New Zealand Governor General Dame Cindy Kiro enjoys the festivities in Rarotonga. Photo credit: Government House.
By Michelle Curran
Strategic Communications, Pasifika TV
Kūki ʻĀirani celebrated its unique connection and linkages with Aotearoa New Zealand across Te Moana Nui a Kiwa, with Cook Islands 60th Anniversary Constitution Day events taking place in Rarotonga and Auckland.
On August 4, 1965, the Cook Islands entered into Free Association with New Zealand, creating a global precedent which other countries would follow.
New Zealand’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Rt Hon Vaovasamanaia Winston Peters marked the 60th anniversary of relations with its Pacific neighbour, at Te Oro Music and Arts Centre in Glen Innes.
Ministers Dr Shane Reti, left, and Winston Peters at the Cook Islands 60th Anniversary Constitution Day in Glen Innes.
Respected leader and proud Kūki Airani Community member, Caren Rangi (who is also Deputy Chair of Pacific Cooperation Broadcasting Limited, PCBL) was MC alongside John Kiria at the event, hosted by the East Cook Islands Community Group.
In his speech to the Cook Island community, who this week are also celebrating Cook Islands Language Week, Minister Peters shared his reflections on the close relationship between the two nations.
“We are a close family, because our links, as we know, are intertwined and ancient…and we can celebrate that it endures, this strong link between our peoples,” Minister Peters says.
He adds the Free Association model has allowed the Cook Islands to flourish economically, in education, sport and the arts and there are many successes to be celebrated throughout the 60-year relationship.
“The beating heart of our Free Association is the right to choose.
“Cook Islanders are free to choose where to live, how to live, and to worship whichever God they wish.
“They are also free to choose to leave the relationship should they ever wish to, and like in any close family, we would support them and wish them well.
“In our troubled world, we sometimes need to stop, take pause from time to time, to reflect on our successes and today marks one of them, because there is much to celebrate in our 60 years joined together in free association as part of the New Zealand realm.”
Minister for Pacific Peoples Hon Dr Shane Reti and Labour Member of Parliament Hon Carmel Sepuloni also spoke at the event, congratulating the over 80,000 Kūki ʻĀirani, who live in Aotearoa, as well as the 15,000 who live back at home, on the milestone.
Cook Islands performer Annie Crummer breaks into an impromptu waiata at the Cook Islands 60th Anniversary Constitution Day in Glen Innes.
Meanwhile, thousands of Kūki ʻĀirani travelled to Rarotonga for Te Maeva Nui to mark six decades of Free Association with Aotearoa and celebrate Cook Islands culture and identity.
Her Excellency Rt Hon Governor General Dame Cindy Kiro represented New Zealand as the country’s highest ranking official, attending Constitution Day activities, alongside the team from the New Zealand High Commission.
Dame Cindy acknowledged the long-standing bond between the two nations, as far back as “our voyaging ancestors”, and the connection reflected in the family links between Aotearoa and the Cook Islands.
Content Manager for PCBL/Pasifika TV Tia Soakai also attended the festivities, to capture the colour, vibrancy and significance of the occasion for the organisation.
“Being here for the 60th anniversary is an honour, the energy is electric, the colours vibrant, and every moment is full of passion, mana, and spirit,” she says.
“This isn’t just coverage, it’s about capturing a living story of sovereignty, identity, and the unbreakable bond between the Cook Islands and Aotearoa.”
