Environment
Koutu Nui behind marine park plan
Tuesday 10 January 2012 | Published in Environment
The countdown is on for the declaration of the establishment of the proposed Cook Islands Marine Park at the Pacific Forum leaders conference to be held in Rarotonga in August. This intention to do so by Prime Minister Henry Puna, on behalf of government and the people of the Cook Islands, has captured the imagination […]
Italian doco critical of environmental control
Tuesday 10 January 2012 | Published in Environment
Pukapuka is a wonderful island with wonderful people, but its waste management and environmental control is in urgent need of help, according to a European documentary maker. Pierfrancesco Armati, an Italian filmmaker who has been working throughout the Cook Islands, said Pukapukas environment and biodiversity was being harmed as the islands people shifted from traditional […]
TIS supports vehicle restrictions
Tuesday 10 January 2012 | Published in Environment
Rarotonga is already overrun with vehicles and government should implement a number of changes to alleviate the problem, according to the Te Ipukarea Society (TIS). Programme manager Jacqui Evans says the society made public its position on the issue in a submission on the Outcomes Report from the Infrastructure Sector Forum in August 2010. Its […]
Teina Rongo earns doctorate from fishing poisoning thesis
Wednesday 4 January 2012 | Published in Environment
For four years Teina Rongo has been commuting between Rarotonga and the United States to research ciguatera for his final dissertation; hard work that came to fruition last month when he donned a cap and gown to receive a Ph.D. from the Florida Institute of Technology. Possibly the only locally-based Cook Islander with a doctorate […]
TIS drafts strategic plan
Friday 30 December 2011 | Published in Environment
Te Ipukarea Society (TIS) programme manager Jacqui Evans has drafted a strategic plan for the organisation to 2015, highlighting key priorities of youth programme implementation, conservation work and government assistance. The plan has been examined by TIS executives during a recent meeting and includes details of a programme for youth to learn by doing, as […]
Govt calls tenders for 3 solar systems
Friday 30 December 2011 | Published in Environment
The Cook Islands government has begun searching for suppliers and contractors to construct three major solar systems at Rarotonga. The three systems two at Te Aponga Uira (TAU) buildings and one at the new Ministry of Education Nikao headquarters will be among the biggest solar systems in the country. The two systems to be installed […]
Early rubbish collection ineffective
Thursday 29 December 2011 | Published in Environment
Early rubbish collection, or a lack of, in some Rarotonga villages has caused a stink among residents. The Ministry of Infrastructure and Planning (MOIP) told Cook Islands News last week that rubbish collection by its contractor T&M Heather would remain as per normal over the Christmas and New Year period including all public holidays. But […]
SPC defends deep sea minerals project
Wednesday 28 December 2011 | Published in Environment
Members of the Secretariat of the Pacific Community have hit back at claims that its Deep Sea Minerals Project, which is currently being put into action in the Cook Islands, will disenfranchise local people in favour of the interest of mining companies. Pacific activist group Act Now! which is based in Papua New Guinea has […]
Marine park will allow for mining
Wednesday 28 December 2011 | Published in Environment
Deep sea mininG and ocean conservation through a marine park can happily co-exist in the Cook Islands, Prime Minister Henry Puna says. Puna was asked by Cook Islands News whether government initiatives to explore deep sea mining and the establishment of a marine park are at odds with one another. Thats a challenge that government […]
Scott addressing odour
Saturday 24 December 2011 | Published in Environment
Scotts Farm owner John Scott has ordered an odour-reducing microbial culture with which to treat chicken manure. The product, called EM (Effective Micro-organism Concentrate), arrives on a cargo ship next week. Scott denies his farm is generating any odour at present, but at any rate assures the public that the product will minimise any stench […]
Aircraft dumps fuel
Friday 23 December 2011 | Published in Environment
Air New Zealand has dumped an unconfirmed quantity of fuel into the Pacific, following the death of a passenger aboard a flight from Rarotonga to New Zealand. Cook Islander Tavai Puia suffered a cardiac arrest not long into a flight bound for Auckland on Saturday December 17. Accordingly, Air New Zealand made the decision to […]
Pacific asked to slow down on mining
Saturday 17 December 2011 | Published in Environment
A group of Pacific civil society groups has launched a petition against the expansion of deep sea mining in the region, calling on governments to slow down until the impacts of the young industry could be examined. Groups from Fiji and Papua New Guinea have launched a campaign against deep sea mining, saying they have […]
New solar system to help education
Saturday 17 December 2011 | Published in Environment
A new solar installation in the Te Aponga Uira car park area will help build up public awareness and knowledge of the equipment as the Cook Islands becomes more reliant on the technology in the future, says chief executive Apii Timoti. The state-owned energy supplier Te Aponga Uira (TAU) officially opened and blessed its new […]
Focus on refreshing the soil
Thursday 15 December 2011 | Published in Environment
Local growers are this week taking part in a soil school workshop in Titikaveka which has an emphasis on refreshing soil and biological agriculture. The four-day workshop, which ends on Thursday, opened on Monday with minister of agriculture Nandi Glassie praising stalwart growers on the island for keeping the industry alive. Glassie acknowledged Bill Hosking, […]
150 more surveys to reach target
Thursday 15 December 2011 | Published in Environment
Emma Castel is hoping for 150 more replies to her water quality and health survey before next week. The survey period closes on Wednesday, and she still has not reached her target of 650 a number she chose because it represents five percent of the Cook Islands population. As of yesterday Castel had 502 surveys, […]
Puna champions ocean protection
Thursday 15 December 2011 | Published in Environment
Prime Minister Henry Puna has called on international leaders to uphold their responsibilities as stewards of the ocean environment. Puna is in Abu Dhabi at the Eye on the Earth summit an environment themed international conference to which he was invited to speak. In delivering his address to the summit, Puna introduced himself and the […]
Climate change, disaster linked to economy
Wednesday 14 December 2011 | Published in Environment
Disaster risk management and climate change adaption are issues central to a countrys economic and social institutions, Cook Islands Party minister Mark Brown has told a disaster management conference in the Caribbean. In his address at the Sixth Annual Caribbean Conference on Comprehensive Disaster Management held in Trinidad, Brown said climate change and disaster management […]
No downsides to deep-sea mining bill
Tuesday 13 December 2011 | Published in Environment
Harvesting of manganese nodules and rare earth minerals from the Cook Islands seabed could begin as early as 2021. Research is being undertaken at present in Korea, Japan and China the governments of which have set similar timelines for technological development and harvest commencement. Deputy Prime Minister Tom Marsters says the Cook Islands is no […]
Environmental integrity is key
Tuesday 6 December 2011 | Published in Environment
The Cook Islands delegation to the United Nations climate change summit in Durban, South Africa has emphasised the issue of environmental integrity when reducing greenhouse gas emission from fuel used for international aviation and maritime transport. Head of delegation Pasha Carruthers, from the National Environment Service, made the position known at the opening plenary session […]
Climate and fisheries in focus at workshop
Tuesday 6 December 2011 | Published in Environment
Well-known weatherman Dr Jim Salinger is coming back to Rarotonga to talk climate and fisheries. Dr Salinger, together with University of Auckland lecturer Phoebe Fletcher, will this week be speaking at a workshop jointly organised by the Ministry of Marine Resources and the Cook Islands Meteorological Service. An offshoot of the climate and fisheries conference […]