Hatchet buried over China deal? Not yet, say Cook Islands and New Zealand

Cook Islands Prime Minister Mark Brown and New Zealand's Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters in Auckland today. Photo / Supplied

Officials from New Zealand and the Cook Islands met at Winston Peters’ house today but were unsuccessful in finding a resolution to repair the relationship between the nations.

Peters, New Zealand’s Foreign Affairs Minister, and Cook Islands Prime Minister Mark Brown said in a joint statement their teams had discussed the “fundamental challenges facing the New Zealand-Cook Islands relationship”.

The issues stem from a controversial deal the Cook Islands signed with China without consulting New Zealand. At the time of the deal, Peters said the Cook Islands had an obligation to inform New Zealand because of the nature of the two nations’ relationship.

The deal prompted international concern over China’s growing presence in the region and led to New Zealand halting direct funding payments to the island nation.

Peters and Brown released a photo of them standing side by side and smiling after their meeting at the Foreign Minister’s house in Auckland. Their joint statement described the discussion as “informal”.

“The two delegations discussed the fundamental challenges facing the New Zealand-Cook Islands relationship over the past 18 months and possible ways forward,” they said.

“Political dialogue between the two countries will continue in the coming weeks in order to determine whether these challenges can be resolved in the present circumstances.”

Neither Government would be making any further comment on the issue in the meantime, they said.

Peters was joined by specialist ministerial adviser Jon Johansson and his senior foreign affairs adviser Michael Appleton. Brown was joined by his Chief of Staff, Karopaerangi Ngatoko, and the Secretary of Foreign Affairs and Immigration, Elizabeth Wright-Koteka.

New Zealand, which provided citizenship and other support to the Cook Islands population through its free association relationship, was caught unaware by the February 2025 deal between the Cook Islands and China. Peters was critical of a lack of communication about the deal.

Part of the relationship, New Zealand argued, placed a responsibility on the Cook Islands to inform officials of any arrangements that may impact New Zealand’s national interests.

After the deal became public, New Zealand initiated an assessment of its development programme in the Cook Islands, claiming it was designed to “ensure it wasn’t undermined by the increased co-operation the Cook Islands Government is planning with China”.

Peters said New Zealand had given the Cook Islands almost $200 million via its development programme over the past three years. New Zealand responded to the deal by pausing direct support payments to the nation.

In the months after the deal was signed, Peters said: “The agreements signed by the Cook Islands and China and the lack of consultation with New Zealand about them, illustrate a gap in understanding between the Cook Islands and New Zealand governments about what our special relationship of free association requires.”

Julia Gabel is a Wellington-based political reporter. She joined the Herald in 2020 and has most recently focused on data journalism.