Herald Issue 705 19 February 2014
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POWERBALL RESULTS Drawn: 13/2/14 Draw num: 926 PB TATTSLOTTO RESULTS Drawn:15/2/14 Draw num: 3399 SUPP: OZLOTTO RESULTS Drawn:18/2/14 Draw num: 1044 Next draw: SUPP: Eset SMART Security Upgrade OEM 1year License $45 Only available with the purchase of a new Laptop Cook islands Herald 19 February 2014 news 2 Government in business a smoke screen Empty treasury coffers desperately need cash inance Minister Mark reckless media statements that Brown’s parroting of expose his knowledge void. Fhis Finance Secretary To compare the government’s Richard Neves unqualified script purchase of TNZ shares with Government has no purpose Toagate is ludicrous. Whatever getting into commercial business possessed Brown to make such is a sad indictment of his inept self incriminating babble needs understanding of Government to be exorcised immediately. and private sector partnerships. Brown needs to stand back The Chinese Government has take a deep breath then listen seen the value and experienced and hear the voice of the people outstanding results from joint independent of the more and private sector engagements. more business incompetent Then again know all Neves can’t Neves reveals to be. Instead of see beyond his limited business mouthing off Neves’ prepared knowledge and has done scripts, Brown ought to do a lot nothing but slowly reduce Brown of listening and restrain himself to his basement level of business from his silly dismissive off the deficiency. Initially showing some cuff self incriminating comments. promise of growing his business Brown’s shoot from the capacity through being the hip comments have and are Mark Brown Minister of Finance, Mark Brown devaluing hard working Cook locals who have invested their to talk sense with Brown at their has regressed and become Islanders who have tirelessly working lives in TCI would be so lengthy meeting last Friday. dependent on the incompetent toiled to make TCI what it is proud the company was 100% Digicel want a monopoly Neves. Brown simply has the today. Once owned by the British Cook Island owned and all will grace period of five years and wrong coach and should detach Cable and Wireless, after their rise to the occasion to make the the money grabbing Neves himself from Neves and find controversial departure Cook rest of us just as proud. the architect of Nenevanomics himself a small group of business Islanders have owned the results Part of Brown’s sell out thinking won’t hesitate or blink an eye lid mentors whom he can bounce of their labours. TCI is a well run has been shaped by the constant in giving it to them as long as he off ideas and policy components. profitable company operated nit picking by disgruntled expats got his hands on the $7 million The cognitive distortion by highly trained and qualified who have expectations beyond to. Brown is captive to is, if the local managers who could hold reality. Te Aponga is 100 percent Cook Islands exercised our first their own internationally. Take Like Neves, Brown is blinded owned and it is self sustaining right to purchase Telecom New for example the former CEO Stu to what locals can achieve given and commercially profitable and Zealand shares in Telecom Cook Davies, who learnt his craft at the genuine opportunity to do is overseen by a local Board and Islands the business would fail. TCI, he was snapped up by an so. Backed by a Board appointed headed by Mangaian Apii Timoti. How embarrassingly wrong. How international organisation at the based upon competency instead The Airport Authority has a Brown could look at his own face drop of the hat. Then there is of political patronising TCI will local Board with Joe Ngamata in the mirror without scolding Phil Henderson, Jeane Matenga become a real flagship of local at the helm and is commercially himself is self preserving. TCI and many others who did their commitment. Get real Minister sustainable without receiving has been successfully run for time at TCI. of Finance. government funding. years without the operational Last Friday TCI Board Chairman The Cook Islands should be So where is the sense in involvement of NZ or the Temu Okotai met with a group at grateful such talented locals Brown’s flippant comment politicians and has delivered at TCI at their request who shared have not absconded to greener that government should leave least $20million in dividends their concerns of the lack of pastures taking their highly in business to the private sector? over the last ten years. transparency and worries about demand telecommunication TCI, Te Aponga and the Airport Just as he was quick to open his their employment futures. As skills with them. A Digicel buy are successful commercial mouth over opening the books of per normal those affected the out will without a doubt see a operations proudly headed by TCI after his successful election most don’t get consulted but 30% cut in personnel, some at local people. What will be the and appointment as Minister informed after the deal is done. the high end. The outer islands difference with a fully locally for Communications, Brown had Given the opportunity local TCI staff will also be negatively owned TCI? to retract his over exuberant management could step up to impacted. What do you say to Get behind your local work promises because contractual be CEO without a resulting glitch these people and their families force Brown or we’ll end up with confidentialities prohibited in the operations. To imply TCI Mr Brown? We all know its water an influx of more expats and public disclosure . Brown is would fail if the Cook Islands off a ducks back to Neves. immigrant workers. Think local, having a similar thoughtless purchased TNZ shares is so far Hopefully the Chamber of go local or local go. mouth opening moment with from reality. If anything the Commerce delegation was able George Pitt former TCI Chairman PB Cook islands Herald 19 February 2014 news 3 Subtle changes to finance law and policy amount to social engineering It’s time to pause…. for a cuppa By Charles Pitt government demanded it legal provisions that enable confidence in the CIP is that the While it may not be and now the proposed sale people’s bank accounts to tax law and policy changes have noticeable now, the outcome of Telecom without public be raided. The public should not come up through the grass will confirm what has been mandate, are major changes not have to pay for that roots rank and file in the Punas suspected all along, and that which will alter the way our information. As a public and been thoroughly discussed is, precise but subtle changes society evolves. Government servant, Neves must make that and endorsed by conference. to finance laws and policy, has failed in one important information freely available. It should be clear to will bring about fundamental duty, and that is, to fully When the CIP came to power, government that the public changes to our society and explain the reasons for and the it came with a healthy majority are struggling to cope with, pave the way for even more implications of these changes. and as such the CIP could say let alone comprehend, the dramatic changes to come. We saw this social the public had confidence in the magnitude, effect and pace This process of change is engineering in NZ during party and that such confidence of change. Worse, is that the so subtle as to be almost the time of “Rogernomics” translated into a mandate to public do not understand the undetectable except to those when Finance Minister make changes. However, that reason for these changes. who have experienced the Roger Douglas and a Labour majority has been eroded MFEM are setting the process previously. government de-regulated the and now the CIP are finding it country up for a new economic Unless some intervention finance sector and young, harder to convince the public model. occurs, it will be too late to bright, theorists in Treasury to accept major changes to tax The PM, to quote David halt this process of change and with no practical experience laws and policy. Lange, should call for a society will have to deal with began shaping government Undermining public pause……for a cuppa. the consequences. policy to the extent that whole What is happening in the towns and societies were finance sector amounts to social affected. Imported goods SWITCH ON WITH engineering and it is being driven became cheaper forcing some by expatriates who lack cultural factories to close and jobs to Te Aponga Uira understanding and sensitivity be lost. Government ministries 2 months to go... and inexperienced theorists moved to a more business with no real depth of experience like footing and the speed of under a mistaken belief that change took many by surprise. tinkering with the economy to In NZ, after Douglas proposed fit a foreign economic model a “flat tax,” it took PM David will better adapt our society for Lange’s intervention, “Pause the changes to come.