Trouble in Paradise as the Cook Islands Struggle With Debt
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 22 ต.ค. 2007
- Heaven on Earth? (March 1997)
A disturbing report on how islanders found themself struggling for survival after foreigners bought their country's main assets.
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After years of borrowing, the government found itself with debts beyond its capacity. Fed up with bankrolling its former colony, New Zealand finally pulled the economic plug. Cook Islands' Prime Minister, Sir Geoffrey Henry denies embezzlement after the collapse of the Sheraton Hotel project, doubling the national debt. To recoup finance, the government laid off state workers and offloaded its most saleable assets to the highest bidders, invariably outsiders. Local businessman Norm Mitchell complains that he was never even given a chance to buy the Aitutaki Hotel. Intimidated by the authorities, his business partners are too frightened to appear before the camera. After losing his state job, Matunga turned to carving ukuleles for tourists. But when this failed to bring in enough money he decided to emigrate to Australia. But not all islanders feel the same: after 25 years in a government office, Nani feels liberated by her new job as tourist guide. But the rest of the population struggles to survive without the state wage which was once taken for granted.
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Produced by ABC Australia - Ref 0316
Distributed by Journeyman Pictures
This is a terrible shame because the Cook Islands ARE heaven on earth. One of the most beautiful places I've ever seen. The people don't deserve this; they're wonderful people despite the BS the government has pulled.
❤What is the current status of Sheraton hotel now?
Nothing has been done
every government ends up failing its people. So sad how greed kills the soul.
Aitutaki is the most beautiful place on earth i ve seen , so far. I stayed almost 1 month in two different stays in 2007 and 2010. i ve been to 40 countries but i ve never seen anything more beautiful than the water colours of honeymoon island in front of maina island in the lagoon. the second most beautiful spot is One Foot island beach. the atmosphere is extremely relaxed too, in the village and while driving\walking around(the mountain top and the semi small forest\jungle around and it s so green) and the local food is amazing too. It's like living in another dimension, another planet, of course if you re a local you also see the other side but believe me Aitutaki is amazing
Where are you from...
@@HansumRob100 sorry I hadn't seen this reply. I'm from Italy(the south) but I have lived in other countries too such as Canada(quebec province), Argentina(Ushuaia) and the Philippines(my favorite spot there is Bantayan Island amazing place too)
@@freedomtodowhatuwant good
@@freedomtodowhatuwant buon giorno. Have you taken the bangka? Or paraw? Or the proa?
@@islandvibez are you talking about the boat to go to bantayan?
Kia Kaha Cookies. Be brave and stay strong fellow Cook Island Maori! I am both Aotearoa and Rarotongan Maori.Resprct from Aotearoa!
Rarotonga you's nz most we'll have it
Im from PukaPuka....! My peeps are dying out and leavin the island. We're dangerously underpopulated.
The only thing I can see they need to be blamed for is naivety of guaranteeing a developers pipe dreams. From what I know, the developer was able to put himself into receivership back in Australia aware the Cook Islands will have to resultantly pay back his loan after he skips off with a large chunk of it. Wheres the video showing how this developer and his family still live in their big mansion and goto private schools and take o'seas holidays each year while an entire nation suffered.
This/these developer/s is/are the piece/s of trash.
And now the deep sea mining…
Thank you for sharing this outstanding documentary! We lived relatively nearby in Western Samoa in the mid-80s. I loved reliving the nature aspects of your little film. The big blue ocean and the juicy coconuts.. that part is definitely " heaven on earth " . May God bless you and your ministry work! Amen.
I hope that things are improving for the people its sad to see the people suffering they need to take care of themselves the Cook Island people are so lovely and precious God bless them all with abundance, prosperity and love Arohanui x
aitutaki what a beautiful... I'm half aitutaki from the village vaipae. I want to go there one day
He said theirs no corruption but their is corruption its just that we dont see it.
There's always corruption in any government running a country .W Percival.
I remeber when all this happen ..the country when under and heaps of Cook Islands went over sea to Australia and NZ....
It's too bad that this has happened. I guess outsiders with greed were hoping to make money from these people. There are too many greedy people in this world. Money comes first in the minds of many outsiders. There was a complete lack of values from people who don't come from these islands. It would have been best had these islands never been discovered by outsiders. They have ruined these islands with their greed, selfishness, and hypocrisy.
Geoffrey Henry is so funny when he says...Good Luck..hes right though Good Luck lol
No more modern style hotels but more local designed and built native huts guest rooms, keeping clean and tidy with many handcrafted artifacts as decorations, that’s the key to live on land.
Gotta agree with you there. As far as I know my family isn't struggling,but I know people that are. And I hate when we sell off our land! I don't pay much attention when my parents talk work or politics or any of that stuff, so I don't know much about the economic condition of our country, but hey I'm still basically a kid. But I am proud of my country and my people, except for government when they do stuff like this.
Wow they must have learned well from USA government and British government
Hope that man is not there ruling anymore.. Cook Island Bros do not need this drama, Cook Islands rocks.. best place ever.. will return when Covid turn safe for you guys..
That was 24 years ago..
Using words to cover up obvious corruption, try talking your way out of hell.
What's the name of the beautiful song at the start of the documentary? Thank you.
This still hurts to watch in 2020
Seems like ancient history now. Its coming full circle... those young people back then who left for better opportunities are missing their Home and want to come back to their Ipukarea. Their kids grew up on the stories of their Mums and Dads and now they want to see where these stories come from...
Its like they say, you can take the child out of the Cook Islands but you cant take the Cook Islands out of the child.
True story. I wonder if we cousin's BTW? My grandad is Norman George, lives I'm Rarotonga. Ex politician
Sir Geoffrey Henry seems to be pushing austerity.
ezy for someone getting a mean pay packet to sit and wade out the hard times unfortunately that aint gonna feed those with no money Henry.
The PM clearly has little hope in his own people.
So sad to see
oh dear the people are suffering but who put the person in the government? the people?
Well yes da people choose dem to be da government because dey promise us for a better future.. den to realize is all lie..who are we gonna trust to give us a better future??.. dey give us hope n den dey betray us.. how will we feel den??.. of course i will get angry because we put dem dea..
That place is now a paintball place hahahah
is this still goin on...dang thats sad....
yesssss. U tell em!
far the was a well put doco and yet there still recovering
Wow, what a shame watching the Prime Minister of the Cook Islands during that time in Denial of the Facts been presented about corruption and many other things like laying workers home... Fucking Disgusting, you saying Good luck to that family🖕.... what a Shame
Very sad. This was almost 20 years ago, what's the situation now? Better, worse?
Getting better. Slowly. but there is a lot of outside influences throwing money around.
Never trust government institution to manage hotel 😄
probably not corruption, more like some unnecessary spending and favoritism...
politicians spending 10's to 100's of thousands on so-called business trips...travels that haven't served any visible differences to the cook islands or ots ppl...
It's China Islands. Not Cook Islands. FACTS.
MUCH LUV TO MY FRENDZ MIA, CHARLENE, TOM, JOSH (MY LOVE) AND THA LOCAL GANG IN MURI BEACH MISS YOU ALL HEAPS!! YOU ROCK!! AND 2 ALL THE BEAUTIFUL COOK ISLAND PEOPLE EXCEPT FOR THE CORUPT GOVERNMENT. BOO TO YOU!!
... hope everything works out.
Hehe when that guy gave exables.. (Sugare Milo ) hahahha
Dole que teaa ... !!! Te angaanga meitaki nei te au mapu o te Kuki i Ozzie nei !!!
They need to make a company on the shear market to bring in funds and pay depts have it well managed and make money out of the tourist dollar not government owned but taxed
no you should not give up kepp it up its a good case you have show your people they will pull together im sure.......
What a shame
I am Tahitian and I understand the language of the Coock Islands
Maan, these PM's need to get a grip of these beautiful islands.
That Sir Henry seems like a real prick, sitting there with his prime ministers salary telling people to "go back to the land" hang on and wait it out is easy when you have a steady income and a tax payer funded residence. I honestly think that the Cook Islanders would have been better off being a region of New Zealand with a similar government structure to that of Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
It wouldn't work Cook Islands never signed the treaty of waitangi that was a NZ Maori did. ( Governance of rights to ivi and land)
It would also have a huge complication on self-governing rights on how ownership of land is handled is very differently in cook islands compared to NZ you can't just buy a house in cook islands like you can do in NZ.
Government rights things are passed bylaw through referendums if the cook islands as a whole vote against it doesn't go through in NZ you tick a box whatever that government does in power you have no say no matter how much you jump around.
Status and language you must learn Kuki Airani Reo it's a requirement since the changes in status cook islander and have far more initiation ties to familial and genealogy for cook island status.
Would Cook Islands be better off in some instances yes but overall No because the language (kuki 'airani o reo maori) wouldn't be an official language if they combined as singluar Identity they can barely teach The Reo Maori how do you expect them to teach Cook Islands Maori across NZ? They won't simple answer.
Language dies out culture will be merged with NZ Maori I don't think Cook Islanders as whole wants this. - in fact don't want this 60ish % voted against joining NZ recently.
Stay strong cooks all the way from fiji islands cheers guys
This video is 12yrs old
@@ysviirvryovm1829 it was 1997, 24 years ago
@@twinsonic I was talking about the video (being posted). I know the recession happened in the 1990s. I was there
Why Aitutaki Rarotonga is the most beautiful island compine
Stuff you Sir Geoff!! Stupid mistakes now the Cook Islands is like New Zealand lots of foreign owned companies not much funny staying at home lots going out.
Didn't need the Palangi way of life for thousands of years... We definitely don't need them now.
in other words ... a Greece situation. Lemme guess before I look it up, The Cook Islands does not have its own sovereign free floating / un-pegged currency.
Yep, as I suspected, The Cook Islands Dollar *is* pegged to the New Zealand Dollar. Other than having their own money (although pegged) it is much more akin to Puerto Rico than Greece. Puerto Rico is a "Free Associated State" of the USA.
We need people with a version to bring our Heaven On Earth back to where it should be like Paul Allsworth Kervin Iro Bobby Moekaa Bobby Brown George Maggie
In other words Geoffrey Henry is saying yeah fuck off to nz so I can have all the funding money
even heaven have a dark side :-(
bruno gröning
cook islands are part of new Zealand and I live in new Zealand
Dtg Red yeah i know
the cook islands chose to be colonist and asked for the queens help because of the french.
Greed... the Ultimate sin...
One word- ELECTIONS
the vaimaanga 4 curse
Kia Orana to my niggas out in the Cook Islands. I love they women too, they like black dudes 😂😂💯