The United States and New Zealand have announced a combined US$60 million (about NZ$101.5 million) package to upgrade a port on the remote Cook Islands atoll of Penrhyn, in a project the two governments say will improve shipping links for the country’s outer islands and support the development of deep-sea mineral mining.
Under the arrangement, the U.S. Department of State, working with Congress, will contribute US$50 million (about NZ$84 million), and New Zealand will contribute NZ$17.5 million (about US$10 million).
New Zealand will implement the project in close coordination with the Cook Islands and the United States.
“This is a positive and hugely significant initiative that demonstrates the strength of New Zealand’s partnerships with both the Cook Islands and the United States,” Peters said.
“We are very pleased to be able to partner with the United States and the Cook Islands governments to deliver this development priority for the Cook Islands, drawing on New Zealand’s experience in infrastructure delivery across the Pacific.”
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Landau said the project “underscores the United States’ strong commitment to our partners in the Pacific and builds on the Critical Minerals Framework the United States and the Cook Islands agreed to earlier this year.
“It also highlights our historic ties to Penrhyn atoll, where U.S. personnel constructed Penrhyn’s port and airstrip over 80 years ago. Through transformational infrastructure initiatives such as this, we are making the United States and our partners safer, stronger, and more prosperous.”
Brown called the port a “lifeline” for Tongareva (the local name for Penrhyn) that allows for “safer landings, better access to services, and stronger connections between our Pa Enua (outer islands) and the world.
“This wharf upgrade complements our new domestic shipping investments and our own efforts in improving transport connections for our Pa Enua. We thank the United States and New Zealand for partnering with us to deliver on a priority our people have themselves identified.”
Penrhyn is the northernmost island in the Cook Islands, and its port is at the village of Omoka.
The statement said upgraded port facilities would deliver safety and security benefits and expand transport links and economic opportunities for the northern Cook Islands.
Contested Mineral Deposits
The project comes amid growing interest from both Washington and Beijing in deep-sea mineral deposits within the Cook Islands’ exclusive economic zone, which spans almost 2 million square kilometres.
The authority granted three five-year exploration licences over the nodules in 2022. The industry remains commercially unproven and has drawn opposition from ecologists and some Pacific governments on environmental grounds.
In April last year, President Donald Trump signed an executive order prioritising U.S. leadership in seabed mapping and mineral exploration, aiming to ensure reliable access to critical minerals, which are used in everything from defence systems and batteries to smartphones and medical devices.
Strained Relations
New Zealand said it had not been adequately consulted, as required under the Cook Islands’ constitutional relationship with Wellington, and suspended about NZ$30 million in annual budget support to the Cook Islands government in response. Brown maintained the China agreements contained no security elements.
It named New Zealand as the Cook Islands’ “partner of choice” on defence and security matters and requires the Cook Islands give New Zealand early notice of agreements with third parties involving critical infrastructure, including ports. The suspended funding was restored following the signing.
The Cook Islands is a self-governing state in free association with New Zealand, whose citizens hold New Zealand citizenship.
Under a Joint Centenary Declaration signed by the two countries in 2001, New Zealand retains a role in the Cook Islands’ external affairs and defence, an arrangement that has come under renewed scrutiny as the U.S., New Zealand and China compete for influence in the Pacific.
