Opinion

Kata: Overcrowding

Letter: ICI confirms $90,000 spent on Apii Takitumu ‘Guardrail Fence’

The stupid answers and justifications by various bureaucrats with regards to the ridiculous guardrail at Takitumu School, is in itself an insult to the public and the taxpayer.

Kata: Sludge war

Dr Michael Baer: Animal health and welfare

From March 13 and 17 our team from Te Are Manu and the SPCA were in Mitiaro for the second leg of our Southern Pa Enua project.

Kata: Brown invited to G7 summit

Ruta Mave: 27 letters of support: ‘It was God’s test and you all failed’

The movies are always painting these pictures of the heroic man as standing for truth, justice and honesty. We see it so often we buy into it while eating our popcorn we think it is reality. It isn’t.

Letter: Best by date products

Re Labour and Consumer division at Ministry of Internal Affairs. Does this still exist?

Letter: What is there to celebrate?

Dear Editor, Thomas Tarurongo Wynne’s opinion piece in Saturday’s newspaper brings us all face to face with what some might say is the total failure of this society to embrace the Christianity that we are about to celebrate the 200th anniversary of (Ten years of abuse and no one knew? Cook Islands News, March 25).

TIS: Protecting our turtles by being a conscious consumer

Travelling the seas by day and night are the ancient sea creatures known as onu, or sea turtles. The deep blue waters contain a variety of turtles from leatherbacks to loggerheads and several more.

Ten years of abuse and no one knew?

Do our young women and sometimes men need to show courage, as they do, when confronting sexual assault and rape in our communities, or is it us that need the courage? By Thomas Tarurongo Wynne.

Kata: Parliament

LETTER: Investing in education

Dear Editor, Increasing the budget when there is no money for such an expense is not the only option (College faces financial difficulties, March 20).

LETTER TO EDITOR: ‘Dump your wastewater elsewhere’

Dear Editor, I note your article regarding a diplomatic visit from Japan in light of that country’s stated intention to dump its nuclear wastewater into the Pacific Ocean. I further note that Japan is bordered by four oceans, two of which comprise significant portions of its EEZ, of which the Pacific Ocean is but one.

LETTER TO EDITOR: SPCA’s Volunteer house in line for an upgrade

No, need to educate people, there are free de-sexing clinics around the island and it’s not the dogs’ fault. It’s the owners, everyone needs to step up, and not rely on SPCA to take on unwanted dogs, if you want a pup, it’s for life. Not until you get bored with it and want another. […]

Truth tests those who live behind lies and spread fear

If you want to make God laugh then plan your life. Set out to achieve this and that goal, job pathway, future and inevitably something or someone comes along and it all changes, writes Ruta Mave.

LETTER TO EDITOR: ‘We’ve to be cruel to be kind’

Dear Editor, Mahatma Gandhi acutely observed that “the greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated”. The Saturday feature article on the SPCA shelter at Vaima’anga testifies that there are among us many citizens who do us proud in that respect. But, is it necessary to balance that against present reality? The picture of SPCA president and shelter manager David Pokia tenderly holding newborn pups is heartwarming. The story tells us that Mr Pokia takes 32 dogs each day on a morning stroll. Thirty-two mature dogs needing loving homes. Why would we add two more pups to that number when the chances of ever catching up on the adoption of homeless dogs, we know from years of experience, are pretty much zilch? Shakespeare, as well known to us as Mahatma Gandhi, said words to the effect that, sometimes, you have to be cruel to be kind. Allowing more homeless dogs to mature may seem kind, but is it kind to the dozens of mature dogs waiting for a family to adopt? (Name and address supplied)

No place for diminished views

Anti-Asian rhetoric and diminished views of others based on race or prejudice has no place in our country, in our churches, across our tables or online, writes Thomas Tarurongo Wynne.

LETTER TO EDITOR: The number of cars on the island

Dear Editor, In reply to the nameless letter “Redesigning our CBD” I would like to clarify a couple of things in this letter: Rarocars has only just taken over using this section. Very few if any trees have been cut down from this section since Herbie Pemberton had the lease in the 1990s. Almost without exception those people who complain about the number of cars on the island already have a car themselves ... I would also like to see fewer cars on the road but don’t those people who currently don’t have cars have the right to own a car? Regards, Don Carlaw Director Rarocars

LETTER TO EDITOR: Sheraton ‘back road’ proposal

Dear Editor, So the pikika’a has started! The new MP for Titikaveka justifying the new back road behind the Sheraton hotel site, through Vaimaanga and linking with the main road further down on the other end of the village (CITV local news, 14th March 2023), because of future main road flooding due to sea level rise. But isn’t the real reason for putting in the new back road is because Chris Vaile wants access to the beach site in front of his new hotel development? The entire length of beach is covered with huge boulders as rock revetment (which were originally put in by Government exactly to stop sea level rise!). But close the road to the public anyway, and inconvenience them having to drive all that extra way around the back, and say it is for their own good. The new MP’s logic is similar to that which he used to rip out all those fantastic old Toa trees at Takitumu School, because they were a safety hazard, yeah right! (Name and address supplied)

Water – the most essential nutrient

We have had a bit of rain, at last, after a month or so of hot weather. During that hot weather we had a group of British volunteers working at Te Are Manu. They were great; enthusiastic, talented and very knowledgeable. But not very heat tolerant.