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Embassies and consular services for Cook Islands
| Location | Service areas |
|---|---|
| Cook Islands High Commission | |
| New Zealand High Commission to the Cook Islands | Cook Islands |
Key documents
About Cook Islands
The Cook Islands is a self-governing state in ‘free association’ with New Zealand.
Located between French Polynesia and American Samoa, the Cook Islands is part of the Realm of New Zealand, which means that we share the same Head of State, King Charles III.
Although the Cook Islands conducts its own affairs, New Zealand has a constitutional responsibility to respond to requests for assistance with foreign affairs, disasters and defence from the Government of the Cook Islands.
The Cook Islands has an international legal personality and conducts its own international relations, including establishing diplomatic relationships with many countries.
The principles of the New Zealand–Cook Islands partnership are set out in the Joint Centenary Declaration [PDF, 218 KB], signed in 2001 and reaffirmed in a joint statement in 2015
People and culture
New Zealand and the Cook Islands are close partners, with many constitutional, Pacific, and people-to-people links.
Cook Islanders hold New Zealand citizenship, and there is a significant Cook Islands diaspora in New Zealand.
Development cooperation and sustainability
New Zealand’s assistance has three main pillars: the Core Sector Support Programme, which provides regular budget support focused on three key sectors (health, education, and tourism) the Public Sector Strengthening Support Programme; and support to critical public infrastructure investments through the Infrastructure Trust Fund (ITF).
New Zealand’s contribution of climate flexible finance via the ITF enables the Cook Islands to deliver climate action activities as it chooses.
New Zealand also provides significant support to other sectors, mainly focused on public sector capability building through New Zealand’s agency partnerships with Cook Islands’ counterparts (e.g. policing, immigration, corrections, customs, maritime and aviation safety).
The latest information on our development cooperation activities, including activity details and descriptions, start and end dates, geographic and sectoral focus, expenditure figures, is available at DevData(external link).
Trade and investment
The Cook Islands graduated in 2019 to the category of High Income Country (ending its eligibility for Official Development Assistance under OECD definitions). Graduation is a testament to strong economic performance and management by the Cook Islands, which is the first Pacific Island Country or Territory to graduate since 2000.
Tourism, infrastructure, and seabed mineral extraction are viewed by the Cook Islands as key to its economic revival.
Both New Zealand and the Cook Islands have ratified the Pacific Agreement on Closer Economic Relations (PACER Plus) which entered into force on 13 December 2020.
The latest information about New Zealand's trade profile with the Cook Islands is available on the New Zealand Trade Dashboard(external link).
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