Cook Islands Prime Minister Mark Brown defended the nation's new strategic partnership with China, citing the need for ...

Jul 25, 2025 // Diplomatic Courier’s Stephanie Gull brings you weekly under–the–radar stories from around the world. This ...

A MFAT spokesperson says if Mark Brown wishes to run a foreign and defence policy without the need to consult, then he should ...

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — New Zealand has halted millions of dollars in funding to the Cook Islands over the "breadth and content" of agreements the smaller Pacific nation made with China, ...

Freeze emerges as NZ's leader visits China. News of the 18.2 million New Zealand dollar ($11 million) funding halt Thursday only emerged when a Cook Islands news outlet saw its brief mention in a ...

But the proposed pact has shaken decades-old ties between the Cook Islands and New Zealand, neighbours that are set to mark 60 years of a free association agreement in 2025. That agreement has ...

New Zealand’s latest action was an “entirely avoidable consequence of Cook Islands’ strategic flirtations with China,” said Mihai Sora, analyst with the Australia-based thinktank Lowy ...

Since 1965, the Cook Islands has been a country in free association with New Zealand. Its citizens have New Zealand passports and all the perks of that – access to New Zealand's healthcare and ...

WELLINGTON (Reuters) - The Cook Islands lie halfway between New Zealand and Hawaii and are made up of 15 islands and atolls spread over 700 square miles (1.9 million square kilometres) The country ...

News of the 18.2 million New Zealand dollar ($11 million) funding halt Thursday only emerged when a Cook Islands news outlet saw its brief mention in a government budget document.