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Yes, it is twenty eight past three now. As you know, Foreign Minster Winston Peter's announced to pause. Well he didn't announce it, it came out he paused eighteen million dollars in funding to the Cook Islands following a lack of consultation over their deals with China earlier this year. The money would have been used for health, education and tourism. The Cook Islands. Prime Minister Mark Brown slammed the move hot saying holding millions in sect to support us patronizing
and doesn't align with our part partnership arrangements. And he says they're committed to addressing this urgently. That's probably up for a bit of debate to discuss that cook we have from the Cook Island tourism development. We have Terry Carr joining us. How let's see, I just need to push the right button, Terry Hello. Sure. What was the reaction to this locally?
The reaction was taken as with mister Peters with holding the aid solely their Mark Brown fault. So much of what's happened this year has not been disclosed to the people, as Cook Islands has not been disclosed to the New Zealand government and so it came as no surprise really that mister Peters took the steps he needed to do to pull mister Brown back into line. And I think that's what most of it were seeing on the ground here. Yeah,
is that? Yeah? It you know, it's a situation we find ourselves and right now actions are one man, How.
Important was this money?
The money is important. All age that comes from New Zealand is very important because it does support services in the community in the country. But at the same time, I think it's more important this year for mister Brown and his government and that it's election year next year,
so that aid would have been news. I'm sure in situations where it would, you know, it would be seen that the government was doing what it should be doing and therefore reflected and reinstating them in government next year. So really, really critical, I would say at this point in time is.
The So I get the vibe that the major concern it's not maybe so much with the money, but it is in the way Mark Brown's going about business and arguably cozying up with China to the expense of its relationship.
With New Zealand absolutely, and I think what New Zealanders need to understand is that the Cook Islands has a long history with New Zealand since nineteen oh one. We've been part of the realm of New Zealand in nineteen sixty five. We have a constitution in place, and under that constitution we have internal self government. We also have New Zealand in charge of defense and foreign affairs. It's in our constitution and mister Peters has alerted mister Brown
that there was been any change in status. You need to go back to the people of the Cook Island and sleeper referendum, and that hasn't been done. And so until that's done, we're not a sovereign nation. We can't be going out there making deals and unknown deals which could harm us. It could harm New Zealand. We are in New Zealand citizens and so I think from our perspective, we're really pleasing. Let mister Peters is stepped in.
What about Mark Brown? Is he giving any signs that there's going to be I don't know. Some healing of the relationships one thing to talk about it, but it doesn't seem like they're having a constant dialogue him and Winston does it.
No, it doesn't. And I think the problem with mister Brown's government, with the government we have in place at the moment, is that, you know, there's a lack of brain power. Mister Brown is really the brains behind the whole thing. So any decision making of a serious nature is made by one man. So all the China deals
are made by him. The passport situation arose because he decided, you know, that we should go our own way and have a secret passport with an understanding that you know, the relationship with New Zealand means you can't do that. So it's yeah, it's up to mister Brown to kind of eat humble Pire would say, because I think the people at the Cook Islands value this relationship we have
with New Zealand. They're like our backstop. They are there when we need them when our government goes off the rails. At least under our constitution, you know there's a backstop where New Zealand can step in and say in that there are things you need to do before you even talk about sovereignty and being able to go around the world and make deals.
It's just a case of waiting for the next election, for the people to have their say, or the other things that he's that Brown might respond to.
I think it's imperative. I think in today's newspaper he's urged by the opposition party to go and talk to mister Peters. But I think until the full extent of what you know, the contract or the duralty signed with China actually exposed, how how they will affect you know,
the relationship, the foreign affairs relationship with defense relationships. I just feel that mister Brown needs to do a whole lot of disclosing of what's actually on the table, and the people at the Cook Islands need to know as well and make informed decisions. You know that if there is a referendum, the Cork Islanders need to know that they in danger of losing their passport. They're in danger of losing you know, these are free entry into New
Zealand health services that they have access to. So I think the biggest disappointments and a lot of us on the ground here is that mister Brown's actions simply alerted the whole public of New Zealand that the Cook Islands is receding taxpayer money from New Zealand and not valuing it, so it's very disappointing.
Yeah, how's, by the way, your president of Cork, Colin's Tourism Council, how tourism going, Because New Zealanders love going to the Cook Islands. So how's everything shaping up at the moment for you guys? People spending money where you'd like them to.
You know, New Zealand tourists have been our best supporters since we opened after COVID and now be joined by our Australians and North America coming through, but the New Zealanders coming over had been They're on the ground and they like to know what's happening on the ground. So last week there was a lot of questions about what's going on. And I think New Zealanders that do come here as tourists see the real Cook Islands. They see how the people on the ground are feeling, whereas in
New Zealand. New Zealanders probably wouldn't have that same feeling, but they understand that these are decisions made by the Prime Minister and it's impacting all of us without us actually having a choice about it right now. But yeah, they've been absolutely wonderful.
Thanks Hey, Terry, we really appreciate your time staff known for your comments on the situation that as a Terry Carr, President of the Cook Islands Tourism Council. Yeah, fascinating comments. Actually not pulling out punches there at all? Was she on Mark Brown? They're not happy with him over there. So watch the space. We'll be doing some e one hundred eighty ten to eighty talk back your thoughts, so
you can add a comment on the Cook Islands. But I imagine in terms of the big piece of news of course, as America attacking a round in those three nuclear facilities. My my indview with Jeffrey Miller there, which was it didn't make me feel particularly relaxed about the situation. But what's your thing? What's your response? Do you think the States have done the right thing? Or are you as concerned as Jeffrey is that it was madness? Basically
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