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Renewable energy policy pleases user

Steve Anderson says more locals will likely use renewable energy with Te Aponga’s new policy in place. 09090937

“SOLAR and wind energy are the way of the future – there is no doubt about it,” says business-man Steve Anderson of Matav-era.

Anderson is one local person who is pleased at Te Aponga Uira’s announcement of its net-metering policy for renewable energy that will allow consum-ers to connect solar panels and wind turbines to the wiring of their buildings – while still be-ing connected to Te Aponga’s network.

The principal of Andersons Electrical uses both solar and

wind power to generate his household electricity.

“We’re very pleased with Te Aponga’s policy of net-metering for renewable energy. Living on the Matavera coast, we fre-quently have strong tradewinds blowing in from the southeast.“At these times our wind tur-bine produces plenty of electric-ity day and night – more than we can use at the time. Without net-metering, the surplus en-ergy would be wasted. The net-metering policy allows us to ex-port this extra energy into the grid, credit it to our Te Aponga

account, and draw it back when we need it. Therefore we don’t need batteries, which are expen-sive and don’t last very long.”Anderson says similarly, while at work, solar energy generated at his home is being credited to his power account.

“In the evening, when I’m watching the news on TV, I feel good knowing the electricity I’m using came from the sun on my solar panels earlier that day.”Anderson says Te Aponga’s pol-icy is also very simple with no special accounting or metering equipment needed.

“The regular power meter simply goes forwards when we are ‘importing’ electricity, and goes backwards when we are ‘ex-porting’ to the grid. This system suits us very well, and many of our friends who use wind and solar energy are finding the same thing,” he says.

“With Te Aponga now pub-licly committed to a net-me-tering policy, I’m sure many more people will be mak-ing use of renewable energy.“It’s a pretty good feeling – help-ing the environment, and saving money at the same time.” - HG

Still blasting at Mangaia harbourBLASTING and excavation has been the main work carried out on the Mangaia harbour project for the past two months.

According to the ministry of infrastructure and planning, the project was held up for three months while awaiting explo-sives from New Zealand.

“If there was a large amount of fuel on the ship, the danger-ous goods were the first thing to be offloaded,” says MOIP’s Daryl Rairi.

Rairi says the ministry’s civil

engineer Nemia Tagi visited Mangaia last month and he in-dicated that most of the mate-rials for the concrete works are already on the island.

However, not all the sheet pil-ing, to construct a new wall, has arrived from Singapore.

If there are no major disrup-tions, Rairi says work on the harbour could be completed by April next year.

Rairi says currently, excava-tion is being carried out in a new 35 metre turning basin

which will be large enough to cater for the police patrol boat Te Kukupa.

The depth of the basin – which is to the south of the old basin – will be 3.5 metres deep.

The old basin and quay are at the end of the entrance channel and susceptible to ocean swells.

The excavator which slipped into the harbour last month was digging from a causeway that was constructed in the new basin.

The design for the Mangaia

harbour was done by the MOIP in August 2008 based on pre-vious feasibility reports con-ducted by AC Consulting Group (New Zealand) and GHD Pty Ltd (Australia).

The budget of $1.83 million was approved by cabinet on 19 November 2008 and expressions of interest (EOI) were sent out to contractors on 4 December.

EOIs were received by the MOIP on 17 December 2008.

An evaluation of those who submitted an EOI was conduct-

ed on the 19 December 2008 and fi ve companies were short listed

Tender documents were issued to those who were short listed on 12 January 2009 and these were received on 27 February.

The tender evaluation was conducted on 4 March 2009 and approval from the tender com-mittee was granted to award the contract to Pa Reu Machineries Ltd in April.

Pa Reu’s Trevor Pickering is supervising the work on the project. - MOIP/MM

Banks tocommitto climatechangeAS I A N Development Bank (A D B) President Haruhiko Kuroda has joined heads of other multilateral development banks in calling for a compre-hensive agreement to come out of climate change negotiations that have begun in Copenhagen.

In a statement, the presidents of the world’s leading interna-tional financial institutions agreed to further coordinate their financing of climate ac-tions and use their combined expertise and resources to as-sist UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) parties and the private sector to confront challenges posed by climate change.

The presidents of the ADB, African Development Bank, Eu-ropean Bank for Reconstruction and Development, European In-vestment Bank, Inter-American Development Bank, World Bank Group and International Mon-etary Fund committed their organisations to use technical assistance and funding to rein-force their contribution to the fi ght against climate change.

The bodies recognised the primacy of the UNFCCC and appealed for an agreement in Copenhagen to provide an am-bitious, comprehensive and eq-uitable global climate change regime that enables all countries to achieve sustainable develop-ment in a climate-resilient and low- carbon emission way.

They further reiterated their commitment to help develop-ing countries adapt to climate change and to facilitate the development and transfer of climate-friendly technology and knowledge according to the needs of partner countries.

The bodies stand ready at this critical point in time to collec-tively build upon their respec-tive capacities to respond to the challenge and help client coun-tries maximise the use of new fi -nancial fl ows in support of a fair, ambitious and comprehensive climate change regime beyond 2012, the statement said.

- ADB

Full costs awardedROBERT Ioaba was awarded full solicitor and expert costs after his civil case over a collision between him riding a motor-cycle and a car driven by Caryn Chilwell in August 2007.

Ioaba had sought full indem-nity costs and had made a set-tlement proposal of $15,000 on a ‘without prejudice basis save as to costs’.

A letter dated October 17, 2007 was sent on behalf of Ioaba to Chilwell making this propos-al. Chilwell admitted receiving this letter and she gave it to her counsel Tevita Vakalalabure.

A further issue considered by Justice Christine Grice was the failure by the defendant or her counsel to meet timetabled orders set by the court as to the fi ling and service of an affi davit of documents and statements of witnesses.

“The plaintiff was put to the expense of fi ling a further appli-

cation to enforce the timetable direction to obtain an order to force the defendant to comply with the timetable.”

A detailed breakdown of so-licitor client costs was produced by Ioaba’s lawyer Charles Little.

“In Mr Little’s case a charge of $200 per hour is well within reasonable costs for a solicitor of his experience,” said the judge.

“Mr Little’s offer to settle this matter at $15,000 was made in clear and unambiguous terms. The judgment was for more than double the offer. The offer was a ‘Calderbank’ offer which now puts Mr Ioaba in a strong position to seek full solicitor-client costs.”

The judge awarded costs of $18,297.25 for solicitor-client costs as claimed, and $7719 for expert witness fees for Colin Wingrove, together with court costs and disbursements to be fi xed by the registrar. - MM

Miss Tiare Riri Vai Tevananga Upu Pere – one of fi ve entrants in the annual pageant – introduces herself during the fi rst public appearance of contestants at the Punanga Nui market at the weekend. More on page 8 and 9. 09120609

Miss Tiare starts up

Monday, December 7, 2009

OUTLOOK

Te reo o te KUKI AIRANI

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2 MONDAY, DECEMBER , Cook Islands News

worldNEWS nuti no TEIA NEI AO

world BRIEFS

Wake up and weep, you drunkards; cry, you wine

drinkers; the grapes for making new wine have

been destroyed. An army of locusts has attacked

our land; they are powerful and too many to count;

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Today’s Daily Bread

Read: Joel 1:1-12 Text for the day: v5-6

Arrest for burgerrubbed in face SANTA CRUZ, December 6 – A 25-year-old US man has been arrested for allegedly rubbing a hamburger in his wife’s face during an argument.

Police said Daniel Boss of Santa Cruz and his wife got into an argument late on Thursday night and started calling each other names.

At some point, the woman apparently poured a drink on Boss’ hamburger, causing him to grab the sandwich, rub it in her face and start throw-ing food.

Boss left, but his wife went to the police station to report the incident. Offi cers arrested him three hours later on a mis-demeanour domestic battery charge.

- AP

GROOM MAKES A TWIT OF HIMSELF NEW YORK – US groom who loves social networking as much as his bride pulled out a mobile phone during their wedding to ‘tweet’ and update his Facebook page. Youtube footage shows Dana Hanna, from Maryland, whip out a telephone from his suit, interrupting the minister. Thoughtfully, he then produces a second phone and hands that to the bride. “Standing at the altar with Tracy Page where a second ago she became my wife! Gotta go, time to kiss my bride,” Hanna wrote on his Twitter account from the altar steps. He also updated his status on Facebook to married. “I now pronounce you husband and wife. It’s offi cial on Facebook, it’s offi cial in my book,” the minister says to laughter from guests. “You may now kiss the bride.”

POLICE KILL JESUSWASHINGTON – Police in a Washington suburb are in the awkward situation of having to admit they killed Jesus – after they shot and killed a Rottweiler-pitbull mix who had attacked his owner. Police in Rockville, Maryland were called to a house late on Saturday night by the owner of Jesus after the 60kg dog became aggressive, the department said. They managed to catch the animal but searched in vain for sedatives to subdue it. Eventually, they used a Taser device to administer 50,000 volts of electricity to the animal, which would ordinarily provoke instant paralysis. “It didn’t faze the dog at all,” Rockville police chief Terry Treschuk said. “We tried everything. We just had to make a decision and bring this to an end,” he said. So police shot and killed the dog. Jesus’ owner was hospitalised with bites to the arms, chest and thighs.

RUDD SAYS NO TO BUDGIE SMUGGLERS CANBERRA – Kevin Rudd says he’s tough on people smugglers, and it seems he’s just as tough on “budgie smugglers”. If Australians were asked to nominate a preference for the revealing swimwear favoured by opposition leader Tony Abbott, or that more akin to surfers, Rudd knows which way he would vote. Abbott was photographed in all his skimpy swimsuit glory last weekend while taking part in an ocean swim in Sydney. “You know something. If there was a referendum tomorrow between budgie smugglers and boardies, I think I’d be voting for boardies,” Rudd said. “I think there are certain things the Australian people should be protected from and one of those things is national political leaders so attired. “What is it about the Libs and swimming gear, it seems to be a bit of a pattern,” he said, referring to former NSW Liberal leader Peter Debnam before his defeat in the 2007 state election.

DUBYA INSPIRES EDIBLE ARTWASHINGTON – Fancy trout a la waterboard or guantanamole with a side of Condoleezza Rice balls, followed perhaps by Wire Tapioca or Baba Rumsfeld? Those are just some of the menu options featured in the off -beat exhibit put together by US artist Lauren Garfi nkel depicting the eight tumultuous years of the George W Bush’s presidency with food. The edible art is a play on the adage “you are what you eat,” according to the feastforbush.com website, where the 12 culinary works are on display. But Garfi nkel is working with an agent to land a cookbook deal, which would feature the works on the website and 12 related others. And the large parmesan crisp with Condoleezza Rice’s face on it, along with the Shoe Fly Pie in honour of the Iraqi journalist who threw his shoe at Bush, are still in the freezer, she said. “Parmesan crisps are the easiest thing to make if you make them small, but to get a large one that doesn’t crack is a big accomplishment” - not to mention the perfect canvas for a portrait of Rice the uncrackable negotiator, said Garfi nkel.

Nobel Foundation crunched by crisisSWEDEN, December 7 – The Nobel Foundation might have to reduce the money it awards winners of its prestigious prizes due to the effects of the global fi nancial crisis, its director said.

The foundation will give 10 million Swedish crowns ($1.5 million) for each prize this year as it has done for most of the

last decade. But the downturn could strain resources for future prizes.

“It might be in the future we would be forced to lower the prize,” Michael Sohlman, Ex-ecutive Director for the Nobel Foundation, told a press brief-ing. “We have sailed the storm, but have taken on some water.”

Sohlman said the value of the foundation’s assets had only re-covered somewhat in 2009 af-ter it lost nearly one-fi fth of its invested capital last year due to the fi nancial crisis.

Prizes for the sciences and for peace were established in the will of 19th century dynamite tycoon Alfred Nobel and have

been handed out since 1901.Nobel stipulated that 31

million crowns ($4.5 million) should be invested in safe secu-rities, the income from which would be distributed annually in the form of prizes.

The value of the invested capital at the end of December last year was 2.8 billion crowns

($407.2 million).The total cost for this year’s

Nobels - some 120 million crowns ($17.5 million) - covers everything from the cash awards to a lavish banquet in Stockholm and a ceremony in Oslo where U.S. President Barack Obama will be awarded the Peace Prize.

- Reuters

Violence erupts in GreeceGREECE, December 7 – Masked youths hurled firebombs and chunks of marble at police dur-ing a march in Athens to mark the first anniversary of the

police shooting of a teenager whose death sparked riots.

Police fi red volleys of tear gas to disperse the youths in run-ning street battles in the centre of the capital as several thou-sand demonstrators commem-orated the death of 15-year-old Alexandros Grigoropoulos. The teenager’s death sent youths rampaging through cit-ies for two weeks last December.

O n S u n d a y, t h e r i o t e r s smashed bank windows, over-turned rubbish bins and set them alight as they hurled rocks and fi re crackers at riot police. Authorities said 134 people were detained for public-order offences in Athens and another 80 in the northern city of Thes-

saloniki, where a similar dem-onstration also degenerated into violence.

At least five protesters were injured in the clashes, including a woman who was hit by a police motorcycle. Police said 16 offi c-ers were hurt.

Police on motorcycles chased rioters amid scenes of chaos at Athens’ main Syntagma Square, with youths punching and kick-ing officers pushed off their bikes.

One policeman who lost con-trol of his motorbike struck a pedestrian woman, who was injured and later transported to the hospital in an ambulance.

At Athens University, masked protesters broke into the build-

ing and pulled down a Greek flag, replacing it with a black and red anarchist banner.

The dean of Athens Universi-ty was injured when the youths broke into the building, and was hospitalised in an intensive care unit, authorities said.

As night fell, about 200 masked demonstrators were holed up in the neoclassical university building, smashing marble chunks off the univer-sity steps and ripping up paving stones from the courtyard to use as missiles against the police.

A soccer match at Athens Olympic stadium between lo-cal clubs Panathinaikos and Atromitos was suspended for 30 minutes because of tear gas

used by police against rioters outside the ground.

In Thessaloniki, Greece’s sec-ond-largest city, youths threw gasoline bombs at police, set fi re to several cars and smashed 10 storefronts, including a Star-bucks cafe.

More than 6000 police had been deployed across Athens in an effort to prevent violence.

The new Socialist govern-ment, which came to power in October and has been confront-ed with a surge in armed attacks by far-left and anarchist groups after last year’s shooting, and had vowed a zero-tolerance ap-proach to violence at Sunday’s commemorations.

- AFP

UFO hotline shuts downLONDON, December 7 – Seen a UFO? Don’t bother calling the Brits, they’ve stopped listening. The British military has quietly shut down its UFO hotline as a cost-cutting measure after more than 50 years in operation.

No longer will Britons who think they’ve seen Martian craft in the sky be able to enlist the services of Her Majesty’s armed forces by reporting suspicious aerial activity to a toll-free phone number and an email address. The Ministry of De-fence said the elimination of the UFO offi ce would save about STG44,000 ($NZ97,773 ) a year

that would be better spent help-ing the troops in Afghanistan, where Britain has about 9500 soldiers.

The quiet closure of the phone hotline and deactiva-tion of the email account has angered the many Britons who believe UFO research is vital.

“I think it’s a stupid thing to do because this could create a threat to national security,” said Roy Lake, founder of the Lon-don UFO Studies group.

“We take this quite seriously. We know that sometimes things can be explained as natural phe-nomena but there could be that

one thing that’s not. I think the government knows damn well what’s going on up there and they’re covering it up.”

But military offi cials say the UFO offi ce has outlived its use-fulness.

“None of the thousands of UFO sightings reported over the years have ever provided sub-stantiated proof of the existence of extraterrestrials,” a defence ministry spokesman said.

“There is no defence value in investigating UFO reports.” The spokesman said closing down the UFO inquiry unit would not add to the security

threats Britain faces. Speaking on condition of anonymity in line with government policy, he said no one has lost their job be-cause of the closure of the UFO portfolio, which over the years had detailed more than 12,000 sightings, including many with fanciful illustrations about pur-ported encounters with aliens.

The military is taking no po-sition on the existence or non-existence of UFOs but has con-cluded that in 50 years none of the many reported UFO sight-ings turned out to be a national security threat.

- AP

GERMANY: A wake boarder disguised as Santa Claus jumps on his board on a lake in Hamburg, northern Germany on December 6, 2009. AFP PHOTO

Santa surfi ng

MONDAY, DECEMBER , Cook Islands News 3 worldNEWS nuti no TEIA NEI AO

LONDON, December 7 – Brit-ain’s Queen Elizabeth II has warned newspapers not to run unauthorised paparazzi photos of the royal family.

Buckingham Palace said a lawyer for the British monarch wrote to newspaper editors about six weeks ago telling them not to publish intrusive photos of the family at home.

The palace said the letter was sent “in response to many years of the royal family being hounded by photographers on the queen’s private property.”

The tough new royal stance has been in the works for months and was not triggered by any individual event. It comes just before the Christmas

holidays, when photographers traditionally try to snap the roy-als relaxing at their Sandring-ham estate in Norfolk.

The royal family has long had an uncomfortable relationship with photographers. Some peo-ple feel media hounding con-tributed to the death of Princess Diana in a car crash in 1997.

More recently, Prince Wil-liam and Prince Harry have been snapped emerging from night-clubs and William’s girlfriend Kate Middleton was pursued outside her home.

In 2007 William’s spokesman complained about the “threat-ening” behaviour of photogra-phers.

Prince Charles’ spokesman,

Paddy Harverson, told the Sun-day Telegraph that members of the royal family “feel they have a right to privacy when they are going about everyday, private activities.”

“They recognise there is a public interest in them and what they do, but they do not think this extends to photographing the private activities of them and their friends,” he was quoted as saying. - AP

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Queen tells paparazzi to back off

Queen Elizabeth II (pictured with husband Prince Phillip) has warned newspapers not to run unauthorised paparazzi photos of the royal family. Getty Images

Arrests after fi reworks blaze kills 112

Women lay fl owers in front of the Lame Horse club in Russia after a blaze killed 112 people. - AFP

RUSSIA, December 7 – Four peo-ple have been ordered to remain in jail, pending an investigation into a nightclub fi re that killed at least 112 people in Russia’s worst blaze in decades.

About 130 people remain hos-pitalised, many in critical condi-tion, with injuries from the blaze early on Saturday, which witness-es say was sparked by onstage fi reworks that shot into the dec-orative twig ceiling of the Lame Horse club in the Ural Moun-tains industrial city of Perm. Shocked and grieving relatives

on Sunday began to bury the vic-tims of the disaster.

The Federal Investigative Com-mittee said the suspects - the club’s owner, the executive director, the artistic director and a business-man hired to install pyrotechnics on the night of the blaze - were or-dered to be taken into custody on Sunday. The committee’s website said they were suspected of neg-ligence causing multiple deaths and violating fire safety rules causing multiple deaths.

Mourning residents were in-dignant over the alleged negli-

gence, which president Dmitry Medvedev also criticised in a nationally televised video-con-ference on Saturday.

Emergency situations minis-ter Sergei Shoigu said that the managers had been fi ned twice in the past for breaking fi re safe-ty regulations. Russian clubs and restaurants often cover ceilings with plastic insulation and wil-low twigs to create a rustic look, one of many uses of combustible materials in buildings by busi-nessmen who bribe officials to look the other way. - Reuters

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Comic series launchedto tackle corruptionHONIARA, December 7 – Cor-ruption, in all its forms, is the target of a new week-long comic series launched today by RAMSI and the Solomon Islands gov-ernment, in partnership with Transparency Solomon Islands.

The campaign uses comic-style posters to increase aware-ness of common forms of cor-ruption in Solomon Islands, and encourages Solomon Islanders to say ‘Naf Nao!’ to corruption by taking action to report any-one they believe is involved in corrupt practice.

The comic, which is written in Solomon Islands pijin, has been timed to coincide with International Anti-Corruption Day on Wednesday, 9 Decem-ber. Each comic tells the story of average Solomon Islanders in everyday situations, and how their lives can be deeply affected by seemingly simple acts of cor-ruption.

The campaign will cover the topics of Bribery (Monday, De-cember 7), Favouritism (Tues-day, December 8), Misuse of funds (Wednesday, December 9), Abuse of power (Thursday, December 10) and What you can do about corruption (Friday, De-cember 11).

The series of anti-corruption comics will run in all three of Solomon Islands’ major news-papers, including being avail-able as a daily pull-out poster insert in the Solomon Star.

“This comic is targeted at helping Solomon Islanders understand that they can take action against some of the com-mon forms of corruption they may come across in their daily working lives,” said RAMSI’s deputy special coordinator, Jus-tin Fepulea’i. “We are encourag-ing all Solomon Islanders who believe strongly in bringing to an end corruption, to put these posters up in their workplaces, homes and in the street. It is time for every Solomon Islander to know that they have the right to say ‘Naf Nao!’ to corruption.”

The campaign is supported by a number of agencies in Solo-mon Islands, including anti-corruption watchdog, Transpar-ency Solomon Islands.

Chairman Bob Pollard said he believed the campaign would have a strong impact.

“All Solomon Islanders have a right to expect just and fair representation from their rep-resentatives in office and the Solomon Islands public service,”

said Mr Pollard.“This campaign is designed

to help everyone understand what is right and wrong, and what they can do about it.”

Special secretary to Solomon Islands prime minister, John Kenipasia, said that corrup-tion and maladministration were critical obstructions in Solomon Islands’ progress as a nation, and the anti-corruption comic series had the full support of the Sikua government’s Anti-Corruption Taskforce.

“According to ten special audit reports, tens of millions of dollars in public money has been lost due to corruption or maladministration,” said Keni-pasia. “Corruption is one of the greatest hindrances to Solomon Islands progress, and it is time for everyone to say ‘Naf Nao’ to corruption.” - Solomon Times

Australia braces for fi re season

Australia is preparing for the new fi re season after last year’s devastation. ABC

SYDNEY, December 7 – Austral-ians thought they were prepared for wildfi res - until Black Saturday. The infernos that blazed across Vic-toria last February were the most destructive in the history of a coun-try that faces 50,000 fi res a year.

In the end, 173 people were killed and more than 2000 homes, destroyed.

As a new fire season begins in Australia’s south, residents and state governments alike say they are better prepared. The season typically lasts three to four months around the Australian summer.

“People are defi nitely more cau-tious and more prepared now,” said Peter Denson, who lost his home in the devastated town of King Lake. His lot is still black with charred trees, though he recently put up a shed on it and plans to rebuild his home.

“I reckon if it looks anything like it did on that February 7, people will take off,” he said. “We were told on the radio before that day that it was going to be hot and windy but didn’t really think anything of it. Now we’d get out of town the day before.”

The scale of the disaster stunned the nation and prompted an evalu-ation of safety measures and poli-cies.

While authorities stopped short of a forced evacuation policy - which many Australians would regard as an infringement on their rights - they created a new “cata-strophic” warning level that may

frighten people out of their homes.A 15 million Australian dol-

lar text message warning system has also been set up to alert people of a wildfi re emergency, and rural towns in one state have designated safe places to evacuate to.

“We learned that we needed to provide greater clarity to the community so they know how to act, and to give them a greater awareness of the fi re danger,” said Leigh Miller, prevention services manager of South Australia state’s Country Fire Service.

The fi re danger system ranks all days in a fi re season on a 1 to 100-plus scale, based on temperature, wind and the availability of fuel to burn.

Previously, any day above 50 was categorised as “extreme” and it was left to homeowners to decide whether to evacuate.

The revised system creates three levels above 50, topped with cata-strophic, which means a fi re may be uncontrollable and says that leav-ing is the only option for certain survival.

“We’re not necessarily going to evacuate people, but this way it is very clear for them what is their saf-est option,” Miller said.

The catastrophic rating was fi rst used in mid-November in South Australia. Since then, two other states have also had catastrophic fi re danger days.

While fires did break out near towns on those days, the threats eased with a change in weather. - AP

MONDAY, DECEMBER , Cook Islands News 5 regionalNEWS nuti no TE PA ENUA

Australia condemns rise in whale killingCANBERRA, December 7 – The Australian government has con-demned a decision by Norway to sharply escalate its whale kill while attempts are under-way to hammer out an inter-national peace deal over the hunts.

Oslo’s Fisheries Minister, Lisbeth Berg-Hansen, told the Norwegian Minke Whal-ers Union at the weekend that next year’s quota would be set at 1286 animals, according to the Whale and Dolphin Conserva-tion Society.

The 45 percent increase comes despite the Norwegians killing only 484 of a permit-ted 885 whales this year, taken under the country’s registered objection to the 1986 global moratorium on commercial whaling.

Conservation Society chief

executive Chris Butler-Stroud said such a huge quota defied logic and any pretence of sound management.

“Norwegian whalers haven’t taken their full quota in years, as demand for whale meat has dropped and no one is buying,’’ Butler-Stroud said.

“This is nothing more than the empty rattling of harpoons, and it is clear these quotas are being set more for political show than anything else.’’

The timing of the increase was described by Australian Federal Environment minister Peter Garrett as unhelpful, com-ing as it did with talks working towards a peace deal in theInternational Whaling Com-mission.

An inner group of 12 Whal-ing Commission countries, in-cluding Australia and Japan, is

meeting in the latest round of the so-far fruitless talks.

At the same time, Mr Garrett said, Japan’s whaling fl eet was heading to the Southern Ocean for the 2009-10 summer hunt, with Tokyo yet to say how many whales it intends to take.

“Australia has been engag-ing in IWC reform discussions in good faith but these recent developments are cause for con-siderable concern,’’ he said.

“If we do not achieve genuine progress, the Australian Gov-ernment will consider all op-tions, including international legal action.’’

Sea Shepherd’s Operation Waltzing Matilda begins today when the group’s fl agship, Steve Irwin, leaves Fremantle to try to shut down the Japanese whaling fl eet’s operations.

- The Age

Vanuatu PM’s seat safe for now

Speaker Maxime Carlot Korman. BBC

WELLINGTON, December 6 – Vanuatu’s chief justice Vincent Lunabek has ruled that the de-cision of the speaker of parlia-ment to strip prime minister, Edward Natapei, of his seat is unconstitutional and has no legal effect.

Natapei was last month stripped of his parliamentary seat by the speaker, Maxime Carlot Korman, due to a basic

paperwork error.The prime minister had

missed three consecutive sit-tings without submitting an authorised explanation for his absence which, according to the speaker, means he stands to for-feit his seat.

But Justice Lunabek said that on the evidence brought before him in the Supreme Court, he was satisfied that the speaker

was made well aware of the rea-sons for Natapei’s absence dur-ing the extra-ordinary session of parliament.

The judge accepted that there were two occasions on which Natapei verbally informed Kor-man about his need to miss par-liament in order to participate in the Commonwealth Heads of Government summit in Trini-dad and Tobago.

Justice Lunabek said this constituted a notice of non-at-tendance and was in line with parliament’s standing orders.

Meanwhile, parliament is to resume in an ordinary session on Tuesday when Natapei has confi rmed his coalition govern-ment plans to replace Korman as speaker following a motion to that effect deposited by the minister of fi nance, Sela Molisa.

However the prime minister faces another motion of no-confi dence that was reportedly deposited by the opposition and is scheduled to be debated on Tuesday.

Natapei, who has already sur-vived five such motions since coming to power just over a year ago, said that at this stage he has the support in parliament to de-feat it. - RNZI

Pacifi c plea of migration ahead of climate talks

Pacifi c island nations are at risk of being swamped by rising sea levels such as Tuvalu (pictured).

Gary Braasch

COPENHAGEN, December 6 – Pacifi c island nations at risk of being swamped by rising sea levels must have a say in the mass migration of their people, an independent think tank has warned ahead of global talks on climate change.

Rising seas, coastal erosion and rapid population growth have already forced the reloca-tion of some island communi-ties, the Pacifi c Institute of Pub-lic Policy said.

“Climate change adaptation also needs to facilitate choice mi-gration,” the institute’s Derek Brien said ahead of the UN cli-mate conference opening in Co-penhagen on Monday.

“And that will require a shift in prevailing attitudes to the sub-ject, as well as ensuring current

and future generations of Pacifi c islanders have access to interna-tional standards of education to compete on the global stage”

In a briefi ng paper, the inde-pendent institute said climate change threatened the region in a way that may warrant declar-ing a state of emergency.

The paper noted that the most vulnerable low-lying atoll states, such as Kiribati (popula-tion 100,000), Marshall Islands (population 60,000) and Tuvalu (population 10,000) faced the prospect of becoming uninhab-itable by 2060.

“Compounding the prob-lem of rising seas and retreat-ing land is rapid population growth, placing increasing pres-sures on already limited physi-cal and social infrastructure,” it

said. “South Tarawa, the main atoll of Kiribati already suffers severe overcrowding with over 40,000 people crammed into less than 16 square kilometres of land.”

The institute called on those attending the December 7-18 Copenhagen conference to consider the development chal-lenges facing poorer nations in the Pacific as they negotiate a response to pressing environ-mental issues.

“In a changing climate, the development challenges remain the same,” Brien said. “Climate change adaptation is about de-velopment: water supply, sani-tation, agricultural productiv-ity, food security, urbanisation, economic development, health care and education” - AFP

The Australian government has condemned Norway’s decision to escalate whale killings.

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Cook Islands News BuildingMaraerenga Avarua RarotongaPO Box 15 RarotongaTel (682) 22999 Fax 25303Email: editor@cookislandsnews.com or adverts@cookislandsnews.com

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Tumanava to put design onto computer

A couple of students on the Tumanava programme during an art class last week. 09120436

PARTICIPANTS on the Tumana-va educational programme will try out computer graphic design during a one-week course be-ginning today.

The programme, which helps out those youth who are not at-tending school or have been involved with petty crime, was borne from a Catholic-initiated programme a few years ago which helped prisoners with literacy skills.

This is the second time that the course has run this year and tutor Lloyd Matapo says the programme offers alternative education options for the 10 stu-dents and he hopes that it will help them move onto better and better things in life.

“It comes down to commit-ment to move on to the next level. Some of them [from the

Toku ingoaE tama, E pati’anga teia kia akatano i

toku ingoa i roto i te tata’anga a Helen Greig i te nuti peapa o te Maanakai i topa.

Kare au e inangaro i tana in-goa noku. Ka inangaro rai au i toku ingoa ta toku nga metua i oronga mai noku. E aiteanga manea e te kakara tona.

Kia orana e kia manuia Makiuti Tongia Ruatonga

fi rst course] have gone back to school and most of them are working now.”

The participants have been using the trade training centre as a base for five days a week, and have made use of facilities and tutors to learn about basic carpentry and automotive engi-neering.

Last month the students spent a week with Tony Tou at the hospitality and tourism train-ing centre learning cooking and caterings skills, as well as public speaking.

They also take on art lessons with Ian George, and recently spent a week with Mike Tavioni doing pearlshell and rock carv-ing, along with screen printing.

Matapo says this week’s graphic design course will be an opportunity for students to

transfer their paper skills onto the computer.

All students go through weekly numeracy and literacy lessons with Sisters Jane and Margaret from the Catholic church, with three now under-going compulsory sessions.

Matapo points to one student who wants to become a mechan-ic but has problems with read-ing and writing.

“It’s about giving them the options and getting them to do something for themselves. They are good with their hands and I’ve told him if you want to be a mechanic you’ve got to know the theory too.

We want to get them back into the mainstream and help them move to that next level.”

The Tumanava programme for youth at risk was developed

Voters should be able to choose systemsDear Editor,In reply to the response of Tei-

na Mackenzie (Friday December 4), I would like to thank her for her speedy reply and passion she has for her political cause but her replies do not remedy all of my initial concerns with the petition.

Firstly I do not oppose direct election of the prime minister, I just believe it to be impractical.

I appreciate Teina’s concerns over the small minority of the population currently electing a prime minister, but again reiter-ate my previous point that po-tential prime ministers should not have to choose between their village/island and their country or that a prime minister should be elected without the support of parliament.

A stable government cannot be formed solely on the popu-larity of one member of parlia-ment. I personally believe in-stead of the national seats, there should either be a mixed mem-ber proportional system similar to New Zealand and Germany or a single transferable vote system similar to Australia.

The latter I believe could eas-ily be worked into your move-ment for democratic change.

There are advantages and dis-advantages to all schemes and I believe that if any referendum should take place, the voters of the Cook Islands should be well informed of all options and be able to choose between several different systems to replace the current un-democratic scheme.

If the proposed political re-form is to go ahead, I believe that the national seats must be voted through single transfer-rable vote.

Adding to my example last Wednesday, here is a likely ex-ample of what would happen if the proposed changes were to go ahead: Candidate 1: 30%; candi-date 2: 30%; candidate 3: 15%; candidate 4: 10%; candidate 5: 4%; candidate 6: 3%; candidate 7: 2%; candidate 8: 2%; candi-date 9: 1%; candidate 10: 1%;

candidate 11+: 2%.In this scenario, six candi-

dates (60%, the majority of the national seat MPs) would be elected with 13% of the vote and two with approximately 1% of the vote, no more democratic than the current system, I am sure you will agree.

However, if the scheme was replaced with a single transfer-able vote, people could still deter-mine with their fi rst-place votes who they wanted to be prime minister and then number their second-choice candidate, 2 etc. With the surplus preference votes being used to elect other candi-dates and increasing appropriate democratic representation.

A l t h o u g h I u n d e r s t a n d that the wording of the peti-tion must be kept simple due to constitutional constraints,

from what I have gathered from the many articles to the paper ,Mou Piri does have a planned replacement for the democratic establishment (if the referen-dum is successful).

I do think Mou Piri needs to be really “dedicated to majority support” and realise that this scheme like any political change is far from perfect and does need change before the public gets to decide whether this is an ap-propriate replacement of the current political structure.

Thanks again to Teina Mac-kenzie for her dedication, pas-sion and standing out when no one else would.

Alexander Hart-Smith Nikao

from a working group which included representatives from police, justice, education, Te Kainga, internal affairs, Tauran-

ga Vananga, along with Kevin Iro, who is with the Cook Islands Sports Academy, and is manag-ing the programme.

The current students will graduate on January 22, next year.

- Moana Moeka’a

Hash run at Oasis todayTHE HASH run today will be from Cooks Oasis in Blackrock – just down from Raro Sunset resort. Park on the main road please and walk down the drive-way.

Burgers will again be avail-able - better quality and num-bers will be increased so all will be able to taste the delights plus sausages available for the Hoff-spring.

Letters

CLIMATE CHANGES MIND“US President Obama’s late decision to go to the climate change conference in Copenhagen did not go unnoticed by other wan-nabe world leaders who want to rub shoulders with the world’s most powerful man,” a smoke signaller writes. “Thousands of extra tonnes of carbon emissions will result from the 100s of extra fl ights fl ying in the procrastinators to Copenhagen (NZ PM John Key and Cooks’ PM Jim Marurai had earlier indicated they weren’t going and are now going to Copenhagen). It is expected to swell the city by over 50,000 extra guests, in addition the talk will be about global warming, and the talk fest is expected to produce the largest emissions of ‘hot air’ in history!”

BODYBUILDING: ‘WE’RE BACK’ARNOLD Schwarzenegger said the now famous phrase “I’ll be back” in the movie The Terminator and 25 years later it’s been playfully suggested as a motto for a revival of bodybuilding in the Cook Islands. Keep an eye out in the newspaper for exciting new developments in bodybuilding here.

DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVES“I GUESS this says it all about the cultures,” writes a wry observer of international affairs.

“For the American, a long forward look, never distracted…For the Canadian, interested only with the self...overwhelmed by his coat button…For the French and the Italian, a woman’s derriere comes fi rst!”

Keep the smokies rolling in! Smoke Signals will be accepted by e-mail (smokesignals@cookislandsnews.com), text to 188 or a phone call to the newsroom on 22999.

MONDAY, DECEMBER , Cook Islands News 7

MINISTRY OF EDUCATIONLearning for Life

8 MONDAY, DECEMBER , Cook Islands News

localNEWS nuti no roto i te IPUKAREA

Maine Tiare pageant begins

Miss Tiare Taina Tekea Akava

Miss Tiare Riri Vai Tevananga Upu Pere. 09120610

THE FIVE Miss Tiare contest-ants were visions of summer when they stepped out in public for the fi rst time on Saturday.

Dressed in cool pareu attire, the young maidens were grace-ful and elegant when they were introduced at the Punanga Nui market.

Before the ladies’ first ap-pearance, minister of cultural

development Robert Wigmore, who declared the Tiare Festival open, said he wished he was a young man again after seeing the beautiful contestants.

Wigmore expressed some sadness at the small number of contestants but was thrilled for the fi ve young women who have taken up the challenge.

The contestants were led onto

the stage by current Miss Tiare, Lindsay Graham with each girl having the opportunity to say a few words about themselves.

The young ladies and their chosen flower are Miss Tiare Tipani (frangipani) Tuane Hosk-ing, Miss Tiare Taria (bougain-villea) Ebony Richards, Miss Tiare Kaute (hibiscus) Nicholle Ama, Miss Tiare Taina (garde-

nia) Tekea Akava, and Miss Riri Vai (water lily) Tevananga Upu Pere.

The short event was well at-tended by market goers who were certainly impressed with the way the ladies carried them-selves.

On Saturday night the young contestants had their first judged section at the Edgewa-

ter Resort and Spa in Arorangi.Each of the contestants pre-

sented a prepared speech about their sponsors before sitting down for dinner at the resort.

The Miss Tiare contestants will spend the next few days polishing up their talents and general knowledge for the grand fi nale night on Thursday to be held at the National Au-

ditorium.This year’s Tiare Festival will

only see the fl ower decoration competition for government de-partments which will be judged tomorrow.

But the main night of Thurs-day is sure to be delightful evening so be sure to be there to see who will be crowned Miss Tiare 2009/2010. - MW

Miss Tiare 2008/2009 Lindsay Graham helped the fi ve new Miss Tiare contestants at their fi rst public appearance at the Punanga Nui market on Saturday. In fact, Lindsay played a big role in the day’s event as she helped Clee Marsters to run the day’s programme. 09120605

09120611

MONDAY, DECEMBER , Cook Islands News 9

Miss Tiare Taria (bougainvillea) Ebony Richards was all smiles for her fi rst public appearance on Saturday. 09120616 An elegant Miss Tiare Tipani Tuane Hosking. 09120621

Miss Tiare Kaute Nicholle Ama. 09120619

Simply stunningSimply stunning

10 MONDAY, DECEMBER , Cook Islands News

SWEET juicy pineapples began selling in Mauke a couple of weeks ago and Aratangi Pines have made sure to put aside fi ve cartons on Fridays for export to Rarotonga.

Although this is an insignifi cant amount com-mercially, Ewan Smith of Air Rarotonga and James Beer of Manea Foods are pleased to support the growers by fi nding ways to make it viable for outer island exports to Rarotonga.

They hope that in turn the government can assist with incentives such as VAT exemptions on freight.

Presently, besides the long-standing weekly maire exports to Hawaii, just a handful of Mauke growers export to Rarotonga, which include pro-duce such as limes, juice, peppers, and now pine-apples.

Growers on Mauke look forward to seeing the outer islands become more than just the poor sisters.

At least, that is the impression given after an MP earlier this year said in a parliamentary sit-ting that “we have no vision for the outer islands”.

In fact, the outer islands are a necessary link in the Cook Islands becoming truly sustainable when it comes to food security, let alone tourism.

For many outer islands, as long as there is fi sh in the sea, animals on land and the ability to plant, there isn’t a food security problem. But it is pos-sible to live without most imports.

Most households keep a home garden, but for those too busy at work or without much land in

Rarotonga this isn’t so possible. So it is Mauke’s hope to help feed the mainland.Apart from cash fl owing back to Mauke, exports

can help sure up fl ights. As Air Rarotonga points out, if there is freight

filling empty seats coming back to Rarotonga, there can be three fl ights a week, instead of the regular two.

Three flights, as well as servicing the locals, makes a difference to tourists who would like to visit the outer islands, but can’t spare a whole week.

More regular fl ights can also encourage others to return home to live, knowing they can come and go.

Mauke, like all outer islands, need families to return home to plant and fi sh.

Mayor George Samuela says that presently there is more demand than supply in both areas.

Most importantly, products like pineapples ap-peal to the local and tourist market.

Tourists and discerning locals are seeking fresh, local produce, with good variety, and environment-friendly and healthy-growing practices.

A couple of slices of pineapple per day (100gm) will supply an adult woman with 100 percent vi-tamin C needs, four percent vitamin B1 (thiamin), four percent calcium, four percent vitamin A, as well as much needed fi bre, vitamin B2, iron, and niacin.

Ngara Aratangi’s pineapple plot is small -- ap-proximately 18 x 20 metres -- but yield is high due to his planting technique. Aratangi hopes to pick pineapples for about four months of the year.

However, when it comes to commercial farming local growers have many issues that make it hard to compete with Rarotonga such as lack of water supply, wild pigs, freight costs, as well as the need for expensive machinery and vehicles.

The possibility of converting the many coco-nuts into bio-fuel for fuel -- at least enough to run farm machinery -- is being pondered.

Mauke also has a different climate and soil types from Rarotonga. So some, rather than wait for perfect conditions, are just going forward, making do and looking for niche markets to see where the island can fi ll Raro’s needs.

Some less perishable produce can be trans-ported by ship now that the island enjoys a more regular shipping service. But storage in waiting is an issue that needs addressing.

Climate change means that one must be always observing and adapting.

As one local notes -- “we just try out anything, all year around and see what happens”.

- June Hosking on Mauke

Mauke starts pineapple exports to Raro

Mauke Aratangi pineapples being loaded onto an Air Raro aircraft for export to Rarotonga.

Collision caused by negligence: judgeTHE JUDGE who presided over a civil case between Robert Ioaba and Caryn Chilwell found that a motor vehicle accident which occurred between the two, was caused by the latter.

Ioaba brought a civil claim against Chilwell after he was knocked off his motorbike while driving home from work on August 6, 2007. He collided with the side of Chilwell’s car as

she was making a right turn out of the Rarotonga airport.

In her judgement delivered last month, Justice Christine Grice said that the collision was caused by the “negligence of Miss Chilwell”.

“She pulled out making a right turn across the path of Mr Ioaba’s vehicle when the motor-bike must have been in sight,” said the judge in her fi ndings.

“Mr Ioaba had not time to avoid the collision.”

She also took into account the evidence of Dr Teariki Noovao and an orthopaedic surgeon from New Zealand that the damage to Ioaba’s right knee was caused by the force impact to his right leg as a result of the collision.

“The right hip damage was caused by or triggered a pre-existing condition or injury as a result of the force impact on the right leg. I fi nd the collision was causative of both the right knee and right hip injury and its deterioration.”

Even though Ioaba had con-sumed two small bottles of beer, the judge found no contribu-tory negligence by him based on alcohol consumption or exces-sive speed, and said that he was entitled to damages by way of compensation.

Special damages generally cover compensation for pecu-niary loss and expenditure up to the date of judgement.

Both counsel agreed on a number of items of special dam-age like airfares for Ioaba to New Zealand, hospital fees, trousers, shoes, a watch, a mobile phone

and a top up in income for un-paid wages. This total came to $4762.54. Ioaba was also al-lowed further claims for x-rays and an MRI scan in New Zea-land, and the $20,000 estimate for a hip replacement operation.

A claim was made by Ioaba for 4458.08 for the loss of the motorcycle. The judge allowed a claim of $1500.

“Unfortunately the police took it to their yard and since then it disappeared.”

The total amount of spe-cial damages allowed was $27,422.54.

Ioaba sought an award of general damages of $30,000 to compensate him for the future suffering, loss of amenities, fu-ture earnings and costs.

“The calculation of general damages is never precise. It is an estimate which tends to compensate for the losses past,

present and future once and for all. Even if the injuries later have far greater implications than the experts predict today, Mr Ioaba cannot recover any further damages later.”

In arriving at a fi gure for gen-eral damages, justice Grice re-lied on two cases involving per-sonal injury in the Cook Islands.

In Harmon vs Kikorio, the plaintiff suffered multiple compound fractures of the leg, had seven operations and spent fi ve months in hospital in New Zealand.

“His future economic posi-tion was uncertain although this was a lesser factor given he was in steady clerical work. Taking those issues into account the judge awarded $40,000 in general damages in 1988.”

A 1991 decision saw the high court award $15,000 to a woman who was attacked and raped following the escape of a dangerous prisoner. The judge in this case reviewed some New Zealand Accident Compensa-tion (ACC) lump sum awards relating to mental consequences of attacks. He found a range of $2000 to $20,000 in the awards.

Justice Grice said that the

ACC awards was of no assistance in the Ioaba case as the Cooks has no ACC scheme.

“I bear in mind that the award of general damages should be commensurate with reason-able expectations in the Cook Islands,” said justice Grice.

In the Harmon case, the judge assessed damages under three headlines – pain and suffering; loss of enjoyment of life and loss of amenities; and loss of future economic benefi ts.

“Insofar as his future econom-ic loss is concerned, Ioaba is in a similar situation to the plaintiff in the Harmon case in that he is in steady government employment. This is a lesser factor in this case,” said justice Grice. “Ioaba’s inju-ries are at a level less serious than those of the plaintiff in Harmon. However the Harmon case is now 20 years old and the value of money has changed signifi-cantly. Taking all those factors into account I fi x the amount of general damages at $20,000.”

This is in addition to the spe-cial damages – including the hip operation – of $27,422.54.

Judgment was for the plain-tiff against the defendant for a total of $47,422.54. - MM

Even though Ioaba had consumed two small

bottles of beer, the judge found no contributory

negligence by him based on alcohol consumption

or excessive speed

Ngara and Kimi Aratanga with their grandson Piroa and their pineapples ready to be sent to Rarotonga. 09120434

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EMAIL preferredadverts@cookislandsnews.com

PHONE Fax

DEADLINESDeadline for next day’s classifi eds is 1pm sharp. Material deadline for display adverts 24 hours prior.

RATES Minimum $5.80 incl. VAT for 1-15 words. Casual ads must be prepaid. Cancellation fee $6.40 incl. VAT. Quotations on request.

classifi eds pupu kite ngai okotai

PUBLIC NOTICES“Rarotonga Golf Club (RGC) Incorporate Annual General Meeting (AGM). Notice to all Full Playing Golf Club Members. The RGC AGM will be held at the Club House 12.30pm Saturday 12 December 2009. Agenda 1. Quorum members 2. Opening Pure3. Apologies4. AGM 2008 Minute - accept/

adopt5. Receiving of Committee’s Re-

ports: - President’s Report - Finance Report - Auditor’s Report6. Election of Offi cers and Com-

mittees of the Club7. Resolutions: - Subscriptions - Alter Rule 14 (b) ...fi nancial

period...via Rule 34 8. General Business9. Closing PureClub Secretary41608 / /1892

The Cook Islands Basketball Federation will hold its Annual General Meeting at CISNOC of-fi ce on Monday 7 Dec 2009 at 5pm. All are invited to come, members and non members. For more information call Nga Puna on 53933.41623 / /1881

Takuvaine Warriors Rugby League ClubAnnual General MeetingDate: Mon 7 DecemberTime: 5pmVenue: Takuvaine FieldAppointment of executive and coaches.41677 / /2128

PUBLIC NOTICESAvatiu Sports Association

IncorporatedThe following Sport Codes from Teotue to Pokoinu have been registered and affi liated un-der the umbrella of the Avatiu Sports Association incorpo-rated:1) Avatiu Athletics Club2) Avatiu Boxing Club3) Avatiu Cricket Club4) Avatiu Darts Club5) Avatiu Golden Oldies. Men &

Women6) Avatiu Netball Club7) Avatiu Soccer Football Club8) Avatiu Rugby Club/Rugby

Sevens9) Avatiu Rugby League10) Avatiu Table Tennis Club11) Avatiu Tennis Club12) Avatiu Touch Rugby Club13) Avatiu Weightlifting ClubAny other name/s used or add-ed to any of the above codes the Avatiu Sports Association Incorporated will not recognise such code.ExecutiveAvatiu Sports Association Inc.41674 /8976 /2195

TUATUA AKAKITEKapikianga ki te au taunga

maani vairakau maoriTe kapiki atu nei Te Vaka Tan-gata - Te Rito O Te Vairakau Maori ia kotou katoatoa te au tu taunga maani vairakau rava rai kia tae mai kotou ki tetai ui-paanga puapinga ki ko I te Opati o te putuputuanga CIANGO I Tupapa. Ka raveia teia uipaanga a te Monite ra 7 no Titema. Me e taunga koe no te rapakau maki na roto I ta tatou akonoanga Maori, noou teia kapikianga. Aere mai, oro mai, turou, kia matutu tatou.41666 /8969 /1931

TENDERS

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CHURCH NOTICE

E tama i to kotou tuke mata, kia kore kotou e akara papaki-tai i tetai uatu no te tuke iaia. Kia kore kotou e akara e, e manuiri, kia kite ra kotou i te tangata katoatoa e, e taeake tikai. Cleanse ye your eyes, so that ye behold no man as diff erent from yourselves. See ye no strangers; rather see all men as friends,Bahá’í Scriptures.Welcome to Devotions 10am Sundays, Bahá’í Centre.444

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41568 / /1896

MINISTRY OF HEALTH

Community Health Service NoticeEnvironmental Health Inspection Tutaka program for Rarotonga starting on Monday 7 December, 2009 to Wednesday 16 December, 2009Porokaramu Tutaka no Rarotonga nei, akamata Monite ra 7 Titema, 2009 ki te Ruitoru ra 16 Titema, 2009Day/Date. Area/VillageRa/Tuatau Ngai/OireDay 1. Mon 7.12.09 1.Pokoinu 2. Tepuka 3. Tereora 4. Rangiura 5. AtupaDay 2. Tue 8.12.09 1. Panama 2. Avatiu Town 3. Avatiu Valley 4. Ruatonga 5. TauaeDay 3. Wed 9.12.09 1. Tutakimoa 2. Teotue 3. Takuvaine Valley 4. Takuvaine Town 5. Parekura Day 4. Thur 10.12.09 1. Tupapa 2. Maraerenga 3. Pue 4. Kiikii 5. Ooa i Uta Day 5. Fri 11.12 09 1. Ooa i Tai 2. Tuarai 3. Matavera 4. Turangi 5. Avana Day 6. Mon 14.12.09 1. Muri – Ngatangiia 2. Tikioki 3. Titikaveka 4. Turoa 5. VaimaangaDay 7. Tue 15.12.09 1. Rutaki 2. Aroa 3. Kavera 4 Betela 5. AkaoaDay 8. Wed 16.12.09 1. Ruaau 2. Inave I Uta 3. Inave I Tai 4 Black Rock 5. Tokelau. The cooperation of everyone in the community is requested to further clean and destroy the breeding and resting places of mosquitoes and other pests. Areas of concern includes dwelling houses, overgrown vacant sections, neglected vacant houses, hedges, streams, sports fi elds and all working placesTe pati akaaka iatu nei ta tatou tauturu e te iti tangata note tama e te takore atu I te au ngai anau e te akangaroi anga o te au tu manumanu ravarai e totoa ana I te maki i roto i to tatou au ngutuaare Ka tutaka pakari ia teia au ngai nei koia oki ko te au enua vai ngangaere, ngutuare kare e noo ia ana e te vai tita nei, au pa kapaie roroa, kauvai, te au ngai tarekareka tipoti e te au ngai angaanga katoatoaMeitaki maataTuanga Paruru Maki

41407 / /1720

PUBLIC NOTICES

COOK ISLANDS TRADES TRAINING CENTREAchieving excellence

NEW ENROLMENTS FOR 2010The Cook Islands Trade Training Centre with the fi nancial assistance of NZAID, is pleased to off er Night Courses for 2010 in the following areas:• National Certifi cate in Carpentry • National Certifi cate in Automotive Engineering • Cook Islands Appliance Service Technician (Electrical

registration)Courses will commence in February 2010 through to December 2010. If you want to take up a new challenge for 2010, work towards a trades qualifi cation and learn some practical skills, then now is the time to start. For more information and application forms, contact the Cook Islands Trades Training Centre on Ph: 21471 or just drop in and talk to either Boyd or Anna.Applications close Thursday 10th December 2009 no later than 12 noon.Entry Requirements:Level 1 Certifi cate or have 6th Form English or equivalent to LLF11 (USP)Meet the minimum NCEA literacy and numeracy.

41461 /8746 /2068

PUBLIC NOTICES

SERVICES

SERVICES

Te Putiare Tailoring Ltd

Any tailoring and upholstery needs ring us on 22156 or 55542.

(Team uniforms, trousers, etc)39342 / /2233

PORTS AUTHORITY

For Sale By Tender “As is Where is”1 x PONTOON MOUNTED DRAGFLOW HY85B • HIGH-PRESSURE SPRAY RING• Sykes hydraulic power pack powered by a water-

cooled Cummins 6CTA engine complete with reservoir pump and hoses. Diesel engine running at 1800 RPM, mounted on a 24-hour fuel tank skid base.

• Sykes HH80 Pressure pump• A-frame winch powered off engine battery• Control station fi lled with electric winch, on/off ,

bypass return for access pressure complete with pressure gauges, both pump controls start/stop.

• 9 x 12m HDPE Pipe (250 ID pipe with fl anges and backing rings.

Plus: 32 x barrels for fl oats• Pipe work to suit from pump set to discharge.• Hydraulic variable speed drive• Engine radiator protection• Cyclone separator

Submit tenders to: General Manager, Port Authority by courier or deposit into tender box at Ports Authority Offi ce, Avarua, Rarotonga, Cook Islands. Mark as TENDER. Tender closes 4pm on Friday 11 December 2009.Please direct all enquiries to General Manager, Ports Authority. Phone: +682 21920; Fax: +682 21191 Email: bim.tou@ports.co.ck

41566 / /1694

TENDERS

New Jazz Deck ChairsSturdy & Durable

Lounge Chairs - $400 each Tables - $150 eachSet 2 chairs & one Table - $850

Call or see Jim Bruce Aro’a Beachside Inn, Call 22166

41286 / /1997

FOR SALE

• Phone 22999 • adverts@

cookislandsnews.com

Classsifi edsNeed a little

12 MONDAY, DECEMBER , Cook Islands News

WHAT’S ON

OPPOSITE AIRPORT

PH 5

8606PAW PAW

NECTARAVAILABLE @ ALL GOOD

WHAT’S ON OUTLETS

MON

to

SUN

PH 2

3 00

0

THE POINTTHE POINTRESTAURANT MURI

PH 2

2 27

9 MON MON & TUE SPECIALS!& Dine In ONLY - All Mains $12.95

SUN excludes Seafood & Tandori

RAVIZINDIAN CUISINE

PH

27 1

89PAW PAW PAW PAW PATCHPATCH

TITIKAVEKA

Mon

SUN

PH 2

2 16

6

SHIP WRECK HUTAT AROA BEACHSIDE INN ARORANGI

stunning sunset bbqfrom 6pm

Jake Numanga LIVE - Ukelele Reservations

TUE

PH 2

2 77

2

GARDEN RESTAURANTARORANGI MON SUN PM

TUMUNUTUMUNU MONSeafood Platter for 2 $62to

SUN Ideal Christmas Venue Dinner 6pm

PH 2

2 22

4HIDEAWAYBAR

IN TOWN OPEN 11AM TILL LATE

DJ Miss M of 88fm8pmWED

PH 2

2 21

5SalsaCafé MON Try our lattesWe use Roasted “Addiqtion” Coff ee beans

to

SATIN TOWN OPEN 7.30 AM -3PM

PH 2

1 00

3AQUARIUSRESTAURANT NEXT TO AIRPORT

MON

to

SUN

Bookings for Christmas functions contact Dorothy

AT THE SUNSET RESORT ARORANGI PH 2

3004

TUE BBQ Grill Nite from $27Xmas functions available

OCEANS RESTAURANT

“Inave Dance Group” Island Night $55 7pm PH

23

953

TUE

AT THE CROWN BEACH ARORANGI

PH 2

2 31

4

docksideGOURMET TAKEAWAYS IN TOWN

MON

TO

SAT

PH 2

0 62

1

THE GOLF CLUBBLACK ROCK

Open to PublicVeterans 9 Hole Stableford 7amPick 6 Draw Visitors Welcome

MON

TUE

PH 2

1 25

0

ARA MOANACAFE & GRILL

MON All Day Every Day$10 Breakfast

Lavazza roasted coff ee beansto

SUN

PH 2

6 86

0

KIKAU HUTBLACK ROCK ARORANGI

MONto

WED LIVE ENTERTAINMENT with Julian on keyboard Dinner 6pm

NU BARNEXT TO AIRPORT PH

26

141 MON

toSAT

CalamariChicken NuggetsSpring Rolls

ENTREÉ MAIN DESSERTChickenSteakFish

COURSE MEAL Ice CreamSundaeChoc/Straw

Monday to Saturday Half Price Toll Calls

Replay of the best weekend Sportsand $3.50 Drinks

SPORTS BARSPORTS BAR PH 2

6 24

0

PH 2

6 62

1MAEJO’S CAFE COOK’S CORNER

“BEST CHINESE COOKING”Open Mon to Sat -Dine in or Takeaways

MON

to

SAT

PH 2

0 59

0RSA Everyone Goes to the RSA on a Monday

Pulse “Dance Party”-DJ G Dub 9pmMON

OPPOSITE THE AIRPORT

TAMARINDHOUSE

PH 2

6 48

7 MONFRI Lunch Specials 11.30am - 2.30pmMON/SAT Dinner 6pm - we are a great xmas option

Book for XMAS functions!TUPAPA

TUPAPA

HAPPY HOUR DAILY 4-6PM

International Cusine with a PAcific Flavour

Dinner 6pm

MONto

SUN

book Now for XMAS lunch & DinnerCall our Restaurant Ph 23000

“WHAT’S ON” every Monday & Thursday - To advertise contact BRIAN ph 55 921

SAILSRESTAURANT

MURI

MONTO

SUN

Beach Side Lunches - 10am - 3pm

cAll us for XMAS options!PH 2

7 34

9

NEW PRODUCT

4 GREAT FLAVOURSMai PiePOTATO TOP•STEAK & CHEESE•MINCE & CHEESE •BACON & EGGPHONE 25550

Using the fi nest ingredients Mai Pie’s

are made fresh daily.

Available in a good store near you!

“WHAT’S ON” every Monday & Thursday - To advertise contact BRIAN ph 55 921

Monday to Sunday MURI PHONE

2 Dives a Day

PACIFIC DIVERS

Discover Scuba Diving. Great experiences everyday

Monday to Saturday PHONE

11am FREE Transfers and BBQ Adults $70 Kids $35

The Original Lagoon Cruise Operator

Snorkelling & Island Show

LAGOON CRUISES MURILAGOON CRUISES MURICAPT TAMA’SSEAFARI

FISHING CHARTERS

BEST LOCAL EXPERTISE. CALL NOW! PH 55 096

“BIG GAME FISHING”WEDDING & STAG WEDDING & STAG

Parties welcome

MONDAY TO SUNDAY

MONDAY TO SUNDAY

PHONE 23 629

“You want the bestwe give the best”we give the best”

Safety is our #1 PriorityRarotonga’s No. 1

PHONE &

PH 20 952PH 20 952Arorangi Mon - Sat 8am-5pm

Muri Mon - Fri 8am-3pmSat 8am - noon

KAYAK HIREKAYAK HIREMURI LAGOON

MONDAY TO SUNDAY PHONE MON TO SUN PHONE 21 873

8am & 1.30pm Dives 7 days

Free Pick Up & Drop Off

TITIKAVEKA PH 22 200MONDAY TO SUNDAY

See Raro in 4x4 jeepsUMU Lunch & Transfer included

TOURS START AT 9AM$70 Adults & $30 Child

When you’re in the mood for an authentic Indian curry Raviz is the one to visit.

Fairy lights beckon you into these large premises where various seating spaces are available inside or out. The space caters easily for groups. The happy staff seat you where you want and adjust the lighting at your indi-vidual table to suit your mood.

Bollywood musicals keep you company and set the ambiance while you peruse the extensive menu. It was a Friday night and we had the option of a $15 buffet Indo/Asian meal from 6pm. Some of our party had the buffet while a few of us opted to choose off the menu.

The waitress checked how hot we would like our cur-ries and they were cooked to our taste. It was served in

Indian dishes and servings were generous. The interesting onion bhaji’s were thinly sliced onions

that had been marinated and battered with chickpea fl our. I love paneer (homemade Indian cheese) and my order was done beautifully in a buttery tomato sauce. Indian meals are really made to share and we added a parrot fi sh tandoori to our order with rice and a garlic naan alongside. This was all washed down with a cold Indian Kingfi sher beer.

We were out with kids and this was really good value for money and a venue that works well for a family group. I will be tempted back here to try a lunch pack special.

SJ

Kia Orana, S-J here. There has been a new infl uence in my life thanks to the “What’s On” page. One of my family’s goals while living on Rarotonga has been to try out all the dining options now available to us. Discovering the quick reference “What’s On” column, I was able to smugly tick some venues off as having “been there”. We seem to have a new challenge to work through now with even more choices that we hadn’t thought of.We fi nd a new “What’s On Adventure” column and realise we’ll be busy in the coming months trying to experience everything that Rarotonga can offer us to do, as well as to eat. So join us in the challenge – go round Raro and do the list!

• FULLY LICENSED & BYOW ONLY• DINNER 7 DAYS 5.30PM TILL LATE

• LUNCHES MON – SAT 11AM – 2.30PM• TAKEAWAY MENU

g

Situated Main Road, Avarua, Phone 22279

CARPENTER• NZ QUALIFIED

• 23 years in the Industry

• Housing & Commercial Exp

• Own tools

• Reliable and of Sober Habits

• Free quotes

• Available now!

RANGILUKEph 52261

• Carpenter 52261 • Car Rentals 58034 • Roaster 20623 • Realtor 55678 • Plumber 22199 • Laundry 20952 • Lawyer 51231 • Ad Producer 70958 • Electrician 56626 • Mechanic 20288 • Sheet Metal 50563 • Matman 55921

y y y

CARPENTER

TRADES MAN

MONDAY, DECEMBER , Cook Islands News 13

THE PHANTOM ® By Lee Falk & Sy Barry

HÄGAR the Horrible ® By Dik Browne

Su-Do-Ku Easy

InstructionsPlace the numbers 1 to 9 in the blank squares so that no digit is repeated in each row, each column or each 3 x 3 square.

Answer to Saturday’s puzzle

Flight Times 1 Voyage details 1 Currency Rates

Air R

arot

onga

RARO TO ARR DEP TO ARR DEP TO ARRMONDAY DECEMBER

AITUTAKI RARO AITUTAKI RARO AITUTAKI RARO AITUTAKI RARO ATIU RARO RARO MANGAIA RARO PENRHYN RARO RARO TO ARR DEP TO ARR DEP TO ARR

2315 Aitutaki 0005 0025 Raro 0110 (subject to change)

GOT A STORY?text us on

or call us at Cook Islands News

Inte

rnat

iona

l Filg

hts

FLIGHT FROM ARRIVES TO DEPARTSMONDAY DECEMBER

NZ LAX .AM AKL .AMDJ AKL .PM AKL .AM TUE

TUESDAY DECEMBERNZ AKL .AM AKL .AMGZ PPT .AM PPT .PM

WEDNESDAY DECEMBERNZ AKL .AM AKL .AM

THURSDAY DECEMBERNZ AKL .AM AKL .AMNZ AKL .PM AKL .PM

$Currency

NEED MONEY? CALL ADVANCE PAY CURRENCY WE BUY WE SELLUS DOLLAR . . AUS DOLLAR . .GB POUND . .CAN DOLLAR . .EURO . .

Mana Court Downtown AvaruaPhone 29907

Rates updated 10.30am daily

Best foreign exchange rates in town

Shipping

THOR PACIFIC V ETD AUCK , ETA RARO .THOR PACIFIC V SLD AUCK , ETA RARO .

THOR PACIFIC V ETD AUCK , ETA RARO .

FOR FREECats, Kittens and Dogs for

Adoption Esther Honey Foundation has many kittens, adult cats and dogs for adoption. These ani-mals are all in good health, are de-sexed, de-fl ead and de-wormed. Phone 22336.41669 / /2172

FOR RENTStudio units & 2 bedroom house in Turangi. Ph 79460.41625 /8919 /1931

Banana Court Complex - Spaces For Lease

BC BarThe Banana Court Company is seeking an energetic lessee for the area currently occupied by the proprietors of the BC Bar & Nitespot. If you have what it takes, please submit your pro-posal to the CIIC offi ce, MFEM building, by 4pm, Wednesday 9th December 2009.Offi ce/storage spaceA shop is also available for lease located next to Salon de Her-mie’s. This area is suitable for an offi ce and/or storage area. All enquiries to Ruth Wainohu, BC Property Manager, phone 76779 after 4pm.41636 / /1948

1 bedroom separate furnished unit in Matavera 7 mins to Ava-rua. Can use swimming pool. Long term $185pw excl power & gas or Tourist $250pw incl. Mob/ text: 75738 or Wk:21619 ext 3.41708 / /1780

FOR RENTHouse to Rent

Waters edge Pue. Fully fur-nished 2 bdrm (1 with aircon).Rent $350 per week plus VAT.Contact: Elysia Charlie at CITCPh: 22 000.41635 / /1877

FOR SALE

Shelter Station 2 Car GarageWas $2620Special clearance $2100(Assembly not included)Available at Vonnia’s Warehouse.41692 / /1893

SALE USB Flash sticks

8GB @ $4516GB @ $85

Located at Tokerau Jim op-posite airport. Hurry Limited Stock.Call 73379.41661 / /2401

Gazebo - with Brustics Thatch roof designed to last 20 years plus. Excess to need. Perfect for beach or motel/hotel, home garden or yard. Simple to in-stall and ready to go. $4500, ph 25544 or 51111.41715 / /1931

FOR SALEYamaha Outboard, 2hp, still in excellent condition, hardly used selling @ $850 ono, Phone Chris on 29990.41670 / /2270

VEHICLES FOR SALE2004 Daihatsu Hijet Van - Sturdy and reliable work horse. Cheap to run and will keep going. Very good working or-der and new wof, $10,000, ph 25544 or 51111.41714 / /1931

Toyota Corolla - 1994 white sedan. Drives well in good con-dition. Near new tyres, no rust $3500. Ph 20229.41660 /8972 /1931

SITUATIONS VACANTA fantastic opportunity will become available from the 3rd of January for a Main Front Of-fi ce Person/Sales Rep at Coco-nut Tours in Muri Beach. This role will involve all-round duties so applicants must be fl exible, reliable, responsible, honest have great personality and show excellent customer /communication skills. Full time from Monday - Saturday You must be able to work in a fast paced hands-on team en-vironment. Mature age persons preferred.Phone 24004 or 55579.41611 / /1800

SITUATIONS VACANTCook Islands Netball

AssociationVacancy for Head Coach, As-sistant Coach & ManagerEvents - Pacifi c Series 2010, Commonwealth Games 2010Closing Date - Friday, 11 Decem-ber 2009Please email your letter of ap-plication together with your CV to cina@oyster.net.ck or de-liver to CISNOC Offi ce marked Netball Vacancy.41376 /8743 /2113

An accounts position is availa-ble part/full time at Vara’s Beach House in Muri Beach. Must be qualifi ed or have at least 2 years of experience. Mature age per-son required. Phone Moana on 55579.41610 / /1800

WANTED TO BUYOld and unwanted jewellery and scrap gold for cash.9ct 14ct 18ct. Top $ paid Phone 54436.41621 / /1969

IN MEMORIAM

In loving memory of

Louisa (Tita) Nicholas Browne

Passed over many years ago - 7th Dec 1986. A loving sister, aunty and grand aunty. Always

Maria, Tere and all the families.DIAL-A-DRIVER 55-580

PUBLIC NOTICES

HO!HO!HO!SANTA SUITS for hire.

$30 donation for Hospital Comforts.

Ring Elf Annie ph 23358/23356

theWEATHER te REVA

Forecast thanks to Cook Islands Meteorological Service.

14 MONDAY, DECEMBER , Cook Islands News

Forecast Map 2pm Monday

V

Front Key: Cold Warm Occluded Stationaryy

.M NW

.M SW

Rarotonga Monday, December ,

Swell direction and size

Weather Forecast to MidnightIssued at 2pm at Rarotonga

Situation: An east to southeast wind fl ow prevails over Southern Cooks.A weak trough of low pressure lies slow moving over the southern parts of Northern Cooks

Forecast to midnight for the Southern Cooks: Moderate east to southeast winds. Fine apart from few cloudy periods.Moderate seas. Further outlook: Mainly fi ne.

For Rarotonga: Fine apart from a few cloudy periods.Further outlook: Mainly fi ne.

For the Northern Cooks:Moderate east to northeast winds.Cloudy periods with brief showers about Pukapuka, Nassau, Rakahangaand Manihiki. Elsewhere, fi ne.Moderate seas.Further outlook: Mainly fi ne.

TidesMON High .AM .M .PM .M

Low .AM .M .PM .M

TUE High .AM .M .PM .M

Low .AM .M .PM .M

Sun & Moon

Full Moon Last Quarter New Moon First QuarterDEC DEC DEC DEC

MON Sun Rise .AM Sun Set .PM

Moon Rise Moon Set .AM

TUE Sun Rise .AM Sun Set .PM

Moon Rise .AM Moon Set .PM

HumidityMON Morning %

Night %

TUE Morning %

Night %

Outer Islands Weather Outlook Monday, December ,

Aitutaki Mangaia Mitiaro Atiu Penrhyn Mauke

° ° C ° ° ° °SW KTS SE KTS S KTS S KTS NE KTS S KTS

°SE KTS

Sunshine hours

.M SW N

.M SW

.M SW

SPORTtarekareka

Avatiu KO’d at Swamp

Hardworking Takuvaine midfi elder Eddie Brogan keeps a close eye on a defending Avatiu player as he dribbles the ball towards the goal. 09120602An Avatiu player boots the ball away under pressure from Takuvaine’s Eddie Nicholas (right). 09120604

A DISASTROUS afternoon of football saw both Avatiu’s sen-ior teams bundled out of the Knockout Cup at the Swamp on Saturday.

In action-packed games the Avatiu men and women’s teams were convincingly beaten by Takuvaine and Tupapa respec-tively.

In the men’s game, Avatiu started the game well and went 1-0 up early in the piece through Cedric Toru.

Takuvaine struck back on the stroke of half-time to level

the score. But going into the interval

no one could predict the drama which would unfold in the sec-ond spell.

The men from the Happy Valley came out of the starting blocks in the second half and took the game to Avatiu scoring on four occasions and stunning the home crowd into silence.

It was an all-round team effort from Takuvaine with Mataio Titoa amongst the goals and Eddie Brogan prominent in midfi eld in front of a defen-

sive line led by Ailaoa Samania, which conceded little.

Takuvaine now can look forward with confidence to a semi-final confrontation with Tupapa, whilst Avatiu can only refl ect on what might have been.

In the women’s game a very youthful Tupapa outfit never allowed the more experienced Avatiu team to settle and ran out 2-0 winners.

Tupapa dominated an unusu-ally hesitant Avatiu unit from early in the game and never let up until the fi nal whistle.

Marisa Iroa commanded her back four and in midfield Elizabeth Harmon and Melanie Wilson were able to dominate possession of the ball, Harmon also scored a well taken goal. Up front the youthful Tupapa strikers Rai Nganu and Ngarima Areai gave their team a mobility which has been sadly lacking in previous games and to cap an outstanding performance Areai scored an excellent solo goal.

Avatiu played their part in making this a very watchable contest. However on the day

they would have little argument with the fi nal outcome.

In other knockout games at the weekend, Titikaveka weren’t able to contain a strong Tupa-pa team which won 4-0 in the men’s division while Arorangi managed a great win against Matavera 4-1.

The Titikaveka women’s team did the business for the club edging out Nikao 1-0 with Aro-rangi posting two goals against Takuvaine to win its match.

This weekend will see the semi fi nals of the competition

with the grand fi nals schedule for the weekend of December 18-19.

- Striker.Weekend knockout results: Under 13 boys – Titikaveka 2 vs Matavera 0, Aro-rangi 0 vs Takuvaine 3 (penalty shoot-out), Tupapa 3 vs Avatiu 2 (penalty shoot-out); Under 14 girls –Tupapa 4 vs Nikao Sokattak 0, Avatiu 3 vs Aro-rangi 2 (penalty shoot-out); Under 16 boys –Titikaveka 3 vs Nikao Sokattak 1, Matavera 4 vs Takuvaine 2, Tupapa 3 vs Avatiu 2; Women – Titikaveka 1 vs Nikao Sokattak 0, Tupapa 2 vs Avatiu 0, Arorangi 2 vs Takuvaine 0; Premier men – Arorangi 4 vs Matavera 1, Takuvaine 5 vs Avatiu 1, Tupapa 4 vs Titikaveka 0.