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Pacific leaders flock to One Foot Island
Fiji storm not a threat to Cook Islands
Up for grabs!
Savings to go toward education: Bishop
93 to receive PR
Nukutere College opens for new term
Pukapuka island cyclone shelter ahead of schedule
Aere mai kaikai!
Ironing out the last of Cyclone Pat
Results will be released next week
Pageant date earmarked
New teachers arrive
NCEA results improving
This is a case of a missing person
Consumer price index statistics out
Stay hydrated
Killer whale of a time!
Police chase and arrest teenage girl
74 spouses granted PR
Pacific leaders flock to One Foot Island
Wed
25 Jan
 |
| The secretary-general of the Forum Secretariat,
Tuiloma Neroni Slade, will be in the Cook Islands this weekend. 12012419 |
Aitutaki will be hosting this years Forum Leaders Retreat.
Each year the leaders who convene for the Pacific Islands Forum meet for a one-day retreat last year the forum took place in Auckland, and the Leaders Retreat was held at Waiheke Island.
This year One Foot Island in the Aitutaki lagoon is looking like the most possible venue for the gathering of prime ministers from up to 15 Pacific countries.
Details and an itinerary have yet to be finalised.
The people of Aitutaki are meeting with Cabinet minister and Aitutaki MP Teina Bishop and island mayor John Baxter this morning to discuss the details of the leaders retreat and divvy up hosting responsibilities.
It will be the first time the wider community has met to discuss the retreat.
Baxter and Mike Henry are responsible for coordinating the retreat and drawing up a plan of action, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will be coordinating the governments preparations.
The secretary-general of the Forum Secretariat, Tuiloma Neroni Slade, arrives in Rarotonga on Saturday.
He and his delegation are coming to the Cook Islands for the donors roundtable meeting on Tuesday, January 31, but the day before the meeting he will visit Aitutaki to get the lay of the land.
In Aitutaki he will be looking at possible event venues and accommodation facilities, though One Foot Island has been nominated as the likeliest retreat venue.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs says it hopes to use what is already on Aitutaki in terms of furniture, resources and supplies rather than transporting materials there for the retreat.
With Cook Islands officials, Slade will also be discussing the countrys preparations for the August Pacific Islands Forum.
The Cook Islands is hosting the forum, which will bring together leaders from 15 Pacific nations in addition to the Cook Islands leaders, there will be delegations from New Zealand, Australia, Kiribati, Palau, Solomon Islands, Nauru, Papua New Guinea, Tonga, Micronesia, Marshall Islands, Tuvalu, Niue, Samoa and Vanuatu.
Fiji, which has been suspended from the forum since 2009 for refusing to hold general elections, will not be attending the forum unless it is reinstated before August.
Representatives from New Caledonia, French Polynesia, Tokelau, East Timor, Wallis and Futuna, Guam, American Samoa and the Northern Mariana Islands also attend the Pacific Islands Forum, but not as member states.
The Forum will take place between August 13 and 17.
Fiji storm not a threat to Cook Islands
Wed
25 Jan
The Cook Islands Meteorological Service says the big storm brewing over Fiji is neither expected to develop into a cyclone nor likely to affect the Cook Islands.
Heavy rains and flooding in Fiji have already claimed two lives and forced the evacuation of hundreds of people.
At about 3pm yesterday, met services operations manager Maara Vaiimene explained that a tropical depression was lingering to the southeast of Fiji technically within Fijis area of responsibility but in actual fact closer to Tonga.
It had been assigned the number 06F, its tag denoting that it is the sixth depression to occur since November, or the start of the tropical cyclone season.
The letter F means it is within Fijis area of responsibility.
As the depression has not escalated into a tropical cyclone, it has not been assigned a name.
The minute the word cyclone is mentioned a name is attached, Vaiimene explained.
The chances of the depression developing into a tropical cyclone in the next 48 hours are very low, Vaiimene said.
Still, the winds in the northern area of the depression are north-westerlies and blowing 35-45 knots or 64-83km an hour. In the southern portion of the depression the southeasterlies are blowing 20-25 knots or about 37-46 km an hour. The tropical depression is expected to move south at 10 knots an hour today, but not expected to get any stronger.
It will be short-lived, thats why they havent upgraded the warnings, Vaiimene said.
Vaiimene said there is a high pressure system to the east of the Cook Islands.
For us here in the Cooks a high pressure system to the east is bringing the northerly winds over the southern Cooks, he said. A weak trough over northern Cooks will be bringing easterly winds over the north.
That means brief showers over the next two or three days, but does not mean strong weather like that Fiji experienced this week. Winds are expected to be strongest on the west side of Rarotonga.
Up for grabs!
Wed
25 Jan
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| Mariana Henry shares some tips on how to
run a grocery grab with CITC’s George George. 12012409 |
A little planning and some good running legs thats what youll need if youre chosen for CITCs three-minute grocery grab, says the last lady to run it.
Mariana Henry, who competed in CITCs grocery grab when it was last run in 2009, said it would be a good idea for whoever wins the competition next week.
CITC will be holding three grocery grab runs in the next three months, with different sponsors in each.
Henry said she would be willing to share all her knowledge with whoever wins the competition.
You have to know where all the important groceries are and when youre running, grab everything, she laughed.
CITCs key brand manager George George said all the details were available at the CITC Supermarket, but there were a few worth mentioning.
There will be vouchers given for the meat and frozen foods sections, so people can focus on the groceries, and, sorry to all the hopeful mums, dads, uncles and aunties out there, but alcohol and tobacco are off the menu.
There wont be a limit to the number of shopping carts you can use, but you will only be allowed to use one at a time.
And, for people living with a disability, another person can be nominated to do the run in your position.
Three grocery runs will be held in the next three months one in January, one in February and the last in March.
Savings to go toward education: Bishop
Tue
24 Jan
Minister of Education Teina Bishop is pushing for any money saved through the merger of the education ministry and the Department of National
Human Resource Development to be re-invested into education, the Office of the Public Service Commissioner (OPSC)
reports.
Earlier this month, Bishop attended a meeting of the steering committee that is overseeing the merger to receive a briefing of developments to date, OPSC chief executive officer Priscilla Maruariki said in a statement given to Cook Islands News yesterday.
Minister Bishop is pleased with the progress and has emphasised the need to apply Good Employer principles throughout the whole process and consistent with government policy, continued employment for staff, she said.
The minister also urged that all potential savings from the merger be re-invested into the education of our children.
Maruariki said the merger is on target to be completed by the end of June, in time for the start of the new financial year.
A merger steering committee has been appointed by the
Public Service Commissioner Navy Epati to help meet the deadline.
The committee includes representatives from OPSC,
education ministry, National Human Resource Development, Crown Law and Ministry of Finance and Economic Development.
Maruariki said the merger was based on the recommendations received from the Budget Support Group in May 2011, which advocated for the merger of the Ministry of Education
and the Department of National Human Resource Develop-ment.
Cabinet approved this recommendation in June last year asking for the merger to be formalised and for the OPSC to lead the efforts towards bringing this initiative into fruition.
This merger steering committee has been meeting every Wednesday since December 7, and held a retreat with staff of the two ministries late in December to plan the way forward.
Some of the considerations that have been discussed and planned include: preparation of a key milestone calendar for the next six month period to June 2012; preparing strategies for bringing the functions and
staff of the two entities together; submitting a proposed structure to OPSC for approval; submitting the business plan and
budget requests to MFEM; and preparation of financial reports for the ministry, Maruariki said.
Staff from the education ministry and the Department of National Human Resource Development will work together under the Ministry of Education banner at its new headquarters in Nikao.
The Ministry of Education is set to receive a boost of up to $1.5 million dollars the Department of National Human Resource Developments current annual allocation in its coffers for the 2012-13 financial year following the merger.
93 to receive PR
Tue
24 Jan
There are 93 names on the finalised list of people who will be granted permanent residency (PR) on Thursday.
All are spouses of Cook Islanders or permanent residents.
Cook Islands News printed a story earlier this month about this weeks PR ceremony, urging those who believed they were eligible to double-check the status of their applications.
We were able to get a few more people on, Paul Lynch of the Deputy Prime Ministers Office said yesterday.
Some found out that they were eligible but hadnt made the list, but thats all been sorted out.
The original list contained 75 names, but the final, confirmed list contains 93.
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Affairs Minister Tom Marsters signed off on the list yesterday.
In Parliament last year, Marsters raised the issue of residents of the Cook Islands who are married to Cook Islanders or permanent residents but still waiting for PR.
At that time he indicated plans to stage a ceremony to honour these people who have been living in our midst all of this time, he said.
The ceremony will be held at the National Auditorium on Thursday.
Nukutere College opens for new term
Tue
24 Jan
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Nukutere College secretary Louisa Tukaroa and principal Donna Nahu hard at work preparing the school for 2012.
12012316
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Nukutere College will focus on establishing its new technology laboratory and integrating more IT-based learning in its classrooms during 2012, says principal Donna Nahu.
The school will also continue to work on improving the literacy and numeracy of its students through introducing a new timetable and teaching method for the year.
Nukutere officially opened for the new school year this week, taking in enrolments from yesterday morning.
New students can still come along to the Avarua school throughout the week before classes begin in earnest on Monday, January 30.
Nahu said teachers would be back in full force from Thursday this week, when inductions and training sessions begin.
The school will be putting the final touches on completing its information technology facilities in the days before classes resume.
Nahu said teachers would be asked to include more multimedia and computer-based learning in their classes to best utilise the new additions.
Although pleased with the levels of numeracy and literacy among the schools population, Nahu said she hoped to see those further improve through the schools new timetabling methods.
Nukutere will be holding classes based more on students skill-levels in 2012 rather than their age group.
Nahu said the change was meant to help students get help at the levels they needed it.
If were going to look at improving our rates (of literacy and numeracy), the weve got to find out what level our students are at first and support those that need help, she said.
Nukutere will also extend its work on improving student attendance in 2012.
Last year, the Ministry of Education, Cook Islands Police and Rarotongas schools began holding meetings to form a joint approach to improving attendance levels.
Nahu said she approved of the scheme and was keen to see it continuing into the new year.
Pukapuka island cyclone shelter ahead of schedule
Mon
23 Jan
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| The Pukapuka cyclone management centre as
seen from the air. 12011902 |
A cyclone shelter on Pukapuka will be completed earlier than expected and within budget, says the Office of the Prime Minister.
The cyclone management centre, as it has been called, is expected to be completed in March this year and officially opened soon after, said European Union (EU) programme assistant Daphne Ringi.
Senior government representatives, EU representatives and Pukapuka community members are anticipated to be included in the official opening ceremony.
Ringi said excellent progress had been made since June last year to finish the project, which was launched five years ago.
The Pukapuka cyclone management centre building project commenced in 2007, through the signing of a financing agreement between the Cook Islands government and the European Union.
Construction work commenced in June 2011 through local contractor Landholdings Ltd.
The Cook Islands government provided financial support and a guarantee to the $3 million project.
The cyclone centre is 85 percent funded by the European Union and 15 percent funded by the Cook Islands government.
Ringi said the government guarantee was a boon for the project.
The guarantee was an example of a successful innovative public-private partnership, which enabled the contractor to mobilise project materials and labour (avoiding project delays), while awaiting EU reimbursement. The guarantee expired in December 2011.
Ringi said the completion of this project meets the objectives of Cook Islands governments Cyclone Recovery Reconstruction Plan (CRRP), derived from the National Sustainable Development Plan 2007-2010.
The wide space of the Pukapuka cyclone management
centre will help give the people of Pukapuka better protection during
adverse weather. 12011904
The Pukapuka cyclone management centre is due
to be officially opened in March this year. 12011907
Aere mai kaikai!
Mon
23 Jan
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12012202
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| Members of the Avatiu-Nikao Mongoose golden
oldies rugby club serenaded village elders when the club organised
an evening of feasting and entertainment for all the mamas and papas.
Photo by Junior Toleafoa 12012204 |
Nikao member of parliament Ngamau Munokoa (centre) joined fellow village leaders and elders including (seated from left) Koutu Nui president Maria Henderson, Uritaua Ki Uta Mata Andrew Turua OBE and his wife Tutai at a special gathering on Saturday in honour of village elders living in Avatiu and Nikao.
In the background is Avatiu-Nikao Mongoose golden oldies club chairman George George who along with staunch club members organised a night of feasting and entertainment for the mamas and papas from the two villages.
The golden oldies club received huge support for the event from businesses and families through the villages of Avatiu and Nikao who donated funds and goods to help put on a wonderful feast to honour the years of community service the village elders have put in to mould Avatiu and Nikao into a proud family community.
Photo by Junior Toleafoa.
Avatiu-Nikao village elders gather for an evening
of kaikai and uraura. 12012203
Avatiu-Nikao mamas join the queue for the wonderful
Mongoose kaikai. 12012205
Ironing out the last of Cyclone Pat
Mon
23 Jan
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Unwanted scrap iron at Aitutaki, collected from the roofs of homes damaged when Cyclone Pat hit the island.
12011910
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Though the memory of Cyclone Pat is still clear in the minds of many people of Aitutaki, there are fewer and fewer reminders of the destruction that it caused laying about the island.
With so many homes partially or completely ruined by the February 2010 storm, Cyclone Pat left Aitutaki with an unwelcome legacy in the copious amounts of roofing iron that needed to be cleared from the island.
After helping the people of Aitutaki who lost their homes in the cyclone get back on their feet and find normality in their lives again, the Ministry of Infrastructure and Planning then looked at the other problems lingering after Pat.
With piles of rusted and ruined roofing iron sitting about the island, the ministry sought out someone to remove the unwanted materials with funding provided by the New Zealand Aid Programme.
Recycle Cook Islands, a joint venture between JLW and Cook Islands General Transport, was awarded the contract and locals of Aitutaki were employed to help with the work under project manager John Wichman of JWL.
The company reports that the Island Administration are delighted with what has been achieved in removing mangled roof iron and scrap metal from their island, the infrastructure and planning ministry said in a release.
The Cook Islands government declared Aitutakis cyclone recovery post-Pat was officially over as of October.
Twenty months after Cyclone Pat savaged Aitutaki, the government officially closed the recovery period, saying homes and community facilities were rebuilt and homeowners reimbursed for their out of pocket expenses.
The Cook Islands government, the New Zealand Aid Programme, Cook Islands Red Cross, and disaster management teams had helped Aitutaki during its recovery.
New Zealand offered aid to fund the recovery and reconstruction programme to repair all occupied homes or to replace homes that were destroyed in the cyclone and a coordinated Cook Islands-New Zealand team carried out inspections and oversaw the recovery.
New Zealand Aid also dispatched its own clerk of works, Peter Scantlebury, to the island to provide advice on building methods to the local workforce recruited for the construction work.
Results will be released next week
Sat
21 Jan
Results of a census and health inspections in regard to Scotts chicken farm in Muri should be publicly released next week.
For years the stench of Scotts Farm has offended locals and tourists alike and in the last month the issue has come to a head with the Ministry of Healths involvement.
Dr Rangi Fariu the ministrys community health services director says a thorough inspection of the site in central Muri was conducted on Thursday by ministry staff and others from the National Environment Service.
The inspection follows a census recently conducted by 13 health and environment officers, who surveyed about 60 households in the vicinity.
That census aimed to determine whether waste products from Scotts Farm are causing neighbouring residents to be ill.
Two different questionnaires were developed one for neighbouring residents and another for Scotts Farm employees.
The former asked respondents whether they have been ill recently and if so, to explain their symptoms and whether they have allergies or are currently taking any medication.
The second questionnaire asked Scotts Farm employees to reveal how long they have been working at the farm and whether they have contracted any illnesses during their time of employment.
Farm owner John Scott has guaranteed the ministry that he is treating chicken manure with an odour-reducing microbial culture.
But it appears not to be working and countless Cook Islanders and Rarotonga visitors have publicly expressed their disgust at the stench, in what is the islands main tourist hotspot.
Dr Fariu says during Thursdays inspection health officials from all the ministrys divisions assessed various aspects of the farm.
We had people looking at mosquitoes, rodents, pests and flies then we had the sanitation team looking at the drainage system, the food section look at the packaging of eggs and environment were looking at the general outlook of the place.
He says data from the inspection is being collated and analysed ahead of a meeting next Wednesday.
That meeting will involve health minister Nandi Glassie, health secretary Tupou Faireka and all those involved in the inspection.
Dr Fariu says the ministrys intention is to have results of the census and inspections publicly released following Wednesdays meeting.
We have to its of public interest now. Im hoping it will all come out next week.
Pageant date earmarked
Sat
21 Jan
The Miss Cook Islands Pageant Association (MCIPA) has set a tentative date for this years Miss Cook Islands pageant.
The pageants finale is scheduled for June 7.
The date was postponed to allow the current titleholder, Engara Gosselin, to do her three months probation at her new job as Pure Fiji Australias assistant general manager before requesting leave to come back to Rarotonga for the pageant.
She will physically hand over her crown.
The committee has decided to accommodate Engara so she can come back and hand over her crown to the next Miss Cook Islands, MCIPA president Clee Marsters said.
Marsters says registration is still open to those young Cook Islands girls who want to join the pageant.
He encourages anyone who is interested to contact him as soon as possible.
Hopefully with the announcement of the date of the pageant people will start thinking about joining, he said. Were looking for new girls to represent our country and our women.
MCIPA has also scheduled its annual general meeting for February 10 at 5pm.
The meeting will be held at Aquarius, and all who are interested in joining a dynamic and fabulous team, as Marsters described it, are welcome to attend.
New teachers arrive
Sat
21 Jan
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12012016
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Fifteen New Zealand teachers and their families have arrived in the Cook Islands to take up posts at schools across Rarotonga and on Aitutaki.
The new teachers and their families are pictured here in the new Ministry of Education base in Nikao where they had an orientation day.
The teachers will spend the weekend house hunting, setting up bank accounts and getting Cook Islands drivers licences before heading into their new classrooms on Monday to settle in before school starts proper on Monday 30.
Three new recruits will be based at the Ministry of Education while the national college Tereora College will welcome new principal Bali Haque plus eight new teachers.
Rutaki School will welcome a new principal in Kristina Crouch and so will Arorangi School when Urama Toroma begins work for the year.
Two new teachers will head to Aitutaki to take up posts at Araura College including new principal Tarona Daniela and graphics teacher Charlie Kapuvai.
NCEA results improving
Sat
21 Jan
The Ministry of Education has released preliminary NCEA results from the November examinations.
Final confirmed results will be released when they become available.
We are delighted with the overall achievement which reinforces that the strategies that have been implemented by our ministry and the schools over the past several years are starting to reap real benefits for our students, education secretary Sharyn Paio said.
The challenge now is to strive to sustain and further improve these results even further.
Although I dont have the actual breakdown at this stage, there appears to be a substantial increase in the number of Excellence and Merit endorsements achieved by students at all levels also.
I wish to congratulate all the students who have achieved so well and extend my sincere and grateful appreciation to the teachers, principals and Ministry of Education staff who have all worked so hard to support the learning and achievement of our students.
For a table of preliminary results, see page 8.
This is a case of a missing person
Fri
20 Jan
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07110209
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Cook Islands police are working in contact with New Zealand Police and Interpol as they continue their investigations into the case of missing skipper and wanted man.
Inspector John Strickland yesterday said police had made contact with his next of kin and were waiting for them to make their way to the Cook Islands.
Strickland said local police were continuing to work with their New Zealand counterparts and in consultation with Interpol, the International Criminal Police Organisation.
The skipper, who is wanted in New Zealand on 26 cases of sex-related offences involving children, is still considered to be a missing person.
Im going to re-emphasise what the commissioner (Maara Tetava) said: this is a case of a missing person, Strickland said.
Cook Islands law states that a person must be missing for seven years before they are declared dead.
This is still a missing persons case.
Police investigations in the Cook Islands are still centred around his movements in the days before he disappeared on January 3.
Strickland said police were considering all possibilities, including reports that there were two men aboard the yacht Bonny and that the skipper had allegedly been sighted in Rarotonga in the days following his disappearance.
Strickland told Cook Islands News that police were still considering releasing a picture of the man to the media.
He said police did not have recent photos of him and were trying to find a more recent image before releasing any to the public.
The New Zealand man went missing about 20 nautical miles off Rarotonga on January 3 after complaining of heart problems.
He arrived in the Cook Islands on December 31 unannounced and without a passport after fleeing New Zealand, where he was due to appear in court.
He remains accused of committing 26 sexual offences involving girls aged under 16 and under 12.
Among the accusations are three charges of rape of a girl under 12; one charge of raping a girl between 12 and 16; 11 charges of unlawful sex with a girl under 12; two charges of unlawful sex with a girl aged 12-16; five charges of inducing an indecent act on a girl under 12; three charges of committing an indecent act on a girl aged between 12 and 16; and, one charge of indecent assault on a girl under 12.
Consumer price index statistics out
Fri
20 Jan
The latest Cook Islands Consumer Price Index (CPI) statistics have been released publicly, posted on the internet through the Ministry of Finance and Economic Management (MFEM) and its statistics division.
CPI relates to the cost of living and inflation.
It is an indicator or measure of price change.
The latest CPI figures released are for the December quarter 2011.
The CPI for that quarter was 120.9, recording a decrease of 0.2 per cent over the September quarter 2011 but an increase of 3.3 per cent over the December quarter 2010.
Head statistician Taggy Tangimetua says in laymans terms the CPI gives the cost of living.
It is based on consumer spending patterns, and grouped into sections like food items, household operations including electricity, and transportation including airfares.
Updated CPI figures are released every quarter.
The latest document also contains information on the last year and base information dating back to 2006.
The most significant contributions to the movement in the current CPI are highlighted within the food and transport groups.
Food group prices registered an increase of 0.7 per cent.
The fruit and vegetables sub-group rose by 2.1 per cent, contributed mainly by the high prices of potatoes and onions.
Farm products contributed a 1.5 per cent increase.
The transport group fell by 2.7 per cent, which was mainly affected by the decrease in prices of international airfares within the overseas travel sub-group down by 11.7 per cent.
Minor increases in prices
were noted in the apparel group (up by 0.6 per cent) and household operations (up by 0.4 per cent).
More detailed information and full diagrams explaining the latest CPI figures can be viewed through the website www.stats.gov.ck.
Stay hydrated
Fri
20 Jan
Rarotonga has been experiencing a hot spell this week, but Cook Islands Meteorological Services director Arona Ngari says temperatures are normal for the summer period.
Temperatures this week have been averaging about 29 or 30 degrees.
Its up there, but I think whats getting people thinking its over 30 is the humidity, which has been hovering around 90 95 (percent), Ngari said.
He says this weeks temperatures are not out of the ordinary during a Rarotonga summer, but acknowledges the humidity is reaching uncomfortable percentages.
Since the beginning of January 2012, relative humidity has been about 85% mark which can be uncomfortable for those that come from temperate and higher latitude regions. Humans are very sensitive to humidity, as the skin relies on the air to get rid of moisture. The process of sweating is your bodys attempt to keep cool and maintain its current temperature. If the air is at 100-per cent relative humidity, sweat will not evaporate into the air. As a result, we feel much hotter than the actual temperature when the relative humidity is high, Ngari said.
If the relative humidity is low, we can feel much cooler than the actual temperature because our sweat evaporates easily, cooling us off. For example, if the air temperature is 24 degrees Celsius and the relative humidity is zero percent, the air temperature feels like 21 degrees to our bodies. If the air temperature is 24 degrees, and the relative humidity is 100 percent, we feel like its 27 degrees out there.
In light of the hot temperatures and humidity, he urges people to carry water bottles and cool down with a wet handkerchief.
Killer whale of a time!
Thu
19 Jan
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| 12011718 |
Proud aunty Josephine Turepu sent in this gorgeous photo of her two-year-old niece Taleya Gukisuva having a Killer Whale of a time at the Rarotongan celebrating her brother Zechariahs fifth birthday with family.
This photo is one of a number of stunning images sent in to Cook Islands News in our Memories of summer photo competition.
Email your happy snaps to editor@cookislandsnews.com
Police chase and arrest teenage girl
Thu
19 Jan
A teenage motorcyclist reached speeds of up to 90km/hr during a police pursuit through Rarotongas west this week.
A 17-year-old female was arrested on Monday afternoon and charged following the pursuit.
She spent the night in police custody and was charged with dangerous driving. Cook Islands police detective inspector Areumu Ingaua said police were considering laying other charges against the youth.
Ingaua said police reached speeds of between 70km/hr and 90km/hr during the chase.
A police patrol first tried to stop the youth when it spotted her riding abreast alongside two other motorcycles. All three motorcycles were carrying a passenger.
The drivers all sped off when police instructed them to stop.
When the group split, the officers continued to pursue two of the motorcycles towards the south of Rarotonga.
Police followed behind, sounding their horn and calling out to the youth to pull over.
They managed to stop the girl, where she was arrested.
Ingaua said the youth was now out on bail and due to appear in court next week.
74 spouses granted PR
Thu
19 Jan
Cabinet has approved the granting of permanent residency (PR) status to 74 spouses of Cook Islanders and permanent residents.
At a meeting in Rarotonga yesterday cabinet approved a list of the 74 applicants, who have all been married to Cook Islanders or those with PR for at least five years.
They are now being notified formally and invited to an official ceremony with Queens Representative Sir Frederick Goodwin at the National Auditorium next Thursday.
There they are required to give an oath before officially being awarded PR and having their passports stamped.
Of the 74 spouses approved by cabinet, 12 live in Aitutaki. They will be part of their own official ceremony on the island sometime after the main ceremony in Rarotonga.
Some of the spouses on the list to receive PR in Rarotonga next Thursday are also out of the country at present, and accordingly they will be included in the next ceremony to be held in due course.
Others that did not quite manage to get their applications completed in time for this weeks consideration by cabinet are likely to go back on the waiting list for PR and cabinet approval.
There is no limit to the amount of spouses that can be awarded PR under certain criteria.
Cabinet yesterday had to waive some application criteria for certain spouses, as they have lived in the Cook Islands so long they can no longer obtain police clearance from their country of origin.
Instead, clearance from Cook Islands police was allowed.
That waiver was approved by the executive council and Queens Representative.
The eldest spouse approved for PR this week is about 80 years old and has been married to a Cook Islander since the 1950s.
Exact details of next weeks PR ceremony are being worked out at present.
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