Dear Editor,  

Before New Zealand could declare a public holiday to mark the passing of the Queen, I believe the matter had to be passed in parliament.  

In Cook Islands, to declare a public holiday to do the same, the Prime Minister only had to make a statement from South Korea.  

We still had Covid restrictions in place when the first cruise boat visited last month. The restrictions were all dropped last week.  

The new One Cook Islands MP said that their advisors had made it clear “that that we will be part of a new Government” (Cook Islands News 12 September 2022). I don’t really know what he means by that but I seem to remember the Aitutaki-based party being labelled as “Demo-OCI” in television footage during the campaign.  

I note International Day of Democracy is observed on 15 September. But one shouldn’t read too much into that in regards to Cook Islands.  

Moana Moeka’a 

Ruatonga

Rarotonga 

One-off holiday

Well just like how we follow New Zealand during the Covid times, in the many changes they had, we shall follow again as NZ also had announced a public holiday – a very nice way to pay respect to the passing of our Queen Elizabeth ll. God bless.

Pa Matapo

(Facebook)

Renewable energy

It is indeed nice of Mr. Mike Henry (chairman of Cook Islands Investment Corporation) to advise the public that renewable energy levels will be up to 35 per cent in Rarotonga in the next year or two (Cook Islands News, 14 September, 2022).

Perhaps Mr. Henry would like to clarify for the public whatever happened to the promise a previous prime minister, Henry Puna, made in about 2015 – that Rarotonga would be 100 per cent renewable energy by 2020? We are now almost three years past that point, and now suddenly Mr. Henry advises us that we will be lucky to get 35 per cent in the next couple of years!

There was even a Renewable Energy Development Division established some years prior (2011), to help reach this goa. That was 11 years ago! What do these bodies do to justify their pay? And indeed, justify their existence?

At this point in our history, we should not even be relying on diesel power, and therefore no price hikes necessary. Please explain.

(Name and address supplied)