What will the Cook Islands need to thrive in the years ahead, and how can our partnership with the Pacific Community (SPC) help us get there?
These were the two central questions explored at the first Kai Vananga consultation in Rarotonga on 15 October, as government representatives came together to help shape the Cook Islands–SPC Country Programme.
Hosted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Immigration (MFAI) in collaboration with the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM), and facilitated by SPC, the consultation focused on how regional expertise and resources can better support the Cook Islands' own development priorities.
Opening the session, Secretary of Foreign Affairs and Immigration, Ms Elizabeth Wright-Koteka, acknowledged SPC's decades of support in areas including fisheries, agriculture, health, statistics and infrastructure.
“Today is about taking that long relationship and giving it a sharper purpose,” she said.
For Secretary Wright-Koteka, that means putting the Cook Islands firmly in the driving seat. The new Country Programme must be shaped by national priorities, take account of the different needs of communities across the country, particularly the Pa Enua, and strengthen the skills and systems needed to sustain progress long after individual projects have ended.
“The best technical support is the kind that builds lasting capability within our own institutions,” she said.
SPC Director-General Dr Paula Vivili reinforced this country-led approach, recognising that the Cook Islands must determine its own direction while SPC works alongside national agencies to identify where its expertise and resources can make the greatest difference.
Guided by the Cook Islands National Sustainable Development Agenda (NSDA) 2020+, discussions looked beyond immediate needs to consider what the country could face in the years ahead, from changes affecting the economy and environment to the needs of communities and future generations.
The first Kai Vananga is the beginning of a wider process. Engagement with non-government organisations and other stakeholders is also being pursued so that different perspectives and community needs can help shape the Country Programme.
The feedback will feed into a draft programme, to be reviewed at a second Kai Vananga in the first part of 2027 before final agreement.
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