Opinion

LETTER: Queen’s Memorial ‘public holiday’

Dear Editor, There is nothing like a good old debate regarding what constitutes a public holiday and what does not, not just in a legal sense but in a social sense. There is much confusion around this and unfortunately this has to rest with those who are charged with ensuring clarity around what is or is not recognised (by law) as a public holiday.

It’s time to clean up our act

International Coastal Cleanup Day is dedicated to raising awareness about the growing pollution on our beaches and in our environment. This year, Te Ipukarea Society ran a coastal cleanup which took place at the Social Centre, with over 300 Apii Nikao students and 20 students from Gisborne Girls’ High School, visiting from New Zealand.

Public holiday proclamation: Questioning the authority

Dear Editor, With no disrespect for our late Sovereign, nor the King’s Representative, Sir Tom (Marsters), I have to question the putative authority being employed to give an aura of legitimacy to the Crown’s unilateral proclamation that Friday 30 September 2022 is a Public Holiday but more particularly, from an employer’s perspective, the urgent need to be reliably informed in view of the announcement that s. 38 of the Employment Relations Act 2012 applies along with all the responsibilities and commitments that entails.

Kata: Cook Islands Games

PET TALK: Cancer in pets

Our pets suffer from many of the same cancers we get. Mammary tumours (breast cancer) is very common in female dogs, less so in cats but it tends to be severe (malignant) when cats do get it, writes Dr Michael Baer of Te Are Manu Veterinary Clinic.

Kata: Electoral petition

RUTA MAVE: ‘Don’t blame the Russia-Ukraine war, the shame is ours’

The food freight subsidy offered by government is not going to save the outer islands from an empty bank account, not when the same government sold our precious tuna to the European Union purse seine fishing boats for a lame $0.16 per kilo while we are expected to pay $30 per kilo for tuna caught in our own waters by our own fishermen.

Birds are species worth flying high for – our future depends on it

Te Ipukarea Society participants have recently returned back from the 100th Birdlife Anniversary and Global Congress event held in Cambridge UK.

LETTERS: Aitutaki claims top award

Dear Editor, I loved Aitutaki (Aitutaki crowned Oceania’s top island destination, September 23). I stayed at Tom’s Beach House and the ladies made me ei’s. I had the most amazing time and was only there a week. I rented/borrowed bike and rode all over and went on two lagoon tours. That was in 1999/2000 and […]

Kata: Cannabis

LETTERS: Dealing with increasing prices

Dear Editor, Inflation isn’t forever. The question is why is everyone looking towards Europe and the war going on there and blaming the Russians for the soar in prices of produce and petrol etc, etc? No one’s looking towards Saudi Arabia who have the wealth of money but also the oil trade. No one’s talking […]

Kata: Action man

LETTERS: Prices on the rise

Dear Editor, There will be more increases as we progress ahead. The bakery is not to be blamed. All around the globe is terrible since the war between Ukraine and Russia and Covid-19. It’s not only us in the Cook Islands who are affected, its New Zealand, Australia and the rest of the world too. […]

LETTERS: Power bill rise ‘inevitable’

Dear Editor, It was inevitable (Rarotonga electricity prices to increase by $0.15 per unit, September 20). Anyone who looks at the charts of fuel pricing on the major world indexes (Brent and West Texas) can see they have increased dramatically over the last 6-7 months. This is not just a one of blip for a […]

Kata: Medicinal cannabis

LETTERS: Accessing medicinal cannabis

Dear Editor, Listen to this, while we’re waiting on the Government to introduce a medical marijuana plan, we can now import our own personally prescribed medical marijuana by mail from New Zealand. Certain criteria must be met in order to do this, namely, your first step is to discuss medicinal cannabis with your doctor over […]

Kata: To Tatou Vai

Learning life’s lessons through travel

Travel is the only thing we can buy that gives us nothing in our hands but can truly make us richer beyond material wealth, writes Ruta Mave.

A natural enemy for the invasive African tulip tree

Native to South Africa’s tropical rainforests, one of the world’s worst invasive plants is under attack by flea beetles in Rarotonga, writes Te Ipukarea Society.

Kata: NZ barrister