Pacific Magazine > 2007 Pacific Almanac
Cook Islands
The Basics
Population: 21,300 (2006 census)
Capital: Rarotonga
Land Area: 240 sq. km.
Political Status and Form of Government: Self-governing in free association with New Zealand; Cook Islands is fully responsible for internal affairs; New Zealand retains responsibility for exter\nal affairs and defense, in consultation with the Cook Islands.
Languages: Cook Islands Maori, English
Currency: N.Z. Dollar, Cook Island coins
Number of Islands: 15 inhabited islands and atolls
The Numbers
Gross Domestic Product: NZ$280.2 million (US$215 million) (2006 current market prices)
Gross Domestic Product per capita: NZ$13,158 (US$10,137) (2006)
Gross Domestic Product Growth Rate: 2.5% (2007 ADB)
National Budget: NZ$108.6 million expenditure (US$83 million) (2007-08)
Aid per capita: NZ$21.2 million (US$16.3) (according to 2007/08 budget estimates)
Life Expectancy: Male: 71 Female:
Ethnicity: Cook Island Maori 87.7%, part Cook Island Maori 5.8%, other 6.5%
Nationality: Cook Islander
Age Distribution:0-14 years: 34.1%, 15-64 years: 59.5%, 65+: 6.4%
Population Growth Rate: -1.2% (2001 est.)
People in Power
Head of Government: Jim Marurai
Head of State: Queen Elizabeth II
Cabinet Members: All Cabinet ministers have multiple portfolios. Dr. Terepai Moate, Deputy Prime Minister, attorney general, health, finance; Ngamau Munokoa, agriculture, sports and works; Tangata Vavia, justice and transport; Wilkie Rasmussen, foreign affairs, tourism and marine; Kete Ioane, outer islands administration, natural environment services.
Representative Body: Unicameral Parliament (24 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)
Regional Organizations
ACP, ADB, ESCAP (associate), FAO, ICAO, ICFTU, IFAD, IFRCS (associate), IOC, OPCW, PIF, FFA, Sparteca, SPC, SOPAC, SPREP, SPTO, UNESCO, USP, WCPFC, WHO, WMO
Media & Internet Service Providers
Radio: FM Radio Ikurangi, AM Radio Cook Islands
Print: Cook Islands News – daily, print and on the web. Cook Islands Herald - weekly.
ISPs: Telecom Cook Islands
Recent News
The Cook Islands government and population have had to grapple with a number of difficult issues in 2007, many of them speaking directly to how it will manage its economic future. The potential of a seabed manganese nodule mining industry was among them. A committee has been set up by cabinet to review expressions of interest in the resource, and set terms and conditions for engagement with potential developers.
The committee’s chairman, Terepai Maoate Jr., says one of those companies, Endeavour Mining, wants to spend more than $1 billion exploring the seabed—but stresses that the government is proceeding with caution.
That’s also the advice of the International Finance Corporation, which has advised the government to proceed with care, and retain control of the process. Maoate Jr. says one possible constraint to development of the resource is lack of labor.
That’s already a contentious issue, with Immigration Minister Wilkie Rasmussen trying to resolve the problem of illegal foreign workers from neighboring countries in 2007. Rasmussen met with expatriate communities, including Samoans, Tongans and Filipinos to discuss how to legalize the workforce. Some employers say foreign workers are necessary to keep the economy moving.
The 2007 Asian Development Bank Outlook Update showed that growth in the Cook Islands is forecast at 2.5% for 2007. But tourism, which accounts for half of gross domestic product, is particularly vulnerable to the risks posed by inadequate and ageing infrastructure.
In 2007, the government was forced to defend its decision to dump asbestos laden building materials in the ocean against criticism from environmentalists. The asbestos cannot be disposed of in the Rarotonga Waste Landfill as it would fill over half of the available space. The ship Miss Mataroa was filled with 300 tons of cement sheeting, containing asbestos and scuttled five nautical miles off the Cook Islands. It now sits 4,000 meters below sea level.
The Finance Ministry expressed concern about a US$4 million Chinese grant the government plans to use for the building of a sports complex for the 2009 South Pacific Mini Games. The department says repairs and maintenance for the building would cost about a quarter of a million dollars each year for 20 years.
The Cook Islands lay to rest former Prime Minister and Renaissance man Sir Tom Davis in July. “Papa Tom” was Cook Islands first medical doctor, scientist and political leader.
Airlines, Shippers Serving Countrys
Air: Air New Zealand and Pacific Blue. Air Rarotonga for internal flights.
Shippers: Pacific Forum Line, Taio Shipping, Mataroa Shipping, EXCIL Shipping.
Main Government Contact
Office of the Prime Minister
Rarotonga, Cook Islands
Ph: (682) 29-300/301
Fax: (682) 20 856
Sources and Cook Islands on the Web
Cook Islands News: www.cinews.co.ck
Cook Islands Herald: www.ciherald.co.ck
Cook Island government: www.cook-islands.gov.ck
Cook Islands finance ministry: www.mfem.gov.ck
Cook Islands tourism: www.cook-islands.com
CIA World Factbook
www.cia.gov
World Health Organization
www.who.int
Map courtesy UH Press, The Pacific Islands; an Encyclopedia
Click map for larger image
