Thursday 9: Ministry of health, take a bow
Friday 10: New academy is a distraction
Saturday 11: Punish the parents of delinquents
Saturday 11: Kudos to Kevin
Monday 13: National debt and budget ‘shambolic’
Monday 13: Rakei Toa defends course
Tuesday 14: What was the fuss?
Tuesday 14: Maungaroa Rua skipper comments
Tuesday 14: Alarm and disgust
Thursday 9: Ministry of health, take a bow
Dear Editor,
We would like to congratulate the Cook Islands ministry of health and more specifically staff of the Rarotonga and Aitutaki hopsitals.
For several years we have been attending the Cook Island medical conference and assisting with a multiple casualty scenario on Rarotonga and Aitutaki.
This scenario involves coordinated involvement of police, fire and health staff at a scenario scene, transportation of casualties to the hospital and ends with the hospital team managing these casualties.
Over the last few years we have observed continuing improvement in the running of these scenarios.
This year the fire, police and health staff of Aitutaki responded in a professional and well organised manner. As observed in previous years, the hospital staff managed the casualties very well.This year’s scenario at Rarotonga hospital was very well managed with significant improvements being observed.
The hospital staff should be congratulated on their hard work in carrying out a number of innovations that have significantly improved patient care at the hospital.
In particular we would like to congratulate Heather Webber-Aitu, Dr Aung and Nga Manea for driving these changes
We were also amazed and impressed to see the speed and quality with which the hospital wards are being upgraded at Rarotonga hospital.
Those who have contributed to this upgrade should be proud of this achievement. Thank you to all those who have contributed to this year’s conference and for once again allowing us to visit this fantastic country.
We look forward to returning to the Cook Islands as tourists and to observe the ongoing improvements in Cook Island shealth and healthcare services.
Yours sincerely
Drs Mike Shepherd,
Richard Aickin, Sarah Jamison and James Hamill
New Zealand
Friday 10: New academy is a distraction
Dear Editor,
I am a mother with a young son still at primary school but already he is being distracted by this discussion for a sports academy.
And no matter what I am going to say, this young man is already on a path to not finish academic achievement opting for Kevin Iro’s proposed sports academy.
Now this is scary and it will mean an extra load on me. As a mother it is my God given duty to make sure that my son is prepared with a profession to be able to face the world.
I still believe that all our children should be encouraged to complete high school, get a degree even if they have to turn professional sports people or be a planter.
As a mother I have questions:
1. What is Kevin’s teaching qualification, and any other sort of any qualification, to be able to guide and nurture these young people? Should not be all about doing physical exercise, there has to be some mental and academic stimulation as well.
2. What is the Ministry of Education currently doing with these dropouts, or maybe what existing mechanism is in place by Government to see to our dropouts? HRD?
3. What happened to the SENZ programme? Why did it stop? I know of two young men who left school to attend SENZ and when they did not get a scholarship to further their dreams overseas, they returned to school. And yes they were a year behind their own peers.
I am insulted by comments made by the Ministry of Education’s CEO when he embraced this academy initiative, and if only he was receptive to the One Laptop Per Child idea.
What is the difference between these two – is it that the sport academy is more rugby
focused given John Herrmann’s love for the sport?
Computer literacy is far more important today, every child leaving school should be computer literate.
Mr Herrmann should instead do his work and concentrate on developing our children in schools, not getting involved with something that will distract them from school work.
I find this sports academy a distraction.
Vaimaanga Housewife
(Name and address supplied)
Saturday 11: Punish the parents of delinquents
Dear Editor,
Kia orana.
I am very grateful that the problems with young children was highlighted in Tuesday’s Cook Islands News.
I was told last weekend that a couple of young children aged about 9-10 years were caught trying to get into a house through a kitchen window.
The question is where are the parents and what are they doing to their children?
I’ve also been told that some of these parents with children committing crime are young – parents partying on the weekends and ignoring their children.
Please don’t blame the police for these juvenile crimes. They can only do what they can. It is up to the parents who delivered these young kids into this world. It is up to them to discipline their children not anyone else.
I urge the court to deliver tough penalties to parents whose children are involved in criminal activities. I believe the court is far too soft when dealing with such issues.
I have been through the process when dealing with Cook
Islands parents with their children involved in criminal activities eg breaking into shops in New Zealand.
Some parents did take my advice and some didn’t.
Those who did not find the police knocking on their doors and ended up in court.
Akamaroiroi e te au metua. Ako ia ta tatou anau, ai mokopuna – auraka kia o ki roto i te manamanata.
Teaiki Simiona Tamaiva
Mataiapo
Tupapa
Saturday 11: Kudos to Kevin
Dear Editor,
I think Kevin Iro is doing a great job with his initiatives for young men here in the Cook Islands.
I was impressed to read about his new education programme for boys. Especially when you see the statistics – 50% dropouts of male students between years 10 and 12.
This is about empowering young men and putting them on track to either further secondary/tertiary education or trades training.
Not everyone is academically minded, or fits within the traditional school system. Boys have different learning needs/styles to girls. Too many are being lost in the system. Boys who don’t fit in are tagged as problematic and drop out.
Other countries have put programmes in place to address boys’ educational disadvantages. Kevin’s programmes are about helping them to find their strengths/skills and giving these boys the confidence to pursue their goals.
Kudos to him for his initiatives in putting such programmes in place here.
Serena Hunter
Ngatangiia
Monday 13: National debt and budget ‘shambolic’
Dear Editor,
I have to ask this desperate question: Where the hell is this government leading us to?
Over the past three weeks, in parliament, I have raised questions regarding the state of the economy. To start off with, the simple premise of this is to pin this government down with reference to its fiscal policy.
This means for this government to tell the nation about the national budget. Every citizen in the country has a right to know. They are tax-payers and have the right to know how their tax money is being spent.
How much is left in the national reserve and what has been spent and spent on what? Just a simple income and expenditure account for the nation to know.
My greatest concern is that you have a cabinet/government who does not know what is happening at ground level, let alone the state of the economy.
For example, three weeks ago I asked the prime minister in parliament, whether he could explain the $14,771.00 spending within his own office, for a very good purpose of course, and to my astonishment he admitted that he didn’t know anything about it until that very day.
Second example, last Friday, again in parliament, and in the absence of the prime minister and the minister of finance, I once again raise a similar question regarding the balance left in our bank reserve. In other words, what is the current state of our “national cheque book”?
Acting minister of finance Vavia once again, not knowing the answer, went for a merry-go-round tour.
He informed the house that $30 million is still unspent for projects in the outer islands under capital expenditure.
This huge amount of money has been rolled over, over the last three to four financial years. In other words there are projects in the outer islands untouched, and yet there’s this $30 million being unspent. Would you believe it?
Then in support, minister Rasmussen advised the house that as far as he is
concerned, the country is carrying out an existing debt of $62 million. We did not know this. Thank you, minister.
I thank the ministers for their revelations. But my very question of the actual balance of the budget is still unanswered,
by an ignorant and ‘out-of tou-ch’ cabinet.
This government hides behind excuses and ignorance and therefore smoke-screens what the real world in the Cook Islands is all about, a recipe to leadership inadequacy.
With the accumulating debts of $62 million so far, how do they expect to repay this? Or do they see the vain opportunity of not being the next government as an opportunity to spend and letting the new lot suffer the consequences of paying for their shameful kaiou? How ridiculous and shambolic.
Nandi Glassie
Opposition MP for
Tengatangi/Areora/
Ngatiarua
Monday 13: Rakei Toa defends course
Dear Editor,
This letter is really addressed to the letter writer Vaimaanga Housewife.
Thank you for airing your concerns about Rakei Toa. It’s interesting to hear that no matter what you say, your son, who is still at primary school, has decided to join our alternative education programme.
Firstly, let me put your mind at ease. We have never enrolled students whose parents aren’t 100% behind their sons’ enrollment. In the past, I have turned young men away if just one of their parents is not totally sure their child should attend our programme. It is your God given right to make sure that your son abides by your rules while he’s living under your roof.
All too often, the major problem we have with our students is that they are allowed to do whatever pleases them at home and then expect the same privileges in class. Luckily, it doesn’t take long to instill a bit of discipline into these particular characters.
In an ideal world, it would be great if every child could leave school with degrees and qualifications to be doctors, lawyers and accountants.
In our world, 50% of all boys in the Cook Islands will leave school with little or no qualifications. Let’s not point the finger at our MOE for this statistic. It is happening all around the region, including NZ and Australia, but we have a CEO in John Herrmann who has the foresight to put in place a strategy that will allow our young men to remain in education and gain qualifications through alternative programmes, eg sports, music, culture, art, mechanics, carpentry, cooking, computer ctudies, agriculture and conservation.
Currently, the CISA programme (formerly SENZ) offers a NZ Certificate in Sport Level 2, where successful students will gain 60 credits from unit standards ranging from basic accounting to first aid. This programme certainly isn’t all about sports and, yes, I have the necessary NZ qualifications to deliver and assess these NZQA unit standards.
Your letter also mentions (in a negative way) that you know of two former SENZ students who returned to college a year behind their peers. The actual number is 12 and what a credit to the programmes and those students for this awesome achievement.
Who cares if some of them re-entered a year behind their peers! The fact is, these young men never thought they would ever return to the education system that they hated 12 months before. Through our programmes, some students realise their potential and set goals that can’t be achieved without going back to school. Other positive outcomes from our programmes are too numerous to mention.
Rakei Toa is not being set up in competition to formal education; it is there to complement and enhance it. Why shouldn’t we as Cook Islanders be at the forefront of trying to solve a region wide problem for young men in education?
Kevin Iro
Tuesday 14: What was the fuss?
Dear Editor,
I refer to Caryn and Brian’s letter published on Saturday July 11, re the Maungaroa Rua.
“It took the crew three months to sail from Norway.” So what, I’ll bet they were extremely well paid for their efforts.
“ ... had to navigate the Bay of Biscay which is notorious for pirates.” Since when have pirates begun operating off the shores of Spain and France?
“ ... also the North Sea, at great personal risk.” Hundreds, if not thousands, of vessels ply the North Sea daily. Great personal risk? Crap.
“Where was the traditional welcome ...”
Why fete what is essentially only a replacement tool of a commercial activity?
Ex Mariner
Aitutaki
Tuesday 14: Maungaroa Rua skipper comments
Dear Editor,
A big thanks to Caryn Chilwel and Brian Freeth for their comments concerning the new Cook Islands ship which arrived at Avatiu last week.
As captain I would like to correct some minor voyage mistakes.
The North Sea and the Bay of Biscay are difficult sea stretches weather-wise - but there are no pirates in Europe!
This is the fourth ship I have brought to your country and we have never been met with any official recognition.
However, Taio Shipping has always looked well after the delivery crew.
This time, as soon as we arrived all crew got nice-scented ei.
As soon as the clearance was done, all crew went to the Edgewater island night.
My crew, who have never eaten local food and seen your beautiful dancers, was completely overwhelmed with this reception.
May the Maungaroa Rua serve you Cook Islanders well.
With good crew maintenance and no accidents she will serve the Cook Islands many more years to come.
Magne Risa
Master mariner
Ex-captain of Maungaroa
(Tai), Tekou Maru (Tai), Manu Nui and Maungaroa Rua
Tuesday 14: Alarm and disgust
Dear Editor,
The public can be sure that the government’s floating of the idea to increase VAT to 15 percent, even with a denial, is for the purpose of testing the public’s reaction.
Well, the public should react – with alarm and disgust.
Alarm because of the damage to the economy that will result from widespread increased costs.
Disgust because the need for an increase is founded on the
government’s reckless and rash expenditure of the public’s money.
After so many years of sound management, it is a great shame to see the Cook Islands repeating the errors of yesteryear. The government will fail in its obligation to the public if it cannot produce an operating budget without tax increases.
It is time for strong decisions.
Reality check
(Name and address supplied)
|
