24 September 2024
8 October 2024
8 October 2024
5 October 2024
25 September 2024
24 September 2024
23 September 2024
24 September 2024
21 September 2024
23 September 2024
23 September 2024
21 September 2024
7 September 2024
7 September 2024
2 September 2024
3 August 2024
2 September 2024
2 September 2024
31 August 2024
23 August 2024
22 August 2024
17 January 2023
13 August 2024
10 August 2024
8 August 2024
7 August 2024
8 August 2024
27 July 2024
3 August 2024
17 July 2024
8 July 2024
Saturday 12 October 2024 | Written by Thomas Tarurongo Wynne | Published in Editorials, Opinion
At the stroke of a pen, 50 nautical miles outside of every island that makes up the country we now call the Cook Islands was protected. This also allowed for pockets of commercial activity, managed in balance with the environment and aimed at creating revenue for our country and its people.
Saturday 5 October 2024 | Written by Thomas Tarurongo Wynne | Published in Editorials, Opinion
To address potential concerns and further strengthen the protection of the Cook Islands’ interests, I have emailed the Seabed Minerals Authority (SBMA) the following additions or amendments to the draft seabed mining regulations.
Saturday 28 September 2024 | Written by Thomas Tarurongo Wynne | Published in Editorials, Opinion
Some say there is not enough evidence or data so stop, and some say well, it is from God so we must proceed, writes Thomas Tarurongo Wynne.
Saturday 21 September 2024 | Written by Thomas Tarurongo Wynne | Published in Editorials, Opinion
We are more than just warriors, we are data collectors too. We all have that person in our family who is the data collector – generally a genealogy data collector, writes Thomas Tarurongo Wynne.
Saturday 14 September 2024 | Written by Thomas Tarurongo Wynne | Published in Editorials, Opinion
For the many at home who keep the fires burning, who keep the economy going, and who maintain the family homes and land – clean, trimmed, and functioning – I just want to say meitaki maata, meitaki ranuinui, atupaka, korereka, ngao, and atawai wolo, writes Thomas Tarurongo Wynne.
Saturday 7 September 2024 | Written by Thomas Tarurongo Wynne | Published in Editorials, Opinion
I was fortunate to sit on two paepae this week – one for the funeral of the Māori King, Tūheitia Pootatau Te Wherowhero VII, whose daughter, Ngā Wai Hono i te Pō, was crowned with a Bible soon afterward, and another for those who were abused by another crown, where the Bible was sometimes used not to bless but to curse, writes Thomas Tarurongo Wynne.
Saturday 31 August 2024 | Written by Thomas Tarurongo Wynne | Published in Editorials, Opinion
Our Papa, our fathers, our Metua, Pops, or simply Dad – as we celebrate Father’s Day, the word “father” evokes a mixture of feelings and memories about the roles they have played in our families and lives, whether present, absent, or just passing through, writes Thomas Tarurongo Wynne.
Saturday 24 August 2024 | Written by Thomas Tarurongo Wynne | Published in Editorials, Opinion
Travel for government is an absolute necessity, that much is true, but it should never be treated as a blank cheque, without public scrutiny and a scrutiny balanced against the many pressing priorities a community faces, writes Thomas Tarurongo Wynne.
Saturday 17 August 2024 | Written by Thomas Tarurongo Wynne | Published in Editorials, Opinion
An older brother is always an older brother, no matter where they live or in what country they reside, writes Thomas Tarurongo Wynne.
Saturday 10 August 2024 | Written by Thomas Tarurongo Wynne | Published in Editorials, Opinion
In our ever-connected world, it’s easy to find ourselves nestled within the warm embrace of those who share our views, beliefs and convictions. This comfort, while reassuring, can also become a prison — a self-imposed echo chamber where dissenting voices are drowned out, shunned, even publicly ridiculed, and the richness of diverse perspectives is lost, Thomas Tarurongo Wynne writes.
Saturday 3 August 2024 | Written by Thomas Tarurongo Wynne | Published in Editorials, Opinion
Nothing is more important to identity and a sense of who one is than being able to celebrate who you are, what you are, and your special place in the world, writes Thomas Tarurongo Wynne.
Saturday 27 July 2024 | Written by Thomas Tarurongo Wynne | Published in Editorials, Opinion
Just over 30 per cent of all those who identified as Pacific islanders to the Royal Commission into Abuse in State Care in Aotearoa identified as Cook Islanders, writes Thomas Tarurongo Wynne.
Saturday 20 July 2024 | Written by Thomas Tarurongo Wynne | Published in Editorials, Opinion
What is a patriot? Is it simply a green, red, blue, or gold flag waved, anthems sung, or a political position or party held high like the only hope of a country being great or even great again? Thomas Tarurongo Wynne writes.
Saturday 13 July 2024 | Written by Thomas Tarurongo Wynne | Published in Editorials, Opinion
As our 60th anniversary approaches next year as a self-governing country, flags serve as powerful emblems of nationalism and identity. They represent a nation’s values, history and aspirations, writes Thomas Tarurongo Wynne.
Saturday 6 July 2024 | Written by Thomas Tarurongo Wynne | Published in Editorials, Opinion
As a country, and as Iti Tangata, this week is significant as it heralds two very important events. These events capture the essence and Tu tangata of who we are as a people, who we were, who we want to maintain, and who we hope to become in the future, writes Thomas Tarurongo Wynne.
Saturday 29 June 2024 | Written by Thomas Tarurongo Wynne | Published in Editorials, Opinion
As Aotearoa celebrates Matariki, the Māori New Year, it gives us time to reflect on how we too could add a day to our year that celebrates our Māori worldview, those of our tūpuna, and the vast expanse of ocean they navigated and the knowledge they carried with them, writes Thomas Tarurongo Wynne.
Saturday 22 June 2024 | Written by Thomas Tarurongo Wynne | Published in Editorials, Opinion
I often think, when I have said, and when we say of ourselves that we are ‘punching well above our weight’, what is the measure of that success and why is it us who sing our own song about ourselves? Thomas Tarurongo Wynne writes.
Saturday 15 June 2024 | Written by Thomas Tarurongo Wynne | Published in Editorials, Opinion
What is Tapu, sacred or restricted in use and by whom, and what is Noa or free to be utilised by anyone, be they male or female? How do we make something Tapu and then lift that Tapu to make it Noa or free again? Thomas Tarurongo Wynne writes.
Saturday 8 June 2024 | Written by Thomas Tarurongo Wynne | Published in Opinion
Two thousand four hundred (2400) miles of excellence, 2400 miles of precision and 2400 miles of discipline and strength, writes Thomas Tarurongo Wynne.
Saturday 1 June 2024 | Written by Thomas Tarurongo Wynne | Published in Editorials, Opinion
Land – nothing is more contentious, beautiful, divisive, or unifying than land. Our caretaking of land has been thousands of years in the making as we moved from Moana or ocean, to land, to ocean, and back to land again, writes Thomas Tarurongo Wynne.