News Brief
Home to stay
Arriving from Auckland last Thursday to accept the role as Aitutaki’s new Hospital Manager is Tara Sachan – Toi. Tara was born in the Cook Islands and worked as Air Rarotonga’s Station Manager for Aitutaki in 2000. Tara left in 2003 to work in New Zealand and is now back to get settled in her home island for good. “My husband and I felt that it was time to leave New Zealand and come back to stay as we had both missed Aitutaki. Another problem solved is that our kids can now have a safe environment to grow up in,” said Tara.
Tara came down in early June for the interview and was told two weeks later that she had the job.” I feel very humbled and blessed to be given this role, it is a great opportunity. - Tiare Ponini
Motor Centre Agriculture Field Day
The first of Motor Centre’s Agriculture Field Days was held on Friday at the Motor Centre’s premises in Panama. The objective of the field days is to promote the latest technology in terms of home and industrial garden appliances and to show their potential customers how to operate the machinery. All machines were manufactured by Solo, a company located in Germany.
Grant Patterson, who is from Hamilton, New Zealand, is here to show case and demonstrate the latest chainsaws, sprayers (for both home and industrial use) and a quirky little machine called the ‘Sickle Bar Mower’. Grant’s main aim was to promote the products that Solo has to offer. Some brave customers even had a go at ‘testing the goods’, revving up a chainsaw and causing major destruction to a log.
Oliver Syme, the salesperson for Masport, had a thing or two to say about the products he was promoting. That they were of the ‘best quality’ and ‘worth every cent in your wallet’. None of the spectators had any qualms about that, as Oliver demonstrated how to operate a lawn mower.
The Motor Centre Agriculture Field Day started at 8:00am and will run until 5:00pm on Friday and on Saturday it will start at the same time but end at 3:00pm. -NormaNgatamariki

Headlines : Times 290 02 March 2009
- Lucky $1,000 winner
- Century old palm trees and the French connection
- Koutu Nui takes part in Raui meeting in Moorea
- WOM Award Dinner for Ake Hosea-Winterflood
- Island of Atiu to host Koutu Nui AGM in June 2009