News Briefs

USP Council to meet in Rarotonga
The University of the South Pacific (USP) Council is to meet in Rarotonga next week.
Members arrive early morning on Tuesday 10 May. Wednesday is a free day with the Council meeting beginning Thursday 12 May and concluding Friday 13 May. Members fly out on Saturday 14 May.
Minister for Education, Hon Teina Bishop will be host for the event.
There are 11 VIP council members and 28 non VIP council members confirmed attending.
The VIP members comprise 9 Ministers of Education from Fiji, Solomons, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu, Tokelau, Kiribas, Nauru and Samoa.
The USP Pro-Chancellor and Samoan Minister for Justice is Hon Fiame Mataafa. The Vice Chancellor and President is Professor Rajesh Chandra.
The non VIP members include Prof Ian Watson-appointed by the NZ government and Prof Steven Schwartz (Vice Chancellor of Macquarie University) appointed by the Australian government.
AUSAid is represented by Ms Lori Banks.
Among the Cook Islands representatives will be local USP Board Chairman Tevai Matapo.

Mongoose donate to Blackrock Pre-School
The Mongoose Club of Golden Oldies hit a six today turning a successful ‘turn at bat’ into a bank cheque. On Easter Monday, the club took part in a social cricket match and managed to raise a bit of cash in the process. And thanks to donations on the day, a few of the boys (Tok Haurua, George George, and Robert Skews) were on hand to pass on a cheque to help out Black Rock Pre-School - for $700.

Bio-Security under spotlight
The country’s Bio-Security measures have been under the spotlight in recent weeks while Quarantine Officers conduct inspections around the container wharf area at Avatiu. Moetu Tangitamaiti says their work has highlighted the importance of maintaining strict watch over the sea entry point, particularly in terms of high risk ports like Fiji which are known for the presence of unwanted termites and other pests. Containers arriving in Rarotonga have been found to susceptible to pests, carrying a lot of dirt, and soils.

Vaka to set out on Saturday
Te Marumaru Atua is planning to set out on Saturday morning, joining the fleet of seven vaka to Nuku Hiva. The crew has been in Moorea for a few days and will be back in Papeete by Friday. Te Marumaru Atua links up with Tahitian crew on Faafaite to sail for Rangiroa on Saturday. They will wait at Rangiroa for the rest of the fleet to get closer to Fakarava where they will join and sail in with the rest of the fleet. There are very light wind conditions in Tahiti at present but everyone is reported to be in good spirits and glad to be sailing again. The other fleet members are currently south of Rarotonga battling heavy seas from the east.

July 6 to be proposed as a new public holiday
The House of Ariki and the Koutu Nui are to recommend to government that 6 July be designated a public holiday in recognition of the establishment of the House of Ariki on 6 July 1967.
President of the House of Ariki Travel Tou Ariki advised the Herald on Tuesday morning that the date was decided at a meeting of the House of Ariki and the Koutu Nui on Monday.
Tou Ariki said a submission would be prepared for the Minister to put before Cabinet next week.
It will be submitted that the day be transferrable. In other words if the day falls on a weekend day, the holiday be transferred to the Monday.
Tou said the Ariki are mindful that an additional holiday not be imposed and will submit that the 26th of October which is currently observed as a national holiday “Gospel Day” in the outer islands, be replaced with the holiday on the 6th July.
The Gospel actually arrived in the Cook Island in 1821 in Aitutaki.
He said it will be proposed that the new public holiday begin as from 6 July 2012.

Select Committee considers Employment Relations Bill
Minister Nandi Glassie says changes to the minimum wage will be a key issue in the discussions on the Employment Relations Bill that is presently before a Parliamentary Select Committee. Glassie is chairing the Committee and says other important issues include the need to address shift work conditions, people with disability, and maternity leave. The Minister hopes the bill will be ready by the time the House resumes in July.

Heather visits Atiu
Minister for Infrastructure Hon Teariki Heather and his Assistant Minister Hon Toanui Isamaela will travel to Atiu this week. Heather advised the Herald on Tuesday afternoon that the trip is to inspect and discuss infrastructure projects including the airport, roading, water, harbour and the state of the machinery already in Atiu that may be used to support the work. Two mechanics will travel to Atiu on Thursday to assess the state of the machinery and recommend what new machinery if any will be needed. They will also meet with the local Council. Heather advised that sealing of the airport will be a priority.

Unfinished business at Mangaia harbour
Although the official opening of the upgraded Mangaia harbour has already taken place, there is still work to be done Minister for Infrastructure Hon Teariki Heather advised the Herald on Tuesday afternoon. In the passage are several humps that need to be removed to allow safe passage for inter-island vessels. The compressor required to power the drill needed for the work will cost an estimated $70,000. Some adjustments may be made to the new ramp which is quite steep and which has seen several accidents to children. At present boat owners are using the old ramp.

NZ Foreign Minister to visit
NZ Foreign Affairs Minister Murray McCully is to make an official visit to Rarotonga next week. He arrives on Thursday 12 May and departs on Friday 13 May. He is attending a joint Ministerial Forum. One issue expected to be discussed is progress with the Cyclone Pat recovery programme. It is also expected that the Minister will meet with newly appointed Cook Islands High Commissioner to NZ, Te Tika Mataiapo Dorice Reid.-

Successful trial for Men’s Touch Squad
The squad had a successful Trial / Training Camp in Auckland over Easter. The boys were able to experience playing/training in temperatures much like what they will experience in Scotland (18 degrees or less), and got to have a game against Auckland’s top team Freezin Hot on the last day. They came out victors with a 4 point win over them. At the end of the day their fitness trumped over Freezin Hot, evident by the pace of their game being consistent and at times getting faster towards the end of the game – thanks to all the hard work and training the boys have been doing here for the last 3.5 months.
There is a last minute entry to the local squad, Andrew Mokoroa, who did exceptionally well and passed all fitness tests considering his late inclusion. His past experience in games at South Pacific Games in Samoa in 2007 and Pacific Mini Games in 2009 will contribute immensely to the success of this team.
It is now confirmed that all our local boys will be representing the Cook Islands at the Touch World Cup in Edinburgh Scotland in June this year (only 6 weeks away). Hence our final list of local reps are as follows: Andrew Mokoroa, Kristopher Williamson, Apii Rau, Pokoroa Pauka, Conrad Piri, Teariki Mateariki, Geoffrey Halston (player / coach), Wallace Aroita, Gordon Heather
They will be joined by: Brian Adams – NZ (player / coach), Cameron Adams – Australia, Vairaro Mahutariki – London, Ben Tokahere – NZ, Noovao Noovao – Australia, Teariki Mahutariki – London
Congratulations to all our boys for making the squad, this is a great and, for some, a once in a life time opportunity. Also congratulations to our local based coach Geoff Halston who has worked extremely hard to get our local boys up to scratch in fitness and skill level over the past 4 months. We have 45 days to go before departure so it isn’t over yet.
Our team is hosting a Zumba fundraiser this Thursday at 5:30pm at the TSA. Tickets are $7, with light refreshments and fruits provided, as well as some great prizes to giveaway. Please support our boys and buy a ticket and join them for this 2 hour cardio workout.
Thank you to all our families, friends, sponsors and valued supporters for all their help and contribution during this campaign, and thank you in advance for your continued support in our fundraiser events to come.

Danny Mataroa - mentor of the month
Business Trade Investment Boards (BTIB) Local Business Mentor of The Month Danny Mataroa attracted a crowd of over forty people at Aquarius Hotel on Thursday night.
Danny spoke on how to overcome those public speaking jitters, he encouraged all participants to
• Capture the attention of the audience
• Have a positive attitude
• To prepare well and don’t talk too long
• To look good, smell good so you feel good!
Danny also shared “secrets” on his farming experience.
• What has worked for him
• Planning well in advance
• Researching different varieties of the same product and what grows well in our climate
The crowd was inspired by the talk and the night was enjoyed by all.
BTIB would like to congratulate Danny Mataroa for his great achievements.
The After5 Biz talk has been reintroduced to encourage networking with our local businesses, young entrepreneurs and school leavers. Our Business mentor of the month for May is Tokerau Jim, he will be speaking on Thursday 19th May. Contact the Business Development Division on 24296 to register as seats are limited.
BTIB Media Release

Report on e-waste day out
Government has just released a report on e-waste day which was held on 8 December 2010.
The report was prepared by Deyna Marsh, Robert Matheson, Maureen Hilyard and Pua Hunter.
It is a comprehensive 24 page report which reports on the objectives of e-waste day, the type of e-waste collected and the amount. The report also records the number f vehicles which dropped off waste and there are recommendations for future such events.
According to the report, the Cook Islands was the first Pacific Island to engage in an eDay event and SPREP contributed to its organisation as a pilot for future annual events in the Cook Islands as well as a model which other Pacific Islands could adopt. The Cook Islands was particularly fortunate in being able to take advantage of considerable assistance from the eDay NZ Trust, especially towards shipping costs and regulatory arrangements in NZ. The focus for our first eDay, which took place on the 8th of December, was only on computer waste. Other electronic waste such as televisions, refrigerators, washing machine etc could not be accepted in this first batch.
In accordance with the NZ eDay Guide 2010, acceptable equipment on eDay were:
1. Computer Hardware
2. Monitors
3. Networking equipment (e.g. modems, routers, hubs)
4. Scanners
5. Keyboards and mice
6. Speakers
7. Laptops
8. Printers
9. Toner and Ink Jet Cartridges
10. Games consoles
11. Mobile phones
12. Fax Machines
13. Telephones
14. Digital Cameras
However, when the list was published by the media, there were numerous enquiries regarding other types of ewaste and so items related to computers or communications were added to the list. Such items include electronic typewriters, EFTPOS machines, projectors, and so on.
The report’s recommendations and conclusions are mentioned on page 23.

Herald Issue 554 09 March
- Norm exposes Trio of Doom
- Briefs from PM’s media conference Tuesday
- Tourism Industry ponders $5 million draft strategy
- Norman George resigns from Cook Islands Party
- Letter of Resignation from CIP
- Norman selfish says Prime Minister