Letters to the Editor
Letter: Addressing education concerns
Friday 27 September 2024 | Written by Supplied | Published in Letters to the Editor, Opinion
Dear Editor, Dear Joe TP, thank you for your thoughtful letter to the editor. I understand your frustration and share your deep concern for the future of education in the Cook Islands. While I appreciate the passion with which you present your ideas, I’d like to address the points raised and provide insight into the work we are currently doing to ensure the best possible outcomes for all our students.
Letter: Tereora College ‘on life support’
Thursday 26 September 2024 | Written by Supplied | Published in Letters to the Editor, Opinion
Dear Editor, This letter has been a long time in the making and is tough to write, but I felt compelled to express my frustration and disappointment with our current education system in the perhaps forlorn hope that it might help kickstart a national conversation about the present state of affairs as it relates to our children’s secondary school education here on Rarotonga.
Letter: Crown responsibilities
Wednesday 25 September 2024 | Written by Supplied | Published in Letters to the Editor, Opinion
Clerk of Parliament Tangata Vainerere is quoted saying “On the comment that the Crown will win, it is based on reality.”
Letter: Protecting our biodiversity
Wednesday 25 September 2024 | Written by Supplied | Published in Letters to the Editor, Opinion
Dear Editor, Over a week ago, a group from NES carried out a workshop in Mauke to gain local input, knowledge and concerns as we update the National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan from 2002.
Letter: PM’s priorities amid rising crime
Monday 23 September 2024 | Written by Supplied | Published in Letters to the Editor, Opinion
Dear Editor,
Letter: Rarotonga’s Good Samaritans
Monday 23 September 2024 | Written by Supplied | Published in Letters to the Editor, Opinion
Dear Editor, As a first time visitor to Rarotonga, primarily for the Round Raro 31km event, my wife and I have been having a superb time, appreciating your island’s natural beauty and meeting many engaging locals.
Letter: The menace of fake customs in Cook Islands
Friday 20 September 2024 | Written by Supplied | Published in Letters to the Editor, Opinion
The Cook Islands, with its rich cultural heritage and pristine natural beauty, has long been a beacon for tourists and researchers alike. However, in recent times, the islands have been plagued by a disturbing trend: the proliferation of fake customs and traditions.
Letter: Parliament calendar: 42 days pledged,12 delivered
Friday 20 September 2024 | Written by Supplied | Published in Letters to the Editor, Opinion
Dear Editor, I must thank Mr. Moekaa for his recent reminder that our Parliament continues to dazzle us with its efficiency – or lack thereof – despite its ever-generous budget allocation and the ambitious calendar of sitting days it adopted with such gusto last year … the calendar that was supposed to keep Parliament glued to their seats for 42 days in 2024. I’m sure the MPs had every intention of working those days … until, well, they didn’t.
Letter: Constitution Amendment Bill
Thursday 19 September 2024 | Written by Supplied | Published in Letters to the Editor, Opinion
I’m sure that Leader of the Opposition Tina Browne in her observations of Niue’s recent referendum was being sarcastic, when she said: “Sadly the article does not give reasons why more than double the voters voted against increasing the term of Parliament.”
Letter: Only in the Cook Islands
Thursday 19 September 2024 | Written by Supplied | Published in Letters to the Editor, Opinion
Dear Editor, On Monday, September 16, after starting at 1pm, Parliament adjourned around 1.27pm to allow MPs to attend the opening of the netball U20 qualifiers. Maybe you should ask your MP whether s/he attended the opening.
Letter: ‘It’s time we listened to the science’
Wednesday 18 September 2024 | Written by Supplied | Published in Letters to the Editor, Opinion
I write with a heavy heart, disappointed by the narrow-mindedness I see in some of my fellow Cook Islanders when it comes to seabed minerals exploration.
Letter: SBMA ‘losing control’
Wednesday 18 September 2024 | Written by Supplied | Published in Letters to the Editor, Opinion
I would like to speak as an environmentally concerned Cook Islander, hearing concerns raised by Dr Teina Rongo on Temu Okotai’s radio show yesterday morning (Monday).
Letter: Deep sea treasure or trouble?
Wednesday 18 September 2024 | Written by Supplied | Published in Letters to the Editor, Opinion
Dear Editor, Ocean Ancestors is a home-grown collective deeply rooted in our communities. We’re NGOs, businesses and individuals united by a shared passion for protecting the ocean ... together raising the concerns of our people as the demand for resources, including deep sea minerals, overwhelms.
Letter: ‘Trust in God, not money’
Tuesday 17 September 2024 | Written by Supplied | Published in Letters to the Editor, Opinion
Dear Editor, I see in various forms of media, including Letters to the Editor and the Ocean Ancestors Facebook page, discussions and arguments that refer to the Bible.
Letter: Nodules: ‘Our underwater Amazon’
Monday 16 September 2024 | Written by Supplied | Published in Letters to the Editor, Opinion
I thank Ms Alex (Herman) for her reply to my previous letter regarding DSM (Deep Sea Mining) or SBM (Sea Bed Mining) which is what some are hoping to do in our EEZ.
Letter: Water reform: One bite at a time
Monday 16 September 2024 | Written by Supplied | Published in Letters to the Editor, Opinion
Dear Editor, Changing the To Tatou Vai Act 2021 must be a priority for our MPs.
Letter: Paruru i to tatou moana
Friday 13 September 2024 | Written by Supplied | Published in Letters to the Editor, Opinion
E tika rai, na te Atua te’ia au mea katoatoa i anga. Te vaira ta te Atua i tuku mai kia ta anga’anga tatou.
Letter: Muffin eaters
Friday 13 September 2024 | Written by Supplied | Published in Letters to the Editor, Opinion
Diane Charlie-Puna’s carefree insult to the idea that no one is above the law brings to mind the persistent story that the National Environment Service, under husband Ngatokorua, ran up a tab at a certain popular Arorangi café in the tens of thousands of dollars.
Letter: Vodafone ‘seize the opportunity’
Friday 13 September 2024 | Written by Supplied | Published in Letters to the Editor, Opinion
Dear Editor, Starlink is here officially, YAY! And of course it is the most expensive in the Pacific, yet still better than Vodafone Cook Islands. Not yay!
Letter: Vote buying and corruption
Thursday 12 September 2024 | Written by Supplied | Published in Letters to the Editor, Opinion
Dear Editor, I am deeply moved by a letter to the editor and an opinion column by two brothers, Te Tuhi Kelly in the CI News on 9 September and Steve Boggs in the Cook Islands Herald on 4 September.