New Zealand has signed a defense and security declaration with the Cook Islands, repairing a relationship that was strained when the tiny South Pacific nation entered a strategic agreement with China.
The declaration was signed Thursday in the Cook Islands capital of Rarotonga during a visit from New Zealand Foreign Minister Winston Peters. It also means New Zealand will resume development funding, which was paused in June last year when the Chinese deal was revealed.
¡°The declaration is about setting a course together for the future,¡± Peters said in a statement. ¡°Now that we have come to a mutually satisfactory understanding of the underpinnings of our partnership, we are pleased to normalize all aspects of our relationship ¡ª including New Zealand¡¯s financial support.¡±
While the Cook Islands is a self-governing state, it is part of the Realm of New Zealand and has a special constitutional relationship with Wellington, its primary development partner. However, a strategic partnership agreement signed with Beijing in February 2025 caused that relationship to fray.
The declaration states that New Zealand is committed to remaining the primary defense and security partner of the Cook Islands, and in keeping with those responsibilities, New Zealand commits to an increase in defense engagement with the Cook Islands.
China has been expanding its connections and strategic ambitions in the South Pacific, and Peters has previously said New Zealand is seriously concerned by Beijing¡¯s increased role in the security arrangements of several island nations.
¡°The strategic environment we face is more complex and contested than at any other point since New Zealand and the Cook Islands formed our free association agreement in 1965,¡± Peters said Thursday. ¡°It¡¯s vital that New Zealand and the Cook Islands are clear with one another and third parties about the nature of our special relationship.¡±
When asked about the agreement, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said on Thursday that ties between China and the Cook Islands didn¡¯t target any third party and should not be ¡°disrupted or restricted¡± by other nations.
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