Smoke Signals
Noughts and crosses
Wednesday 3 November 2010 | Published in Smoke Signals
“I note in the front page article in Monday’s paper ‘Pencil or pen?’ that we should place an [X] in the box when voting at election time,” writes a smoke signaller. “What are some of the party hopefuls expecting when they are promoting in their advertisements the use of a [a]? Would it be a […]
End of a beautiful harbour?
Tuesday 2 November 2010 | Published in Smoke Signals
“The Ports Authority must be on to an environmental winner with the call for placing billboards to block the sea views down at the water,” quips a smoke signaller. “Tourists will soon discover that the Cook Islands are the same as where they come from, billboards everywhere, and tourism will decline with less jet fuel […]
Yearly election will fix it
Monday 1 November 2010 | Published in Smoke Signals
“If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em,” quips a smoke signaller.” If it takes an election to get the Tupapa drains fixed, let’s have an election every year. Then the government of the day will fix everything in the 30 days before the election and we can send all the public works fellas home without […]
Bike seats not safe storage
Saturday 30 October 2010 | Published in Smoke Signals
Almost every time you read the Police crime report in the newspaper there’s at least one case involving visitors losing many hundreds of dollars and cameras (usually with irreplaceable holiday snaps) ‘locked’ under their motorbike seats when they park and go snorkeling or hiking. Many visitors obviously don’t realise that the storage compartment under a […]
Cracking the egg question
Thursday 28 October 2010 | Published in Smoke Signals
A smoke signaller who says he’s a former Scotts Farm egg eater reckons he knows why the government shied away from John Scott’s demand for protection of his egg production business. “Scott’s eggs are painted in CIP colours but one must salute John Scott for probably being a good practitioner of reverse psychology and therefore […]
Reading between the lines
Wednesday 27 October 2010 | Published in Smoke Signals
More close scrutiny and analysis of a manifesto photo from a smoke signaller: “If you look at the cover page photo on the Demo Party manifesto, you will notice that Wilkie is right in the middle with Wigmore and Willis on the side. This is a clear reflection of the true picture of the Demo […]
Our elections tame by US standards
Monday 25 October 2010 | Published in Smoke Signals
With our general elections a little over three weeks away there have been a few small skirmishes between the political parties over public service numbers, the timing of tractor donations to the constituencies and the amount to be paid for each newborn baby. All healthy debate and handled in a typically measured Cook Islands manner […]
Working for the 'Economic Games'
Saturday 23 October 2010 | Published in Smoke Signals
“I think what they are suggesting is secondment,” writes a smoke signaller on the contentious election issue of how to effectively utilise the country’s large public service. “It’s like we handled the Mini Games: those who could be spared – and there were many – were redirected to other jobs, like drivers, liaison officers, catering […]
Battling the Man-of-War
Friday 22 October 2010 | Published in Smoke Signals
Those watching vaka races from the comfort of local watering holes sometimes have small green bottles in their hands, but the paddlers battling it out on the water have another colour of bottle to watch for, the painful stinging bluebottle. The Rarotongan name for the Pacific Portuguese Man-of-War is tu-pakipaki-tai and the type found in […]
Please leave it to the private sector
Thursday 21 October 2010 | Published in Smoke Signals
A smoke signaller writes: “The Cook Islands Investment Corporation was set up during the reform years to monitor the performance of state-owned enterprises and report their results to Cabinet and eventually the Parliament. One of the principles of the reform was to leave commercial activities to the private sector where they can best do the […]
On a roll online
Tuesday 19 October 2010 | Published in Smoke Signals
With the general elections less than a month away, those who want to check their name on the main electoral rolls for the country’s 24 constituencies have another option to view the rolls, thanks to the Cook Islands Statistics Office’s website. Go to www.stats.gov.ck and scroll down the left hand index column to the heading […]
Focus on health education
Monday 18 October 2010 | Published in Smoke Signals
A smoke signaller writes: “Good luck to Teariki Matenga wanting to focus on health education in his political campaign [as an independent candidate for Titikaveka]. Let’s hope that if he gets in he can change the kinds of things that are currently happening in education such as a college HOD Physical Education and Health teacher […]
Restoring the economy
Thursday 14 October 2010 | Published in Smoke Signals
“Is there more than one Tepaki (Tim)?” asks a smoke signaller. “Or is the Tim Tepaki quoted in your newspaper as backing the political movement that is going to restore the economy of the Cook Islands and bring local wages up to New Zealand wages the same Tim Tepaki who said the Hilton was going […]
Same old, same old promises
Wednesday 13 October 2010 | Published in Smoke Signals
“Here we go again, promises, promises, we will, we can,” complains a smoke signaller. “People are not stupid listening to all this garbage each time they read the newspapers or listen to the radio. It’s like we already know what each party is going to say to us – after 10 years they are still […]
Together we can...
Tuesday 12 October 2010 | Published in Smoke Signals
“The Cook Islands Party election campaign slogan hasn’t changed much from 2006,” a smoke signaller notes. “Back then it was ‘Together we can make it better’ and now it’s just ‘Together we can’. Are they hoping the success of US president Barack Obama’s campaign slogan will win them this election? Has the CIP given up […]
Eat healthy, vote longer
Saturday 9 October 2010 | Published in Smoke Signals
The Democratic Party has found a way to get more votes in future – make sure supporters live longer. As part of its campaign to promote healthy eating habits and longevity of Cook Islanders, the party made sure there wasn’t any heavy food on the menu at the launch of its national election campaign on […]
Delhi underbelly – don't forget to look behind facade
Thursday 7 October 2010 | Published in Smoke Signals
“I hope the Cook Islands group at the Commonwealth Games will look behind the faade in Delhi to see how the REAL world has to survive, in the pits hidden from view,” writes a smoke signaller. He also asks: “How many public servants are on ‘national representation leave’ to attend the Delhi Games? That is, […]
Charmers and ei katu
Monday 4 October 2010 | Published in Smoke Signals
Those who were up in the wee hours of the morning yesterday to watch the opening of the Delhi Commonwealth Games live on TV, or who caught the replay in the afternoon, would have noticed our team looking great wearing their colourful ei katu (floral headwear). If you thought the team hunted around Delhi to […]
Sir Terepai going Indy?
Saturday 2 October 2010 | Published in Smoke Signals
A well placed source in Sir Terepai Maoate’s camp has hinted in a smoke signal that the sitting MP may run as an independent in the November 17 general elections. In Wednesday’s vote by financial members of the Democratic Party in the Ngatangiia constituency – and a good number of Cook Islands Party members also […]
What a cock up!
Friday 1 October 2010 | Published in Smoke Signals
A smoke signaller reckons Tourism boss Carmel Beattie is “putting the cart before the horse by trying to attract tourists but not sorting out problems in the country”, in this particular caller’s case, noisy roosters. He said he knows of people who visit Rarotonga once but will not return because of roosters keeping them awake […]