Luxon plays down Cook Islands funding pause
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has down-played a pause of nearly $20 million in funding to the Cook Islands during his second day of his trip to China.
Luxon spoke to media in Shanghai hours after it became public that New Zealand paused $18.2 million in development assistance to the island nation after its government signed a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership agreement with China earlier this year.
The Cook Islands operates in free association with New Zealand, and while it governs its own affairs, a 2001 Joint Centenary Declaration signed between the two nations requires them to consult each other on defence and security.
Speaking to reporters on Thursday morning Foreign Affairs minister Winston Peters said the Cook Islands had failed to give satisfactory answers to New Zealand's questions about the agreement.
However Luxon said the dispute lies squarely with the Cook Island government - not China.
He said the Cook Islands has obligations to disclose partnership agreements with New Zealand, irrespective of who they're signed with.
"Part of our constitutional arrangements as a realm country and free association is that we actually have responsibility for matters around defence and security, and as a result, what we've said from the beginning of the year, we were unhappy and dissatisfied with the fact that the Cook Islands government wasn't open and transparent about its international agreements."
Luxon is currently in China on his first official visit and is due to meet with President Xi Jinping shortly.
Asked if he expected the topic to be raised in his meeting with the Chinese President, Luxon said the issue was between New Zealand and the Cook Islands.
"The Cook Islands people [have] made a massive contribution to New Zealand. They are New Zealand citizens, there's not a Cook Islands citizenship... they get the huge benefit of being part of New Zealand and being citizens of New Zealand with respect to accessing our public services.
The Foreign Affairs minister informed the Cook Islands government of the funding pause decision in early June.
However, it only became public on Thursday after media reports in the Cook Islands.
"We're really proud of them, our issue is not with Cook Islanders, our issue is with the Cook Islands government and Prime Minister Brown not being sufficiently transparent enough," Luxon said.
Luxon tore through a blitz of promotional events on his first day in Shanghai, spruiking New Zealand's wares before the serious diplomacy began.
When visiting "New Zealand Central" - an event facility run by NZ Trade & Enterprise - the PM announced a new government certification scheme clearing the way for Kiwi-made cosmetics to be sold on Chinese shelves.
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