Cook Islands women with Dame Silvia Cartwright.

Dame Silvia Cartwright during a visit to the National Council of Women in Rarotonga. Gender equality is an important part of NZAID's work in the Cook Islands.

Click for enlargement of map.

Cook Islands

2008/2009 Allocation | $11 million

Allocation

Since July 2004 New Zealand and Australia have combined their aid programmes to the Cook Islands. The objective of donor harmonisation is to enhance the effectiveness of aid so that it has greater impact. NZAID manages this single coordinated programme on behalf of AusAID. The total allocation for 2006/7 is NZ$8.0 million, made up of NZ$6.34 million from NZAID and NZ$1.65 million from AusAID.

Snapshot

The Cook Islands are spread across almost two million square kilometres of ocean north east of New Zealand near Samoa, Kiribati and Tahiti. The country consists of two groups of islands which cover a total land area of just 241 square kilometres. Thirteen of the islands are inhabited and two are uninhabited. The North Cook Islands are atolls, the South Cook Islands are volcanic and comparatively fertile.

Half of the population of around 21,000 people live on the island of Rarotonga. The Cook Islands became self-governing in free association with New Zealand in 1965. The Cook Islands' special constitutional relationship with New Zealand means all Cook Islanders are New Zealand citizens.

Tourism is the main industry and most significant employer. Main exports are black pearls, tropical fruits and fish. The growth in tourism has improved the economy over recent years, but imports still significantly exceed exports.

Population loss, especially from the outer islands, is of growing concern in the Cook Islands. Other major development issues include poor delivery of basic social services to outer islands, shortages of labour and a narrow economic base.

NZAID priorities

NZAID's top priority is to support economic and social development in the Cook Islands. A five-year joint strategy between NZAID, AusAID and the Cook Islands Government aims to strengthen governance, improve the delivery of basic social services, and build prospects for sustainable economic development. A new Joint Country Strategy for 2007 – 2017 is being developed, guided by the Cook Islands’ National Sustainable Development Plan which was launched in January 2007.

The assistance programme is planned and managed in partnership with the Cook Islands and Australian governments, using a long-term approach to development.

NZAID on the ground

Education

Education and training accounts for more than half the NZAID/AusAID allocation for 2006/07, This expenditure is in recognition of the fact that one of the biggest challenges facing the Cook Islands is skill shortages across every sector of society and government.

NZAID assistance to the education sector focuses on:

support to schools and the Ministry of Education ($1.5m). This includes the provision of teachers and curriculum advisers, school resources, upskilling of principals and heads of department, and a numeracy project
refurbishment of school buildings ($750,000)
in-country training ($750,000), particularly for trades such as automotive, electrical and carpentry; business management and tourism
short-term training awards in NZ ($350,000) including waste management, business management and trades
scholarships to study in NZ and the Pacific region ($750,000), with priority given to tourism, finance, marine, environment, agriculture, health and education (secondary teaching).

NZAID and AusAID are working with the Cook Islands Government to develop a sector-wide approach (SWAp) to education based on a long-term strategy to bring high quality education to all Cook Islanders, from pre-school to vocational education, including those with special needs.

Economic development

Outer island development

Development in the outer islands underpins much of NZAID's and AusAID's joint programme. The Development Partnership Agreement, signed in September 2005, is providing NZ$6 million over three years for infrastructure projects in the outer islands. The primary focus is on harbours, wharves, power and water supplies, and cyclone shelters, and the social and economic development of the outer island communities.

Marine resources

Marine resources including fishing and aquaculture, are expected to be a major source of income for the Cook Islands - making planning in this area a top priority.

Strategic plans are being developed that focus on the tuna industry, pearls and integrated environmental protection for inshore fisheries

Governance

New Zealand continues to make provision for a range of projects designed to support good governance and public sector improvement in the Cook Islands.

A partnership programme has been established that will strengthen links between Cook Island and New Zealand government departments while providing short term technical assistance in areas of economic policy and auditing, fraud investigation, legislative drafting and waste management.

Gender equality

The goal of this programme is the equal participation of women and men as contributors to and beneficiaries of development in the Cook Islands. As a result of NZAID/AusAID support, Cook Islands will accede to the United Nations Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) in 2007. NZAID/AusAID also funds the work of Punanga Tauturu, the Women's Counselling Centre, and the Cook Islands National Council of Women.

Other projects

Cyclone recovery

Severe cyclone seasons caused major damage to the Cook Islands in 2004 and 2005. New Zealand has committed an additional $10 million over three years to assist in the reconstruction process.

The Cook Islands government have developed a package of projects, mainly for the outer islands, which includes harbour reconstruction and community cyclone shelters. A new centre for the Red Cross will be set up as a base for emergency action and to store emergency supplies. There will also be ongoing support for the Cook Islands Emergency Management plan to provide disaster planning and management.