📰 Cook Islands · page 3

On the lowest level, there are village committees.122 Nassau, which is governed by Pukapuka, has an island committee (Nassau Island Committee), which advises the Pukapuka Island Council on matters concerning its own island.123

Economy

Main article: Economy of the Cook Islands

See also: Transport in the Cook Islands

The economy is strongly affected by geography.124 It is isolated from foreign markets, and has some inadequate infrastructure; it lacks major natural resources except for significant seabed critical minerals, has limited manufacturing and suffers moderately from natural disasters.[75]125 Tourism provides the economic base that makes up approximately 67.5% of GDP.126 Additionally, the economy is supported by foreign aid, largely from New Zealand.127 China has also contributed foreign aid, which has resulted in, among other projects, the Police Headquarters building.[76]128

Tourist arrivals of 2024 in %[77]129

Rarotonga International Airport is the only airport that receives international flights.130 Eight airports on other islands provide local or charter services.131 Only Rarotonga and Aitutaki Airport have paved runways; the others have coral runways.[78]132 The main seaport and the only one where container ships can berth is Rarotonga's port of Avatiu.133 At the port of Arutanga at Aitutaki, ships anchor outside the reef and cargo is carried to the dock by lighter barge.[79]134

Since about 1989, the Cook Islands has specialised in so-called asset protection trusts through its International Trusts Act.135 This allows investors to shelter assets from the reach of creditors and legal authorities.[80][81]136 According to The New York Times, the Cooks have "laws devised to protect foreigners' assets from legal claims in their home countries", which were apparently crafted specifically to thwart the reach of American justice; creditors must travel to the Cook Islands and argue their cases under Cooks law, often at prohibitive expense.[80]137 Unlike other foreign jurisdictions such as the British Virgin Islands, the Cayman Islands and Switzerland, the Cooks "generally disregard foreign court orders" and do not require that bank accounts, real estate, or other assets protected from scrutiny (it is illegal to disclose names or any information about Cooks trusts) be physically located within the archipelago.[80]138 Taxes on trusts and trust employees account for some 8% of the Cook Islands economy, behind tourism but ahead of fishing.[80]139

In 2019, the Cook Islands passed the Sea Bed Minerals (SBM) Act to manage the seabed minerals located in the Exclusive Economic Zone surrounding the islands.[82]140 In 2022, the SBMA granted three exploration licences for polymetallic nodules to three private companies, including one co-owned by the government.[83]141 In 2025, the Cook Islands signed seabed mineral exploration agreements with the United States and China.[84][85]142

Demographics

Main article: Demographics of the Cook Islands

Births and deaths[86]143

Religion

Main article: Religion in the Cook Islands

In the Cook Islands, there is separation between the church and the state, and most of the population is Christian.[87]144

Various Protestant groups account for 62.8% of the believers, the most followed denomination being the Cook Islands Christian Church with 49.1%.145 Other Protestant Christian groups include Seventh-day Adventist 7.9%, Assemblies of God 3.7% and Apostolic Church 2.1%.146 The main non-Protestant group are Catholics, with 17% of the population.147 The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints makes up 4.4%. "148 None" or "unspecified" account for 15.6% of the population.[87]149

Culture

Main article: Culture of the Cook Islands

Language

The languages of the Cook Islands include English, Cook Islands Māori (or "Rarotongan"), and Pukapukan.150 Dialects of Cook Islands Māori include Penrhyn; Rakahanga-Manihiki; the Ngaputoru dialect of Atiu, Mitiaro, and Mauke; the Aitutaki dialect; and the Mangaian dialect.151 Cook Islands Māori and its dialectic variants are closely related to both Tahitian and to New Zealand Māori.152 Pukapukan is considered closely related to the Samoan language.153 English and Cook Islands Māori are official languages of the Cook Islands, per the Te Reo Maori Act.154 The legal definition of Cook Islands Māori includes Pukapukan.[88]155

Art

Main article: Cook Islands art

Traditional arts

Woodcarving is a common art form in the Cook Islands.156 The proximity of islands in the southern group helped produce a homogeneous style of carving but that had special developments in each island.157 Rarotonga is known for its fisherman's gods and staff-gods, Atiu for its wooden seats, Mitiaro, Mauke and Atiu for mace and slab gods and Mangaia for its ceremonial adzes.158 Most of the original wood carvings were either spirited away by early European collectors or were burned in large numbers by missionaries.159 Today, carving is no longer the major art form with the same spiritual and cultural emphasis given to it by the Maori in New Zealand.160 However, there are continual efforts to interest young people in their heritage and some good work is being turned out under the guidance of older carvers.161 Atiu, in particular, has a strong tradition of crafts both in carving and local fibre arts such as tapa.162 Mangaia is the source of many fine adzes carved in a distinctive, idiosyncratic style with the so-called double-k design.163 Mangaia also produces food pounders carved from the heavy calcite found in its extensive limestone caves.[89]164

The outer islands produce traditional weaving of mats, basketware and hats.165 Particularly fine examples of rito hats are worn by women to church.166 They are made from the uncurled immature fibre of the coconut palm and are of very high quality.167 The Polynesian equivalent of Panama hats, they are highly valued and are keenly sought by Polynesian visitors from Tahiti.168 Often, they are decorated with hatbands made of minuscule pupu shells that are painted and stitched on by hand.169 Although pupu are found on other islands the collection and use of them in decorative work has become a speciality of Mangaia.170 The weaving of rito is a speciality of the northern islands, Manihiki, Rakahanga and Penrhyn.[90]171

A major art form in the Cook Islands is tivaevae.172 This is, in essence, the art of handmade Island scenery patchwork quilts.173 Introduced by the wives of missionaries in the 19th century, the craft grew into a communal activity, which is probably one of the main reasons for its popularity.[91]174

Contemporary art

The Cook Islands has produced internationally recognised contemporary artists, especially from the main island of Rarotonga.175 Artists include painter (and photographer) Mahiriki Tangaroa, sculptors Eruera (Ted) Nia (originally a film maker) and master carver Mike Tavioni, painter (and Polynesian tattoo enthusiast) Upoko'ina Ian George, Aitutakian-born painter Tim Manavaroa Buchanan, Loretta Reynolds, Judith Kunzlé, Joan Gragg, Kay George (who is also known for her fabric designs), Apii Rongo, Varu Samuel, and multi-media, installation and community-project artist Ani O'Neill, all of whom currently live on Rarotonga.176 Atiuan-based Andrea Eimke is an artist who works in the medium of tapa and other textiles, and also co-authored the book Tivaivai – The Social Fabric of the Cook Islands with British academic Susanne Kuechler.177 Many of these artists have studied at university art schools in New Zealand and continue to enjoy close links with the New Zealand art scene.[92]178

New Zealand-based Cook Islander artists include Michel Tuffery, print-maker David Teata, Richard Shortland Cooper, Nina Oberg Humphries, Sylvia Marsters and Jim Vivieaere.179

Bergman Gallery (formerly BCA Gallery) is the main commercial dealer gallery in the Cook Islands, situated in Rarotonga, and represents Cook Islands artists such as Sylvia Marsters, Mahiriki Tangaroa, Nina Oberg Humphries, Joan Gragg and Tungane Broadbent.[93]180 The Art Studio Gallery in Arorangi was run by Ian George and Kay George and is now Beluga Cafe.[94][95]181 There is also Gallery Tavioni and Vananga run by Mike Tavioni,[96] and the Cook Islands National Museum exhibits art.[97]182

Music

Main article: Music of the Cook Islands

Music in the Cook Islands is varied, with Christian songs being quite popular, but traditional dancing and songs in Cook Islands Maori and Pukapukan remain popular.183

Sport

Main article: Sport in the Cook Islands

The Cook Islands have competed at the Summer Olympic Games since 1988, without winning a medal.[98]184 Rugby league is the most popular sport and the national sport of the country.[99]185

Newspapers

Newspapers in the Cook Islands are usually published in English with some articles in Cook Islands Māori.[100]186 The Cook Islands News has been published since 1945, although it was owned by the government until 1989.[101]187 Former newspapers include Te Akatauira, which was published from 1978 to 1980.[100]188

See also

Index of Cook Islands–related articles

List of Cook Islanders

Outline of the Cook Islands

Further reading

Gilson, Richard. The Cook Islands 1820–1950. Wellington, New Zealand: Victoria University Press, 1980. ISBN 0-7055-0735-1

Roberts, John. Around the Corner from Nowhere: The Cook Islands Rediscovered. Independent Publishing Network, 2022, Amazon. ISBN 978-1-80068-445-4

External links

Cook Islands. The World Factbook. Central Intelligence Agency

Independent Guide to all 15 islands

Cook Islands from *UCB Libraries GovPubs