WELLINGTON: New Zealand announced on Thursday (Jun 19) it was suspending NZ$18.2 million (US$10.97 million) in budget funding to the Cook Islands, as the relationship between the two constitutionally linked countries continues to deteriorate amid the Cook Islands’ deepening ties with China.
A spokesperson for New Zealand Foreign Minister Winston Peters said in a statement that the country’s core sector support funding relies on a high trust bilateral relationship and New Zealand decided in early June to pause the funding.
We “will also not consider significant new funding until the Cook Islands Government takes concrete steps to repair the relationship and restore trust”, the spokesperson said.
“New Zealand hopes that steps will be taken swiftly to address New Zealand’s concerns so that this support can be resumed as soon as possible.”
New Zealand along with Australia has become increasingly cautious about China’s growing presence in the Pacific region and the potential threats it poses to the country’s national security. In January, the government halted new development funding to the Republic of Kiribati, an island in Micronesia.
The Cook Islands is a self-governing country in free association with New Zealand. New Zealand commits to defend the South Pacific nation if asked, Cook Islanders are New Zealand citizens, and the two countries commit to consult on security, defence and foreign policy issues.
