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Embassies and consular services for Cook Islands
| Location | Service areas |
|---|---|
| Cook Islands High Commission | |
| New Zealand High Commission to the Cook Islands | Cook Islands |
Key documents
About Cook Islands
Cook Islands is located between French Polynesia and American Samoa. It is self-governing in ‘free association’ with New Zealand. That means that while it administers its own affairs, Cook Islanders are New Zealand citizens who are free to live and work here. More than 80,000 Cook Island Māori live in New Zealand.
Find out more about Cook Islands.
Trade
Most of the goods traded between New Zealand and Cook Islands are exports from New Zealand to Cook Islands. Tourism is the main driver of growth with visitor numbers in 2018 hitting a record high of almost 170,000.
Tourists are mostly from New Zealand (approx. 61%) and Australia (approx. 13%).
2019 statistics
|
Two-way goods trade with NZ |
NZD$127 million |
|
|
Goods exports from NZ |
NZD$126 million |
Top exports: Beverages. Machinery, Fuel, Vehicles and Food |
|
Goods imports to NZ |
NZD$727 thousand |
Top imports: Fruit juice, Art, Apparel and Pearls |
|
GDP |
USD$379 million^ |
|
| GDP per capita | USD$18,767^ | NZ GDP per capita is USD$42,446* |
Sources: ^ Cook Islands National Accounts(external link) * IMF WEO April 2020(external link)
|
Tourism revenue |
NZD$356 million+ |
2018/19 |
|
Visitor arrivals |
171,550# |
2019 |
Sources: + New Zealand Tourism Research Institute(external link) # Cook Islands Tourism statistics(external link)
Development cooperation
New Zealand’s development cooperation with Cook Islands focuses on strengthening the public sector, especially building capacity in health, education and tourism. It also includes supporting critical water, sanitation and communications infrastructure.
Find out more about our current priorities, achievements and activities in Cook Islands.
Embassies
- New Zealand is represented in the Cook Islands by the New Zealand High Commission, Rarotonga
- The Cook Islands are represented in New Zealand by the Cook Islands High Commission, Wellington
Recent official visits
New Zealand to Cook Islands
- May 2019: Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters, Minister for Fisheries and Police, Stuart Nash, and Undersecretary for Foreign Affairs, Fletcher Tabuteau, travelled to Cook Islands for the 6th Joint Ministerial Forum
- March 2019: Minister for Pacific Peoples, Hon. Aupito William Sio, attended two-day Climate Change Roundtable, hosted by Cook Islands Government
- March 2018: Senior Officials visited Cook Islands for the first Joint Ministerial Forum Working Group
- March 2018: Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters and a New Zealand delegation visited Cook Islands during the Pacific Mission
Cook Islands to New Zealand
- May 2019 : Prime Minister Puna visited New Zealand for the National Just Transition Summit
- April 2019 : Senior officials visited New Zealand for the Joint Ministerial Forum Working Group
- March 2019 : Prime Minister Puna represented Cook Islands at the National Memorial Service for those who died in the terrorist attacks in Christchurch
- November 2018 : Prime Minister Puna attended the Manatua Cable signing ceremony with Pacific leaders from French Polynesia, Samoa and Niue
- April 2018: Prime Minister Henry Puna, Finance Minister Mark Brown, Health Minister Nandi Glassie, Internal Affairs Minister Albery Nicholas and a Cook Islands delegation visited for bilateral discussions and the fifth Joint Ministerial Forum in Waitangi