Jason Walls: Newstalk ZB political editor on the poll revealing less than a third of respondents support NZ giving Cook Islands services

Less than a third of respondents to a poll believe the Cook Islands should still get New Zealand services.

Last week, the Government paused aid after the Cooks signed a partnership with China, without sharing any details with New Zealand. 

The Taxpayers' Union-funded Curia poll asked participants whether the Cooks should continue to have automatic access to New Zealand passports, citizenship and healthcare when pursuing foreign policy against New Zealand's wishes.   

Only 30 percent believed they should and 46 percent said not - with the remaining 24 percent unsure. 

Newstalk ZB political editor Jason Walls unpacks the results.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Jason Wool's news dogs. There be political editors with us now.

Speaker 2 (00:02):
Hello, Jason, good afternoon.

Speaker 1 (00:04):
He did you ask David seymore about that poll?

Speaker 2 (00:06):
I did. Indeed, it was an interesting poll in terms
of the results there. We had forty six percent of
nearly half people saying that given all the sort of
what's going on with the Cook Islands in terms of
this closer relationship that it has with China, should they essentially,
you know, should they be well, I'll read the poll
to you. Actually, it might be a little bit easier.

(00:27):
The Cook Islands government is pursuing closest strategic ties with China,
ignoring New Zealand's wishes and not consulting with the New
Zealand government. Given this, should the Cook Islands continue to
enjoy automatic access to New Zealand's passports, citizenship, healthcare and
education when its government pursues a foreign policy against the

(00:47):
wishes of New Zealand. So thirty percent of people said yes,
forty six percent of people said no, which is quite
an interesting figure. So I asked see more about that.
Here's what he said.

Speaker 3 (00:58):
There's been a long and fruitful relationship between the Cook
Islands and New Zealand. And Free Association. There's been a
bit of a bump in the road lately, but that
has been worked through between our Prime Minister, our Foreign
Minister and their government. I believe in the long term
New Zealand needs the Cooks, the Cooks need New Zealand,

(01:18):
and we're going to get each other. It would be
I think premature to start pulling out withdrawals of long
held and cherished rights of citizenship and entry between the
two countries.

Speaker 2 (01:32):
So it doesn't sound like it's going to happen, and
frankly I didn't think that it would. I mean, I
mean the government you said it himself there. It's a
bit of a bump in the road. So we'll wait
to see what happens with the Prime Minister or over there.
We wait to see what happens between China and the Cooks,
as well as New Zealand and the Cook Islands as well.
We haven't had any update per se on how things
are going, or at least David Seymour hadn't when I

(01:53):
spoke to him this afternoon. But as appealed but interesting numbers.

Speaker 1 (01:56):
Yeah, it's not going to happen as it I mean,
there's obviously a little bit of public support for it.
It's a very small margin. But it's not going to happen,
is it? Because the people of the cooks are not
going to let that happen.

Speaker 2 (02:06):
No. I mean, if it was ever a legitimately legitimately
on the table, there would be a revolt over in
the Cook Islands because they get a lot out of this,
and obviously back in New Zealand as well, there'd be
people here that would take to the streets. I mean,
as this poll shows, there's more people supporting no than yes,
but you would still get a groundswell of support around
people that really, despite what was going on, wanted the

(02:26):
best interests of the people of the Cook Islands in mind.

Speaker 1 (02:29):
Absolutely, I'm pretty sure they would force Mark brown Puller's
head in. Actually now, David Seymour prime Minister for a day.
How did he go in the postcap?

Speaker 2 (02:37):
I think he went pretty well. I mean he struck
a pretty middle of the road tone over the situation
in the Middle East.

Speaker 3 (02:43):
Have a listen, We're not sitting on the fence, nor
are we rushing to judgment. I believe the world is
not sitting there waiting for New Zealand to give its
position on the legality of the situation.

Speaker 2 (02:56):
As much as I'd like to think that the world
was waiting for New Zealand to weigh in on this situation,
He's right, they're not. And the worst thing would what
could happen right now his New Zealand would come in
too hard, too early and say something that it ultimately
would get contradicted, and then we would look like a
fool on the global stage. There was always a bit
of a risk that Deputy or acting Prime Minister David

(03:16):
Seymour would say something that's a little bit more act
Party esque than Prime ministerial. And you know, I think
that he had a pretty statesmanly like response to some things,
apart from when he was asked his response to what
Labour stance on US versus Iran was what do you
make of the opposition's response to this? The Labor Party
have been very against what the US have done. Tipati

(03:37):
Marti on similar vein well.

Speaker 3 (03:39):
Speaking of people that don't have all the intelligence, I'd
categorize them that way.

Speaker 2 (03:43):
So there's Seymour and he wasn't a fan of Tory.
Fanner writing to the Prime Minister saying that David Seymour
was breaching the Cabinet manual over his calling out of
people who were critical of the Regulatory Standards Bill. She
says that it breaches the Cabinet manual. Just curious about
what your response to that is.

Speaker 3 (03:59):
So sorry, talk to Glory find Hours accusing me of
inappropriate behavior. Yeah, I've heard it all.

Speaker 2 (04:05):
So the troll David is still there, even if the
acting Prime Minister David is mainly in control.

Speaker 1 (04:11):
Jason, did anybody ask him? Did he explain why it
is that the Australians are fully backing the US attacks
and we're not.

Speaker 3 (04:18):
Yeah?

Speaker 2 (04:18):
He did. He was asked about that extensively, and essentially
he just came back to this point that the world
isn't waiting for New Zealand to respond, and it's not
really within our national interests to come out swinging on
something like this. But you have to question, when it
is Australia who are our only formal allies, we should
surely be taking the same stance as them. I mean,
what's the harm in that?

Speaker 1 (04:38):
Okay? Listen, thanks very much, Jason, appreciate it. Jason Wall's
News Talks ITB's Political editor for more from Hither Duplessy
Allen Drive. Listen live to news talks it'd be from
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