Opinion

What is a Cook Islander?

Dear Editor, A bit harsh to say that your identity will depend on one knowing the language (Cook Islands people need to value their language: Turua, Cook Islands News, December 6, 2022).

RUTA MAVE: Attitude of gratitude

The Christmas lights came on around the island this past weekend. The simple coloured lights strung across from pole-to-pole zig zagging around the Are Tapu. It is magical to drive home from work at night and have them shine in the night sky. They remind me of our tree lights made to look like flowers, they always heralded the anticipation of the arrival of Santa.

LETTER TO EDITOR: Tricky side to cannabis legislation

Dear Editor: Te Marae Ora mainly buys therapeutic products from New Zealand and Australia. These generally fall under three categories: medicine - including prescriptions, over-the counter medicines, and complimentary medicines, such as paracetamol.

LETTER TO EDITOR: Traditional vs contemporary

Dear Editor, Totally agree with you on that (Authenticity of culture promoted in tourism industry questioned, Cook Islands News, December 5). It’s a global trait, culture is becoming an entertainment commodity, to win hearts, tourists etc. Sadly, there’s little that can be done to reverse this evolution.

LETTER TO EDITOR: Educate yourself about cannabis use

Dear Editor, Although every part of the marijuana plant can be used, it’s primarily the buds that are cured and used in which way you prefer. I stand with legalisation, but I feel that education is so very important in order to prevent abuse of the plant.

‘We have earned our NZ citizenship’

Dear Editor, Why do we live in a situation where our closest constitutional partner says no, it will cost you our deepest part of connection, and a no when balanced against the threat of losing our New Zealand citizenship (when bidding for UN membership).

LETTER: UN Membership bid: NZ behaving ‘like a coloniser’

Dear Editor, If the Cooks wanted to become a sovereign nation, it needed its own citizenship. Cook Islanders would remain New Zealand citizens but “if they want to change it, they can”. Then Prime Minister Helen Clark said in June 2001. “If they want to exert full independence, New Zealand will not stand in their way.”

Kata: Cook Islands law

Kata: Private security

RUTA MAVE: ‘This is the cultural issue that needs attention’

There has been a lot of talk about culture lately and what constitutes how it defines us, as a society. If we accept culture is the ideas, customs and social behavior of a particular people, then we accept wearing ei katus and the giving of eis at the airport and award ceremonies as one of our more lovely cultural practices. If social behaviour defines us, then eating and drinking is foremost our larger problem of culture as we battle a health crisis of obesity and NCDs. Domestic violence and abuse are cultural too.

LETTER: Have we earned our NZ citizenship, or not?

If the Cooks wanted to become a sovereign nation, it needed its own citizenship. Cook Islanders would remain New Zealand citizens but "if they want to change it, they can." Then Prime Minister Helen Clark said in June 2001 "If they want to exert full independence, New Zealand will not stand in their way."

LETTER TO EDITOR: Homosexual Law reform remains in limbo

‘Science shows us that people are born LGBTQ+’

‘Vicious and uncivilised’ marijuana laws

Dear Editor, Did you know that under the Ministry of Health Act 2013 that marijuana fits the description of a medicine? In the Act it reads in part that, “Medicine means any substance whether of animal, plant or synthetic origin which is used internally or externally for alleviating disease”.

Lawmakers – Hypocrites or pearly white?

Dear Editor, This writer sat in the High Court, Criminal Division, on Friday and watched two sentences handed down from the 2021 Police operation on Aitutaki – the operation that brought an end to the international, million dollar drug cartel carried out by the young criminals of that island. I would have sat through more of the sentencing, but it was just too painful seeing young lives destroyed.

Gossip – is it true, is it kind, is it useful?

There are no good ends to those who like to gossip with unconstrained conversation about other people without confirming if they are true, writes Ruta Mave.

LETTER TO EDITOR: History behind Kimiangatau’s founding

Dear Editor, While it’s good to get new local programmes on CITV, it is not good practice to source material from just one person and not do any cross-checking.

LETTER TO EDITOR: Give us clean water or come clean

Dear Editor, While the stated “nearly $90 million” cost to date for Te Mato Vai may not be correct (and many think it’s closer to $120m), we all need to be reminded that when the project was announced at a budget of $59 million, multiple Cook Islanders argued that something like $15 million would put […]

Legal recreational drug of choice

Dear Editor, Perhaps you have a young cub reporter on staff who could work his or her way through the last five or so years of Cook Islands News and come up with a rough estimate of the percentage of newsprint reporting on the downside of our national acceptance of alcohol as our legal recreational drug of choice

‘Fighting for what is right, writing to make things right’

Good people who see bad things and say nothing are as bad as the bad people doing them. We need people to stand up and say ‘The emperor is wearing no clothes’, writes Ruta Mave.

Why we need a moratorium on deep seabed mining

Do we have to trash the ocean to save our climate? No, we do not. New analysis shows how technological innovation and circular economy models can meet the demand for minerals without deep seabed mining.