National
60-plus makes 4
Friday 26 August 2011 | Published in National
The 60-plus club celebrated its fourth year of existence yesterday with song singing and, of course, cake. About 40 men and women gathered at the Cafe Ariki for lunch and laughs in commemoration of the minor milestone. The day was organised with the true spirit of the club in mind to provide the chance for […]
McCully received waiver, not exemption
Friday 26 August 2011 | Published in National
New Zealand foreign minister Murray McCully and his entourage were not made exempt from paying departure tax upon leaving the Cook Islands last month, says CIP Minister Teina Bishop. Instead, the 58-person delegation had received a waiver from paying the compulsory departure tax when it left the country on the Cook Islands leg of the […]
Outreach for teachers in New Zealand
Friday 26 August 2011 | Published in National
As part of an effort to fill teacher vacancies in secondary schools, the ministry of education conducted a recruitment drive (reo kapikianga mei te ipukarea) in New Zealand last month. The need for qualified and experienced teachers and educational personnel to fill vacancies in secondary schools and in the ministry of education main office has […]
Forum Pacific vessel skips Raro
Friday 26 August 2011 | Published in National
The Forum Pacific will be omitting Rarotonga from its upcoming voyage itinerary. Southern Express will instead be delivering her Rarotonga-bound cargo, and will arrive three days prior to Forum Pacifics scheduled date of arrival. Southern Express voyage 147 is expected to arrive in Auckland on September 1 and in Rarotonga nine days later. She should […]
Tsunami exercise drives upgrade
Friday 26 August 2011 | Published in National
New tsunami signs will be erected around Rarotonga in the coming weeks in anticipation of a Pacific-wide tsunami response exercise to be held in November. The new roadside signs will provide directions to village tsunami safe zones right around the capital island. They will be put in place before the regional disaster response exercise Pacific […]
Atiu trust fund up for discussion
Friday 26 August 2011 | Published in National
Atiu landowners whose assets were once bound up in the Enuamanu Lands Incorporation are meeting this afternoon to discuss the future of their trust fund. Teenui-Mapumai member of parliament Norman George estimates the dissolved incorporations trust fund contains about $100,000. He says the money has been sitting for over 30 years. George says stakeholders moved […]
Controversial tax law passed
Friday 26 August 2011 | Published in Local
Despite heated debate in parliament by opposition members, governments withholding tax amendment bill has been unanimously approved and passed into legislation without change. A third session of parliament took place yesterday afternoon to allow members the opportunity to each speak for up to 20 minutes on the bill, tabled by finance minister Mark Brown on […]
New envoy wants to prove a point
Friday 26 August 2011 | Published in National
New Zealand High Commissioner to the Cook Islands John Carter is spearheading a research project to determine exactly how mutually beneficial the relationship between Aotearoa and the Cook Islands is. Speaking at a luncheon of Cook Islands business professionals in Rarotonga yesterday, Carter said it is easy for New Zealanders to criticise the amount of […]
Toa sucking blood from country
Friday 26 August 2011 | Published in Local
Independent member of parliament Norman George is demanding answers from government about its obligation to Toa Petroleum Ltd, costing at least $100,000 each month. During Tuesday evenings parliamentary session George asked finance minister Mark Brown to confirm that the government and people of the Cook Islands are paying Toa director Brett Porter and the company […]
PM takes communications advice
Friday 26 August 2011 | Published in National
Prime Minister Henry Puna is beginning to answer media demands for regular disclosure about his administration and has appointed a communications advisor to work in his office. New Zealand Maori journalist and media advisor Damiane Rikihana has been working at the Office of the Prime Minister for the last few weeks. She is a trained […]
PM starring at Jupiters
Friday 26 August 2011 | Published in Local
Prime Minister Henry Puna is next week attending a gala function at Conrad Jupiters, a casino on Australias Gold Coast. He will be meeting the Gold Coasts Cook Islands community, which has organised an evening of dinner and dancing, featuring performances by Cook Islands artists and dancers. Cook Islands musicians Mere Darling, Jon Lindsay and […]
PM meets Sarkozy, not Gadhafi
Friday 26 August 2011 | Published in National
Members of parliament enjoyed a laugh at the expense of Prime Minister Henry Puna on Wednesday evening, when he was likened to controversial Libyan leader Moamer Gadhafi. During a question and answer session within parliament, in Punas absence, independent MP Norman George asked where the prime minister was. Has he gone overseas to join Moamer […]
60-plus birthday sing-song
Friday 26 August 2011 | Published in Local
Cecilia Herrmann and Chris Raui lead the revelry at Cafe Ariki, ringing in the 60-plus clubs fourth birthday.
Banks not ready for new withholding tax
Friday 26 August 2011 | Published in National
Governments new withholding tax will not be implemented until October as banks are struggling to re-code their computer systems in time for the initial September 1 deadline. Finance minister Mark Brown says regardless the tax will be backdated to September 1, so government estimates of how much revenue it is expected to generate in this […]
Family welfare group attends regional conference
Friday 26 August 2011 | Published in National
The Cook Islands Family Welfare Association (CIFWA) continues to grow in strength and capacity and this financial year hopes to implement some new initiatives. CIFWA executive director Rongo File has recently returned from Kuala Lumpur where she represented the organisation at the annual International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF) Asia and Pacific conference. There she attended […]
Generator purchase under audit investigation
Friday 26 August 2011 | Published in National
Audit director Paul Allsworth says a review is warranted to determine whether the previous Democratic government acted inappropriately by purchasing four oversize generators for Manihiki last year. Allsworths interest of the matter was sparked by comments made during a government media conference in Rarotonga this week. Prime Minister Henry Puna announced the government is purchasing […]
Papa Louis infamous on Facebook
Thursday 25 August 2011 | Published in National
What started as a tongue-in-cheek Facebook page has become a widely-supported public awareness campaign for safer driving in the Cook Islands. Mr Miyagis group promoting slower driving in the Cook Islands has almost 700 members and about 45 pages of correspondence. In one 24-hour period the page membership increased from 100 to 400. Brothers Matt […]
Strength in numbers for women MPs
Thursday 25 August 2011 | Published in National
As one of 12 women in her South Australian parliament, Gay Thompson says she does encounter male prejudice on occasion. As Reynells member of parliament, she has had to deal with the implications both positive and negative of being a female in a decision-making position. She told a local audience yesterday that whenever she and […]
Dont leave school prematurely
Thursday 25 August 2011 | Published in National
South Australia member of parliament Gay Thompson mingled with students and local women and fielded their questions, both personal and political, at a meet-and-greet function in Muri yesterday morning. Thompson is visiting the Cook Islands for the first time with her partner, and took some time out of her holiday to get to know some […]
Put kids to bed on time
Thursday 25 August 2011 | Published in National
Speaking to a group of local women and students yesterday, South Australian politician Gay Thompson emphasised the value of education in todays world. A pet issue of hers is transformative education, or lifting uneducated communities out of ignorance. Thompson defined transformative education as the need for people who come from families that traditionally havent had […]
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