Cook Islands and N.Z.

Press, 19 April 1986, Page 18

Cook Islands and N.Z.

Foreign policy questions appear to have been at the heart of the discussions in Wellington between the Premier of the Cook Islands, Sir Thomas Davis, and the New Zealand Prime Minister, Mr Lange. This is not surprising, because Sir Thomas Davis has complained about the New Zealand Government’s refusal to have nuclear ships in its ports; he has threatened to turn the Cook Islands into a neutral country, and he has complained about not being informed about the sighting of a submarine off the coast of the Cook Islands. Sir Thomas said that the Cook Islands ran its own foreign affairs now, which is something of an exaggeration because, under Article 5 of the Cook Islands Constitution, New Zealand retains the responsibility for defence and foreign relations of the Cook Islands. The Cook Islands may alter the Constitution after a referendum in which the majority needed for change is 75 per cent. Until that occurs, however, New Zealand is responsible for the foreign relations of the Cook Islands.

The official Constitutional status of the Cook Islands is that the group is selfgoverning internally in free association with New Zealand. That means, in effect, that apart from defence and foreign relations it runs its own affairs. Cook Islanders are free to migrate to New Zealand and New Zealand gives $10.5 million a year in Budgetary support to the Cook Islands. Another $3 million is given each year to support particular projects. About 25,000 to 30,000 Cook Islanders who were born in the Cook Islands live in New Zealand and about 17,000 live in the Cook Islands. The right to migrate and the Budgetary support are highly valued by the Cook Islanders. If Sir Thomas wanted to change the relationship with New Zealand he is likely to find some resistance at home. The question really comes down to the

degree of independent foreign policy that the Government of New Zealand would tolerate. New Zealand has strongly encouraged the Cook Islands Government to pursue international relations of its own. The Cook Islands is a full member of the South Pacific Forum and has relations with the Asian Development Bank and with other international organisations. Some of the statements by Sir Thomas about adopting a stance of neutrality obviously go too far in an independent foreign policy. Sir Thomas thinks that the Cooks have the right to an independent view, and he also believes that New Zealand should consult the Cook Islands, Government over foreign policy questions more frequently.

Article 5 of the Constitution says that foreign relations should be conducted in consultation with the Cook Islands. The Cook Islands would like to be covered by the Lome Convention of the European Economic Community and be eligible for aid and special trading concessions. However, because of the constitutional link with New Zealand, the E.E.C. will not permit the Cook Islands to benefit from the Lome Convention.

The attitude of the New Zealand Government appears to be that, if the Cook Islands want to choose complete independence from New Zealand, this country will certainly do nothing to stand in the way. This seems a reasonable position. The question that would seem to need consideration sooner or later is about just what should be defined as a matter of foreign relations. Many issues have a comfortable fuzziness about them. When the Cook Islands Government takes a foreign policy position that is directly opposed to that of the New Zealand Government, the fuzziness becomes an embarrassment. Some sharper definitions of the relationship may become necessary.