Smoke Signals
The sticky question of Web suppression
Wednesday 11 May 2011 | Published in Smoke Signals
The New Zealand media is running articles about the arrest of 13 people here on drugs charges, with varying degrees of detail. On Sunday night a ONE News reporter named one of the accused on the evening news with the relevant part of the 6pm broadcast shown only to viewers in New Zealand and blocked […]
Reigning in the purse seiners
Monday 9 May 2011 | Published in Smoke Signals
Very clever of Cook Islands News putting a picture of Joe Cocker next to the headline Guard our precious marine resources in Saturday’s paper, a smoke signaller playfully writes. Who could resist finding out why Cocker had an opinion on our marine activities? Turns out it was an article by Reuben Tylor and an excellent […]
Singing an old tune
Saturday 7 May 2011 | Published in Smoke Signals
A month ago on being appointed chairman of the board of Cook Islands Investment Corporation, Julian Dashwood said politics will not be part of his game in office, a smoke signaller writes. Now hes singing a different tune and is back to square one singing the age-old national tune of the Cook Islands: Me e […]
Tax trumps MMRs $4M
Tuesday 3 May 2011 | Published in Smoke Signals
The report that the Ministry of Marine Resources will make $4 million was probably designed to impress, writes a smoke in response to a front page article in Saturdays CI News. Not so it was a pathetic endeavour to gloss over the bad administration over the last few years. I bet MMR gave the story […]
Noise just a diversion
Saturday 30 April 2011 | Published in Smoke Signals
A smoke signaller writes: Its obvious that no matter what the PEOPLE of the Cook Islands think, no matter what noises the minister makes, our government will carry out the so-called exploratory purse seining and then go for it. After all who cares about fish stocks in our waters? Why cant we make a stand […]
New bloodsucker arrives
Friday 29 April 2011 | Published in Smoke Signals
After being told theres a new bloodsucker on the island one smoke signaller wondered who it might be and whether they were of the political or bureaucratic variety. Turns out its neither, its way, way smaller and it really likes sucking the blood of our canine friends. The Brown Dog Tick was discovered on a […]
Cooks licence in $2m drug arrest
Tuesday 26 April 2011 | Published in Smoke Signals
How is a $10 Cook Islands drivers licence linked to a $2 million cocaine drug case in Argentina? The licence is one of three that New Zealander Sharon Armstrong had in her possession when she was arrested about a fortnight ago in Argentina while trying to board a plane with 5kg of cocaine allegedly hidden […]
When competition protects buyers
Thursday 21 April 2011 | Published in Smoke Signals
Its good to see that Terry Hagan and the Price Tribunal have some balance to how prices can be determined without over regulation, a smoke signaller writes in response to yesterdays page 8 article Price tribunal reviews itself. A free market economy with lots of competition permits for such tribunals to be made redundant. But […]
What now, fishgate?
Tuesday 19 April 2011 | Published in Smoke Signals
Theres growing opposition to the way the government through its Ministry of Marine Resources is handling the future of our oceans. One MMR official, who blames the media for the public reaction, needs to realise the backlash is because of the way they have foisted the fishery plan on an unsuspecting public, and signing the […]
All islands need water tanks
Saturday 16 April 2011 | Published in Smoke Signals
“The heading in the newspaper [yesterday] ‘Water tanks for all’ is an incorrect heading because it only looks at people living in Rarotonga,” writes a smoke signaller. “Here again the government of the day forgets that there are people living in the outer islands. We are not connected to a municipal water supply, we have […]
Nation's ideas need nurturing
Friday 15 April 2011 | Published in Smoke Signals
“Wilkie Rasmussen says the Economic Development Summit was a waste of time and money as government will just go on its normal path, ignoring the man on the street,” a smoke signaller notes. “If one needed one small example, it would be when the Titikaveka Growers took the initiative to source a big commercial mulcher […]
New cars for new leaders
Wednesday 13 April 2011 | Published in Smoke Signals
A smoke signaller spotted at the Economic Summit yesterday the president of the House of Ariki getting out of a blue government car, registration GA79 “that was a real bomb”. Parked next to it was also a blue car, “but a very flash and new” GA387 driven by the acting secretary to Cabinet. The signaller […]
Glass beads and axes?
Saturday 9 April 2011 | Published in Smoke Signals
“If I read Temu Okotai’s view correctly, we have two agreements with Telecom Cook Islands,” a smoke signalller writes. “One being the legislated monopoly as an act of Parliament, the other as an agreement between the shareholders, which is Telecom NZ and the local shareholders, namely the Cook Islands Investment Corporation, who would hold shares […]
Tangaroa 'just a statue'
Thursday 7 April 2011 | Published in Smoke Signals
A smoke signaller writes in response to Olivia Heather’s letter to the editor yesterday: “I find it questionable to be calling Tangaroa the principal ‘god’ of our people. This may come as a surprise, but the Tangaroa is actually just a wooden statue, with as much power as a piece of plastic. Perhaps you should […]
What's the fuss about?
Saturday 2 April 2011 | Published in Smoke Signals
“I don’t know what the fuss is about the CINews reports of the sexual assault case currently before an open court,” a smoke signaller writes [see letters to the editor on Thursday and yesterday]. “We in Raro have the option of sitting in the public area to listen, unlike those overseas and the outer islands […]
Marine park: public must be consulted
Thursday 31 March 2011 | Published in Smoke Signals
“The prime minister wants to know if the public want to be consulted on the establishment of a marine park,” a smoke signaller writes. “The answer is a very firm yes. The public also want to know who the trustees of the marine park charitable trust will be – we don’t want to see just […]
Cut the lines, too?
Tuesday 22 March 2011 | Published in Smoke Signals
“Going through Arorangi from town on Friday, a T&M Heather truck/trailer was carrying a digger back to home base,” a smoke signaller writes. “The vehicle was so high it had to swerve to avoid utilities lines hanging over the road, sometimes driving on the opposite side of the road and once holding up oncoming traffic. […]
Solomons opens telecom to all
Saturday 19 March 2011 | Published in Smoke Signals
A smoke signaller quips “Everywhere but the Cooks” as he sends across an article from Pacific Periscope which reveals that the Solomon Islands is about to launch revolutionary ‘class licences’ for telecommunications. “Following the rapid pace of reform in the country’s telecommunications sector, the Solomon Islands government this week has announced the launch of what […]
Rewarding the govt for airline loyalty
Thursday 17 March 2011 | Published in Smoke Signals
“Air New Zealand is playing semantics,” says a smoke signaller in response to yesterday’s article about the airline not budging from its policy that AirPoints is a reward for individual travellers and not the entity that pays or sponsors the airfare. Numerous Cook Islands governments have unsuccessfully lobbied the airline to allow AirPoints earned from […]
Is anybody home?
Saturday 12 March 2011 | Published in Smoke Signals
“Just wondering what has been organised for warning systems in the outer islands?” asks a smoke signaller following yesterday morning’s Pacific-wide tsunami warning as a result of the massive 8.9 earthquake in Japan. “Just heard some people living on north coast of Mauke knew nothing of the tsunami until they woke up this morning, and […]