Aronga Kikia

All of us want to have that latest, fresh-off-the-boat iPhone, but you’re stuck with a Chinese version of a Nokia (in other words, cheap). You look at your friend’s laptop from the U.S of A (or so she says…) and then you take a look at your broken down computer and you don’t want to compare the two. It’s so depressing. Do you want to ask your mum for some money and risk a hiding? I don’t think so. But there are some clueless tourists leaving their doors unlocked. Inside their room, there’s a camera, an Apple laptop, a hair straightner for the girlfriend…it all looks very tempting…
Burglary has got to be the worst thing this island has ever faced (apart from drink-driving, of course). It’s mostly the dudes who get up to it. They want to akamea “tough guy” to their girlfriends and impress them with what they’ve stolen. No good, mate! The only people you will be impressing are the guys down at the police station. Yeah, I can understand the motive of these blokes committing these crimes. They don’t have much that belongs to them, so what do the fools do? Steal the first thing they see. These boys need to find something else to do. The ladies don’t think that stealing is attractive, so boys, if you really want to earn her heart, do it the decent way. GET A JOB!
You may not realize it, but this also affects the way papaas’ look at our island. They are the ones who bring in the serious cash. They come here expecting Raro to be a crime-free paradise…until their iPods and laptops grow legs and decide to walk off. We want tourists to put in a good word for us when they go back to China, or where ever it is they come from. We want them to believe that Raro is THE summer haven…right?
This sort of thing happens in schools too (sad, really). A school ain’t the place where you want to be a “stoler”. Nothing is kept a secret over there. Be warned: Don’t leave your electronics around. If you do, it’ll be like giving it to charity. You are a complete nutjob if you decide to kikia in a school. I remember a time where a teacher’s camera went “missing”…the whole school had their bags checked security-style…
This also comes down hard on the family. Who wants to have a son that steals for a living? I can imagine the mama, getting her walking stick ready to beat someone up…scary! If you were found out by your family members, what would they do? The most likely option is that they’ll kick you out of the house, leaving you looking like a homeless kid. Or they could just ring the cops and tell them to pick you up…shame! All these issues result in the same thing. A very sad ending.
So, don’t be an akari pe. Don’t bring disgrace to yourself and to your family or else you’ll be counting the rows of iron bars of your prison cell. Be a good Cookie…wink, wink.

By Norma Ngatamariki

Herald Issue 463 10 June
- World famous activist assisting residents
- Budget will decide if residents prosecute Government over landfill
- Forestry project sucking Mangaia dry
- Budget 2010 – fiasco or disaster?