Smoke Signals
Why the shuffle?
Tuesday 17 April 2012 | Published in Smoke Signals
“Questions and reasoning behind the recent Cabinet reshuffling between the Prime Minister, giving away the police portfolio to Teariki Heather for outer islands, should be explained to the people,” a smoke signaller writes. “Government should come out and give the reasons why this is taking place. I believe that most taxpayers would want to see […]
Scooter warning
Monday 16 April 2012 | Published in Smoke Signals
A nine-year-old Auckland boy has 34 stitches in his head after a nasty accident on a push scooter, a timely warning for young riders here in the Cooks that helmets should be worn while riding the scooters. Fairfax NZ News reported that when Brent Bradley fell off his scooter and hit his head on the […]
Taxing a shrinking population
Saturday 14 April 2012 | Published in Smoke Signals
“Most of us cannot believe time after time how the minister of finance and his advisers are planning our economic and tax policies,” a smoke signaller writes. “They, including government, seem to be fixated with imposing more taxes on a depleting population as a means of balancing the budget. Surely Mark Brown understands that you […]
Inland, not coast, for tank farms
Friday 13 April 2012 | Published in Smoke Signals
“If someone were to propose putting a fuel tank farm on a coastline in New Zealand or Australia, where there was any chance of sea surge, the chance of consents being given are a bit less than zero,” a smoke signaller writes. “Why on earth would we make that mistake again here on Rarotonga? We […]
Bring your own chair
Monday 2 April 2012 | Published in Smoke Signals
A reader had a good chuckle over a classic Hawaiian poster advertising a Polynesian show and meal that asks those attending to BYOC Bring Your Own Chair! The Friday night Bash, Papa Ole’s Kitchen and Hui Kupono at the Hauula Shopping Centre bills itself as featuring free entertainment including a live band, a Polynesian show […]
Flight subsidy 'a liability, not asset'
Friday 30 March 2012 | Published in Smoke Signals
A smoke signaler writes in response to the government’s $12.5 million subsidy of Air New Zealand’s direct flights to Rarotonga from Los Angeles and Sydney, which Cook Islands Tourism officials say should be viewed as a national strategic asset. “It strikes this reader as a poor business decision to fund flights that are not turning […]
4x4 flood from road fix
Thursday 29 March 2012 | Published in Smoke Signals
The road leading to the top of hospital hill should be left as it is,” a smoke signaler writes in response to yesterday’s front page article ‘Tour operator wants hill road upgraded’. “If they were to make improvements [to the dirt road], you will find that every man and his 4×4 will try and drive […]
Weeds 'needed removing'
Wednesday 28 March 2012 | Published in Smoke Signals
In response to Friday’s Smoke Signal complaining about the clean up of the Takuvaine Stream, another smoke signaller writes: “Well, about time they cleaned it up before the growth of this noxious weed overtakes the river completely and does more damage. We had this problem further inland where our bridge was blocked by this Lucerne […]
Food survey fails
Tuesday 27 March 2012 | Published in Smoke Signals
A smoke signaller sent in this tongue-in-cheek ‘news’ snippet: Last month a world-wide survey was conducted by the UN. The only question asked was: “Could you please give your honest opinion about solutions to the world food shortages?” The survey was a massive failure because of the following: In Eastern Europe they didn’t know what […]
Stop-Go guys keep smiling
Saturday 24 March 2012 | Published in Smoke Signals
A smoke signaller writes: “Yes, it can be a bit of pain waiting to be allowed to go through the current road works along the main road at Nikao, however I want to say those two young guys that are on the Stop/Go signs always have a smile and often a bit of humour, which […]
Don't remove stream bank shrubs
Friday 23 March 2012 | Published in Smoke Signals
“So the director of Environmental Services authorised the removal of ‘shrubbery’ from Takuvaine Stream ‘before it rains’,” a smoke signaler notes after reading yesterday’s front page article. “Brilliant indeed. That ‘shrubbery’ is what holds the soil, what slows down the flow of water and what absorbs pollutants from upstream before they can reach the lagoon. […]
'No job' for Navy at PM's
Thursday 22 March 2012 | Published in Smoke Signals
The chief executive of the Prime Minister’s Support Office has quashed rumours that Navy Epati is to become a policy advisor in his office on public service review. Edwin Pittman said it was a “ridiculous proposition and the former Public Service Commissioner is pursuing private interests and there has never been any offer of a […]
Not extended, yet
Tuesday 20 March 2012 | Published in Smoke Signals
A smoke signaller called at the BCI yesterday at 3.30pm to renew their motor vehicle annual licence as an advert in Cook Islands News has been saying that the bank will remain open until 5.30pm for this purpose until the end of the month. “Unfortunately nobody told the staff about it – the bank was […]
On 'Travel Duty': Yeah, right!
Saturday 17 March 2012 | Published in Smoke Signals
That was the gist of an interesting auto response email message from a person overseas who obviously likes to give the impression that travel is a difficult task. A smoke signaller quipped: “That’s a new piece of jargon in officialese, which our public service will no doubt adopt…’I will be on ‘travel duty’ from blah […]
Commissioner's appointment irks
Wednesday 14 March 2012 | Published in Smoke Signals
“What a complete shambles the appointment of the new Public Service Commissioner has turned out to be,” a smoke signaller writes. “In my opinion the Prime Minister and Cabinet did not select on merit but looked at this from a close family and party connections. What happened to the PM’s speech about the promises that […]
Good Sorts, Raro-style
Tuesday 13 March 2012 | Published in Smoke Signals
After a spate of burglaries hitting the headlines, it’s great to read some positive news such as this sent in by Heather Brannigan who is visiting Rarotonga from New Zealand: “A holiday that could have ended in tears – didn’t. Something precious was lost, found and returned. A big special thank you to the staff […]
Chasing millions here
Saturday 10 March 2012 | Published in Smoke Signals
An account set up in the Cook Islands designated the Baby Mama Trust was mentioned during the trial of Texas banker Allen Stanford, who this week was convicted of running a US$7 billion Ponzi scheme. The jury’s verdict clears the way for the United States government to seize US$330 million of funds that had been […]
Taxing airlines a 'bad decision'
Friday 9 March 2012 | Published in Smoke Signals
“Targeting airlines by now charging them income tax is another knee jerk tax reaction from finance minister Mark Brown and his tax advisors,” a smoke signaller writes. “Hasn’t this government learnt from the withholding tax mess? Now the airlines will increase their fares to meet this extra cost. Who will suffer? The little people, of […]
Rarotonga's big mushroom
Wednesday 7 March 2012 | Published in Smoke Signals
An impressive mushroom-shaped cloud had a number of people scrambling for their cameras to snap a picture as it towered over Rarotonga recently. This photo, sent in by the same smoke signaller who submitted last week’s cute picture of a friendly kitten and piglet, shows the cloud mushrooming over Upper Tupapa. We asked Met Service […]
Elvis and Apii 'out of tune'
Tuesday 6 March 2012 | Published in Smoke Signals
“Elvis Puna and Apii the Meter Man are singing a different song when it comes to renewable energy,” a smoke signaller quips. “While the travelling PM is overseas warbling (unrealistically) 100% green, Te Aponga’s bandleader is out of tune with his 6%. And by hogging all the big installations for himself and government and limiting […]