Rashneel Kumar: Cook Islands journalist on New Zealand pausing funding to the Cook Islands

There's claims the Cook Islands were left in the dark over New Zealand pausing funding. 

Foreign Minister Winston Peters says a $20-million-dollar pot of development aid won't resume until trust is restored between our countries, who operate under a special relationship. 

Its Prime Minister signed a comprehensive strategic partnership with China, without giving New Zealand any insight on the deal. 

Cook Islands journalist Rashneel Kumar says the Government was caught off guard - and he explained that it has tried to ease fears the agreement with China may have caused. 

LISTEN ABOVE

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
In something of a shock, the New Zealand government has
paused nearly twenty million dollars of support funding to the
Cook Islands. Now, this is a sign of just how
big the rift between the two countries has grown since
the Cook signed that partnership agreement with China and didn't
let us know. Here's what Foreign Minister Winston Peters wants.

Speaker 2 (00:15):
We want assure said our special relationship remains special.

Speaker 1 (00:19):
Rational Kumar is the journalist at the Cook Islands News
who broke the story. Rational. Hello, hey Karona, Now was
that story planted in order to overshadow Chris Luxe's meeting
with Chijipan or did you come across it through your
own efforts?

Speaker 2 (00:32):
I think you are maybe the third person from New
Zealand who has asked me that no, it wasn't planted.
I founded in the Public Arts Committee report which was
stabled in Parliament this week, and in the report it
said with concern they can see a reduction of ten
million dollars from New Zealand and they wanted to know
what has happened to the funding and they were told

(00:54):
that it was due to some sort of uncertainty and
ongoing discussions with New Zealand, and then of course we
went to our Foreign minister to ask for some comments.
We didn't get much from him, or we got nothing
from him, and then yesterday we went to New Zealand
to see whether it has to do anything with the
China agreements. And yeah, so that's where the story happened.

Speaker 1 (01:17):
Now what I'm hearing, and this is what the word
is at the moment. It's that this has been brought
about because the Cook Island government has been incredibly difficult
to deal with for the New Zealand government. Is that accurate?

Speaker 2 (01:29):
That's what New Zealand is saying, Cook Garlands is claiming. Otherwise,
they're saying that we are dealing the best we can
and they're actually in dark or they according to a
statement from our Foreign Affairs Ministry a while ago, they're
not sure what has really happened. You know, they tried
their best to I guess, lay off all any fears

(01:50):
that the agreements with China had, but yeah, so they're
not sure. According to them, they're doing their best what
they can do to I guess is why New Zealand.

Speaker 1 (02:02):
Is this important enough money for the Cooks to change
its approach? If there isn't if there is a problem
with its approach.

Speaker 2 (02:09):
Yeah, it is important money because I think most people
are aware the Cooklrants is a developed nation and New
Zealand probably is our biggest obviously biggest partner, and the
amount of money that we get is substantial. And the
twenty million dollars, some twenty million dollars confirmed by the
New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs this morning, goes towards

(02:29):
core sector support, which is public sector as well as
the Health Ministry, education, tourism. So it's a substantial amount.
And by the tone of our Foreign Affairs Ministry statement
this afternoon, there seems to be walking progress to make
sure that whatever rift and whatever misunderstanding as they claim

(02:51):
there is resolved so funding can resume.

Speaker 1 (02:55):
Brilliant. Okay, hey, thank you very much. I really appreciate
your time. That's rational Kuma The Cook Islands News List.
For more from Hither Duplessy Allen Drive, listen live to
News Talks it B from four pm weekdays, or follow
the podcast on iHeartRadio.