Cook Islands business leaders have been encouraged to tap into an initiative linking Pacific importers with Australian exporters.

Australian High Commissioner to the Cook Islands, Pheobe Smith, said one of her objectives was “unlocking the pathway of business development” for the island nation at a Chamber of Commerce event at Tamarind House in Rarotonga on Thursday last week.

“What we can do here is connect you with the resources you will need,” Smith said.

“The first is Pacific Trade Invest. Its job is to provide practical advice for businesses looking to export to Australia, and it has a wealth of resources and trainings on offer to build business capability and connect businesses with importers and investors in global markets.

“The second is to note our relationship through the Pacific Agreement on Closer Economic Relations Plus (PACER Plus), the development-centred free trade agreement for the region.

“Through the PACER network and implementation work-plan, we are working with Cook Islands Government agencies to enable an environment that increases trade and investment into the Cook Islands.”

The work included electronic phytosanitary certification for plant products, e-commerce legislative gap assessment, and assessing how to attract people from Australia into the Cook Islands workforce.

Smith, who succeeded Christopher Watkins as Australian High Commissioner in March, said the priority of her country’s foreign policy was to “promote a stable and prosperous Indo-Pacific region”.

“We do that by being a reliable partner,” she said. “We listen to priorities that are articulated to us – and we work together, and with others, to help shape our policies and programmes to meet the needs of our partners.”

Smith had spoken to representatives at the Government, business and civil levels since her arrival, as well as Australians and Cook Islanders who call both countries home.

Alongside an already-established community grant programme and a commitment to tackle global challenges impacting the Cook Islands, the “general sentiment” was that people wanted to “see those connections grow across tourism, education, and business”, Smith said.

Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong’s visit to Rarotonga in October “marked a new phase of our diplomatic engagement. This marked a new phase of our diplomatic engagement – we formalised our relationship in a bilateral arrangement titled ‘Oa Tumanava’ to represent our enduring friendship,” she said.

“Our government recently announced a transformative package of support to the Pacific – for the Cook Islands, that will mean more opportunities to work together across maritime security, climate change and disaster preparedness, as well as across media and sport.”

Smith said she would be focussed on supporting the Cook Islands as it geared up to chair the Pacific Island Forum leaders’ summit.

“Cook Islands, as the Chair, has a unique opportunity this year, to amplify its voice on the global stage. We want to be a helpful and supportive partner as the Cooks Islands undertakes this important role,” she said.

“Australian Prime Minister (Anthony) Albanese will be here in November for the forum.

“I know he is looking forward to listening and contributing positively to the leaders’ meeting – and, of course, enjoying the natural beauty and culture that will be on show.”

Smith said 1500 of the 13,440 people who visited the Cook Islands in June were from Australia.

“This number of Australians will continue to grow,” she said.

“After a few false starts and delayed cohorts, we are seeing the return of Australian students to the Cook Islands.

“Just this week (last week), two scholars arrived under the prestigious New Colombo Plan – designed to foster links for tertiary students and give them a practical experience of living in the region through a combination of study and internship.”

Smith acknowledged the changes to Australian citizenship which made it easier for New Zealanders and Cook Islanders to apply.

“It recognises the contribution of Cook Islanders who call Australia home – and the many positive contributions they make to Australia’s community and economy,” she said.

Smith said the enquiries her office received were often about passports, birth certificates, visas, and access to social security payments.

“We are currently exploring superannuation portability with Cook Islands to ensure all New Zealand citizens, and Cook Islanders, have equal access to superannuation earned while working in Australia,” she said.

“On access to the Australian age pension, Australia’s income support system is not based on contributions or taxes paid in Australia – rather on the concepts of residence and need.”

Smith said it was a “very exciting” time to represent Australia in the Cook Islands.

“My job is to understand the community, how it operates, its values – and help translate that back to government in Australia, to find areas we can work together.”