News Briefs

Czech Ambassador visits the Cook Islands
His Excellency Mr Hynek Kmoníček, Ambassador of the Czech Republic will visit the Cook Islands from 24 March to 29 March 2012 to present his letters of credentials to the Cook Islands Government. The Ambassador, resident in Canberra, Australia is concurrently accredited to New Zealand, Fiji, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga and Vanuatu.
This will be the second Czech Ambassador to visit the Cook Islands following the signing of a joint communiqué in May 2008 establishing diplomatic relations between the Cook Islands and the Czech Republic.
The Czech Republic, previously part of Czechoslovakia until 1993, became a member of the European Union in 2004 and during the first half of 2009, held the Presidency of the EU Council. It is one of the most stable and prosperous of the post-Communist states with tourism playing a big part of the Czech economy.
During his visit, Ambassador Kmoníček will pay courtesy calls on the Cook Islands Government to discuss matters of mutual interest.

Bristol to host Cook Islands in Rugby League World Cup
Mar 23, 2012
Bristol will play host to the Cook Islands for the 2013 Rugby League World Cup, it was announced yesterday. The city will be home to the South Pacific side and will host their match against the USA in the autumn.
The tournament will kick off at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff on October 26, with a spectacular first day including the opening ceremony, host nation Wales taking on Italy and co-hosts England playing Australia.
The tournament will be pushing Rugby League further than ever before with Limerick’s Thomond Park in Ireland hosting Australia v Ireland and France playing New Zealand in Avignon and Samoa in Perpignan.
Councillor Simon Cook, Bristol’s Deputy Leader and executive member for sport, said: “All our partners are delighted to be the home-from-home city for the Cook Islands and we plan to give them a real West Country welcome.”
Bristol secured the right to host matches last autumn after a concerted campaign, led by the city’s rugby league side the Sonics.
The chairman of Bristol Sonics, Phil Cole, said hosting matches in the tournament would provide a “huge boost” for rugby league in the city and the wider region.
Tournament director Nigel Wood added yesterday at an event at host ground the Memorial Stadium: “This is an exciting day for all our hosts. They now know who will be playing or training in their stadiums and who their communities will be getting behind.
“We’re saying to them ‘this is your World Cup, this fantastic international event will be putting the world’s best Rugby League players right on your doorstep’. I have no doubt they will help to make this the best Rugby League World Cup so far.”

Japan fund benefiting Pacific nations
[Friday, 23rd March 2012, Suva, FIJI]
The Pacific Environment Community (PEC) Fund will contribute US$2.3 million towards a rural solar home systems project in Fiji.
At a signing ceremony held today in Suva to finalise the related financial agreement, Acting Secretary General of the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat, Mr Feleti Teo, commended the Japanese Government’s foresight in launching the PEC Fund initiative in 2009.
“The initiative was designed to contribute to the region’s collective efforts to reduce carbon emissions through increasing the use of renewable energy and the reduction of heavy reliance on the use of fossil fuels,” said Mr Teo. “In this case, the Carbon Abatement via Solar Homes Systems in Rural Areas is expected to provide significant benefits to people in 41 rural villages around Fiji by increasing access to a reliable and secure supply of electricity to households from power generated by solar panels.”
In May of 2009 Pacific Leaders met with the Government of Japan at the 5th Pacific Island Leaders Meeting (PALM 5) in Hokkaido, Japan. At the PALM 5 Summit, Leaders issued the Islanders’ Hokkaido Declaration which reaffirmed Leaders’ commitment to collaborate and cooperate on a wide range of issues.
A significant part of the Declaration was the launch of the PEC Fund, under which Japan provided a ¥6.8billion (approximately US$66 million) contribution to Pacific island countries to tackle environmental issues. These funds will be used to support projects with a focus on the provision of solar power generation systems and sea water desalination plants in the Cook Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Kiribati, Nauru, Niue, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Republic of Marshall Islands, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu.
To date, the Governments of Samoa, Tuvalu, Cook Islands, Nauru, the Solomon Islands and now Fiji, have successfully accessed the PEC Fund for renewable energy and sea water desalination projects.
Implementation of PEC Fund supported projects is lead by Pacific island country governments.

DPM to attend Funeral for King of Tonga
The Deputy Prime Minister Hon Tom Marsters and Mrs Marsters will join New Zealand dignitaries on an Air Force Boeing 757 flight on Tuesday to attend the funeral of King Tupou V of Tonga.
The Deputy Prime Minster is currently away in Brussels and on his way back will stop in New Zealand where he will join the flight to attend the funeral on Tuesday morning.
The Deputy Prime Minister and Mrs Marsters will return to Auckland that same evening on the Air Force Boeing flight with the New Zealand dignitaries before returning to Rarotonga.

Positive step in advancing Marine Park
A three-day workshop led by the CI Marine Park interim Steering Committee, together with invited regional and international conservation experts has, agreed on an overarching framework to guide the ongoing planning and management of the marine park.
The steering committee has been tasked with providing recommendations to Cabinet for final decision on the establishment of a marine park. Though there is a lot of work ahead, Committee chairperson Liz Koteka says agreement on the Framework was a positive first step towards working on the finer details of the park.
Over the next few months she said there would be consultation with communities on management issues including specific areas and species to be considered for particular management. “The boundary for the marine park will focus on the southern group islands to start with and is anticipated to extend to include the northern group by 2015. Before this time, consultation with the northern communities will occur and their usual conservation measures will continue to operate.”
“The CIMP Steering Committee has been synthesising information to help pull together plans for management of the marine park within the Cook Islands exclusive economic zone (EEZ). The workshop was an opportunity to take stock of the systems, practices and processes we already have in place in marine management, so we have a good understanding of the context in which we are working.”
“It was also an occasion for us to hear the experiences of people outside the Cook Islands who have been involved in marine park planning and management and to take the lessons they have learned to help with our planning.”
Representatives were present from Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP); New Zealand Department of Conservation; University of California; Pacific Islands Applied GeoScience Commission (SOPAC); Conservation International; United Nations Environment Programme; and the International Union for Conservation of Nature.
Liz Koteka said there was a misconception that the marine park will stop all activities occurring in the area, however, the Steering Committee wanted to reassure all parties that the park would be a multi-use area, involving sensible management of all resources.
For example, the activities of fisheries and seabed mining have their own existing legislative, regulatory and management structures and the proposed Marine Park management structure will add value with science and environmental considerations on these two issues.
“It is expected that the marine park will seek to add value to management efforts already underway. Given progress to date, the Steering Committee is confident that the Prime Minister will be able to declare the Marine Park to leaders at the Pacific Islands Forum as planned in August this year. The continuing work after that, will then be on determining the most suitable management model for us to adopt, given our national circumstances”.
The CIMP Steering Committee includes: Office of the Prime Minister, representatives of the House of Ariki and Koutu Nui, Cook Islands National Environment Service, Ministry of Marine Resources, Cook Islands Tourism Corporation, Ministry of Finance and Economic Management, Crown Law Office, the Seabed Minerals Unit, Ministry of Infrastructure and Planning, Te Ipukarea Society (TIS), and community representative Kevin Iro.

Rubbish upsets visiting locals
On Thursday afternoon a Cook Island couple who did not wish to be named, arrived at CITV with two full plastic bags of rubbish.
The couple who had been living abroad were unhappy with the amount of litter on the beaches.
“We go out every morning for a walk on the beach in Titikaveka across from Papaaroa Primary school, and every morning since we’ve been here we have been collecting rubbish off the beach.” said the male.
“It is such a shame, because the Cook Islands is looking to be the biggest marine park on the planet, but when you come here and take a look at some of the lagoons or beaches around the island, you’d notice large amounts of rubbish scattered along the beach and in the lagoon, which is a real shame because this is such a beautiful place.”
The couple presented the Times with an idea of how the schools and the public can help out in their areas. “ We think it would be a good idea, if the schools or the community on the island could have a day once every two weeks where they will go down to the nearest beach and help out the environment by cleaning up a little.”

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