Regional
'Smaller' islands kick off Forum week
Tuesday 28 August 2012 | Published in Regional
That the first meeting on the Forum agenda pertains to the needs of smaller island states is significant. Forum Secretariat secretary-general Tuiloma Neroni Slade noted that the timing of yesterday’s smaller island states’ leaders meeting was strategic, as its discussions will set the stage for the rest of this week’s Forum. The chronology of the […]
Gillard on gender
Tuesday 28 August 2012 | Published in Regional
A multi-million dollar plan to lift the dismal rate of women holding political office in small Pacific island nations will be unveiled by Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard this week. Talks with Nauru and Papua New Guinea over the Labour Party’s bid to revive the Pacific Solution for asylum seekers will be high on Gillard’s […]
Petition aims to 'arrest' mining
Tuesday 28 August 2012 | Published in Regional
A petition bearing over 8000 signatures is being circulated amongst Forum participants this week as part of a regional effort to arrest seabed mining projects in the Pacific. A coalition of non-government organisations, which includes the Pacific Network on Globalisation (PANG) and Act Now! PNG, is here on Rarotonga to raise awareness about deep seabed […]
Mauke makes Forum ei
Tuesday 28 August 2012 | Published in Regional
Mauke island businessman Taratoa Metuariki shows off the Tiare Maori and ara (pandanus fruit) ei his business Maire Akatoka is providing for VIPs attending the 43rd Pacific Leaders Forum. Yesterday two boxes of 42 ei karaponga or ei kaki (neck ei) were flown in from the island of Mauke for guests at the Oceanscape dinner […]
3 times round the rock
Tuesday 28 August 2012 | Published in Regional
Canada’s very own marathon man Martin Parnell is preparing to run the Cook Islands Round Rarotonga Road Race on September 22 – three times. During 2010 Parnell undertook a global marathon quest, running 250 full marathons (42.2 km) to raise over $320,000 for children’s charity Right To Play. Now he is embarking on what he […]
Sevens qualify for Hong Kong
Tuesday 28 August 2012 | Published in Regional
Sunday afternoon at the North Sydney Oval in Australia saw a lot of tears from a gallant Cook Islands Seven’s team who went so close to achieving something incredible. The squad lost 19-17 to Tonga to finish fourth in the Oceania qualifying tournament which had a lot riding on it. After finishing pool play on […]
7s qualify for Hong Kong
Monday 27 August 2012 | Published in Regional
The Cook Islands national sevens rugby team has qualified for the Hong Kong leg of the HSBC Sevens Series. The Cook Islands finished fourth overall at the Oceania Men’s Sevens Championships in Sydney over the weekend. The Cooks placed third in their pool after beating PNG 24-12, losing 26-24 to Samoa and thrashing Tahiti 66-0 […]
Panthers slay the Eels
Monday 27 August 2012 | Published in Regional
In a match that could have gone either way, reigning club rugby champions the Tupapa Panthers snuck home to defeat the Avatiu Eels at Victoria Park 18-14. The Panthers went in the halftime break leading by 8-6 – with the Panthers first try a gifted by the Eels who couldn’t keep their hands on the […]
'This is the moment'
Monday 27 August 2012 | Published in Regional
Famed oceanographer Sylvia Earle is urging Pacific people to ”make a powerful difference“ in the worldwide movement to conserve the oceans. Speaking to a group of Pacific journalists on Saturday, Earle pointed out that people make the laws, however arbitrary, that govern the use and management of the planet’s seas. A passionate explorer and lover […]
Kids prepare for Prince of Wales
Monday 27 August 2012 | Published in Regional
Rarotonga kids are putting in some hard training ahead of the annual Prince of Wales inter-primary school athletics competition to be held on September 19. Race tracks marked out with sand and oil are appearing on school grounds across the island along with makeshift high jump gear as kids practise their techniques and skills ahead […]
'Large ocean states' take a stand
Monday 27 August 2012 | Published in Regional
The small island states of the Pacific are making their voices heard. In the context of the global conservation movement, the land-deficient Pacific islands have always played a minor role, but that’s all changing as the world wakes up to the reality that its oceans are a hugely valuable resource. The world is starting to […]
Biggest carbon footprint here
Monday 27 August 2012 | Published in Regional
Cabinet minister Mark Brown told Pacific media on Saturday that the Cook Islands has the biggest carbon footprint per capita of any other island country in the Pacific. He was speaking to journalists about government’s investments in energy production, explaining that diesel is one of the country’s highest overall costs. ”We have the biggest carbon […]
Most travelled Pacific people
Monday 27 August 2012 | Published in Regional
Last year, about 13,000 Cook Islands residents left the country and came back. Given that the latest census figures peg the population of Rarotonga at about 13,000, that is a fairly staggering statistic. Finance minister Mark Brown shared that figure with Pacific journalists at a workshop on Saturday morning, adding that the tendency of Cook […]
Brown discusses CI depopulation
Monday 27 August 2012 | Published in Regional
Wearing his internal affairs minister hat on Saturday morning, Mark Brown addressed a roomful of Pacific journalists on the oft-discussed issue of depopulation in the Cook Islands. He traced the depopulation trend to the 1950s exodus of Cook Islanders searching for opportunities in New Zealand’s freezer works and forestry industries, and followed it through the […]
Birth rate up since baby bonus enacted
Monday 27 August 2012 | Published in Regional
Since government enacted the baby bonus, the birth rate has increased. Internal affairs minister Mark Brown, speaking to a room full of Pacific journalists on Saturday, said the average birth rate has jumped from about 300 to about 390 in two years. ”We don’t know if it’s because of the incentive of the baby bonus […]
Groups lobby for PLG membership
Monday 27 August 2012 | Published in Regional
The Polynesian Leaders Group (PLG) is seriously considering admitting Hawai’i, Rapa Nui and Aotearoa Maori into its fold. The communiqu containing its final decision is not being released until Friday. Three Polynesian groups made submissions on Saturday to the leaders of the eight Polynesian nations that comprise the PLG – Samoa, Tonga, Tuvalu, Cook Islands, […]
All home for Forum
Monday 27 August 2012 | Published in Regional
All cabinet ministers are in the Cook Islands this week for the 43 rd Pacific Leaders Forum, the largest gathering of Pacific leaders ever to assemble in the country. Police Minister Teariki Heather yesterday arrived back from the Solomon Islands, where he has been attending a Pacific Chiefs of Police conference with police commissioner Maara […]
Polynesian leaders want a cable
Monday 27 August 2012 | Published in Regional
Polynesian leaders are hoping to alleviate the burden of their geographical isolation by sharing the costs and benefits of a fibre optic telecommunications cable. It was an issue that featured heavily in discussions of the Polynesian Leaders Group (PLG) meeting on Saturday, according to Prime Minister Henry Puna and Samoan Prime Minister Tuilaepa Malielegaoi, who […]
Avatiu's triumph over Arorangi
Monday 27 August 2012 | Published in Regional
In the main match in the Lotto Premiership football championships on Saturday, host Avatiu defeated Arorangi by two goals to one in their first game of the 2012 Rarotonga football round cup competition. The match was evenly contested throughout the entire game by both sides. In the 46th minute Dwayne Taio of Arorangi scored the […]
Why the ocean is top of the agenda
Saturday 25 August 2012 | Published in Regional
Every single one of us is affected by the ocean. It’s all connected and it connects us all. Similarly, no one entity can be charged with protecting this all-important resource. The world’s largest ocean and one of the most unspoiled – the Pacific Ocean – will be centre stage next week as leaders from Pacific […]
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