islanders jumped in to set the record straight. If the original Facebook posting is genuine, the police callout in New Zealand was unfortunately for a case of domestic violence in a Cook Islands family.
Arson charges
Saturday 15 December 2012 | Published in Smoke Signals
A smoke signaller texts to 188: “On the subject of arson, if they catch the idiot/idiots the police should lay charges of attempted murder in all cases of each house burnt down.”
2 types of public servants?
Friday 14 December 2012 | Published in Smoke Signals
A smoke signaller says: “Prime Minister Henry Puna’s statement that people should ‘stay in the country and get a second job to make ends meet’ has been totally misunderstood by your readers. What he really referred to was the example of the many over-age public servants who collect two pay packets every week; the one from their job in the Agriculture, Power Supply or Island Administration, or wherever they might work as a public servant. Plus their Old Age Pension of a $100 per week. Makes you wonder whether these overage government workers pay tax on the old age pension? I thought there is a policy where it is compulsory for public servants to retire at 60 years of age. If that is the case then there must be two groups of public servants: those who get retired at 60 by the government, and the Cook Islands Party supporters who can carry on for as long as they manage to clock in every day. Surely this is grossly unfair to the non-CIP workers and especially to our Cook Islands youngsters who have to migrate overseas as they cannot find a job in the islands because those over-age workers. Can the Public Service Commissioner confirm that there are at least 11 overage Aitutaki government workers collecting their weekly/fortnightly pay as well as the Old Age Pension, despite the policies set in place by government?”
Pay tax before perks
Wednesday 12 December 2012 | Published in Smoke Signals
A smoke signaller wrote yesterday: “While listening to parliament today I was annoyed to hear Wilkie Rasmussen pleading for businesses that have tax arrears, and he’s asking for leniency on them. In my business we make sacrifices and the owners go without personal pay sometimes in order to pay our monthly tax bill. This includes PAYE collected from staff pay packets, VAT collected on behalf of government, and company tax which we pay ahead of overseas trips and luxury things like flash six cylinder 4x4s. What’s up with these bludgers and free-loaders like a certain resort owner and a certain lawyer who live the high life and who run up huge tax arrears, and then self-righteously tell us how the country should be run, or even attack their competitors for so-called restrictive trade practices.”
Education Bill passed
Wednesday 12 December 2012 | Published in Smoke Signals
Parliament passed the Education Bill into Cook Islands law yesterday afternoon with no amendment.
The costs of a conviction
Tuesday 11 December 2012 | Published in Smoke Signals
“A recent criminal court report in Cook Islands News indicates that a convicted drink drive criminal caught driving while his driver’s licence was suspended was made to pay a total of $50 for the offence,” a smoke signaller writes. “The poor fellow, he will be short one case of beer for one weekend of binge drinking. Some punishment. Anyone sitting in the peanut gallery at criminal court sees the smirk on these miscreants faces as they walk out after these wrist slappings and give the thumbs up to mates. What does it cost the taxpayers to collect this $50? Add up police and support staff time, JP sitting fees, Justice and Probation time and can it be less than $500 to collect $50? It would be more cost effective to have a vending machine in the front of the courthouse where the defendant pushes the button for his particular offence, inserts a $50 note, holds his wrist up for a mechanical slap, and gets back to the bush beer school where he needs to be drinking with the mates.”
2nd job 'to pay for world trips'
Saturday 8 December 2012 | Published in Smoke Signals
A smoke signaller texts to 188: “Prime Minister Henry Puna’s statement that people should ‘stay in the country and get a second job to make ends meet’ really just angers me more! I’m a single working mother who works two jobs only to be slapped in the face with high tax – for your world trips! How inappropriate it is that with my second job the more hours I clock in, the more tax I pay, so in a week you are taxing me nearly half my pay from my first job. And the second job gets taxed higher. Mr Puna, how do you sleep well at night? You need the boot! Bring John Carter in as PM. And don’t blame the islanders for packing up – life is hard here, and you don’t seem to care about your own people!”
You try a second job, PM
Thursday 6 December 2012 | Published in Smoke Signals
“Boy, our Prime Minister Henry Puna has some nerve to say people should stay in the country and get a second job to make ends meet,” a smoke signaller writes to TXT188 in response to yesterday’s front page article ‘Low wages on public lips’. “ First of all, how often is he in the country at one time? What benefit do his taxpayer-funded trips have to our country? And thirdly, the main reason young people leave our shores is because even with two jobs the wages here are nowhere near what you would get in New Zealand or Australia. Raise the minimum wage and maybe people will want to stay. And maybe Mr Puna should also take some of his own medicine and get off his high horse and get a real job that involves hard work and labour – with the wages the ‘people’ are on – and see if he’s still humming the same tune.”
Lock up the cowardly women bashers
Wednesday 5 December 2012 | Published in Smoke Signals
A smoke signaller asks: “Does it not seem a tad strange that six men in just one criminal court sitting can be up for beating the bejesus out of their women/wives and be given chance after chance to avoid jail, only to reoffend days later, while some young people who smoked a bit of weed from the back yard, hurt no one, are sitting in jail to ‘deter’ others. Come on JPs, wake up and smell the coffee. Fill the prison up for the holidays. You may not deter any other women-beaters but ones locked up sure won’t be ruining Christmas for the rest of society. Lock ‘em up like the cowardly curs that they are.”