A small respectable crowd attended the official opening ceremony of Te Maeva Nui – the 58th Cook Islands Constitution Celebrations – which marks the beginning of week-long events at Te Are Karioi Nui (National Auditorium).

The 2023 Te Maeva Nui Constitution Celebrations was officially opened by Prime Minister Mark Brown on Monday night.

Brown, who also delivered the keynote address, emphasised the importance of maintaining the country’s culture and traditions, the recent Bicentennial Arrival of Christianity celebrations, and country’s self-governing history.

The Prime Minister spoke about the significance of Te Maeva Nui, which is an opportunity for the country to come together and celebrate culture, heritage and independence.

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Brown also spoke about the challenges that the country has faced over the past few years, especially the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on our nation, our people and the world as a whole.

“Those were unprecedented times that we had never experienced before, but our faith in God and each other got us through.

“We made it together.”

Shedding some light on the Cook Islands’ self-governing journey, Brown said that in 1965, during the era of Pacific decolonisation, the country was declared as a sovereign independent state with the right to elect its own Parliament, enact its own laws and “to govern ourselves freely”.

“Some record our colonised history as starting in 1888 when the Cook Islands became a British Protectorate, and later 1901 when we were annexed by New Zealand. Until 1965, when we became self-governing with Papa Arapati Enere being our first elected Leader,” he said.

“But let us not forget that before all of that, many decades before colonisation our country received the salvation of our Lord and maker.”

In 1821 the Gospel arrived to Aitutaki and two years (1823) to the islands of Nga Pu Toru (Atiu, Mitiaro, Mauke) and Rarotonga.

“The Word of God came well before the Queen of England,” Brown said.

“This year is particularly significant, as we celebrate the 200^th anniversary of the arrival of Tahitian missionaries Papeiha and Vainehino and Rarotongan Te-Iro to Avarua Harbour on July 25, 1823.

“Two hundred years later the Cook Islands stands as a proud Christian nation. We might be a strong Christian nation, but we have also remained true to our traditional cultural practices.

“Our Maeva Nui, it is the highlight on the Cook Islands calendar as we celebrate who we are and where we come from.”

This year’s theme is based on the important animals and birds of “my tribe and Island – Te Au Manu Puapinga O Toku Matakeinanga/Enua.”

“Our ancestors depended greatly and looked to our native birds, fish, and other animals to understand and survive in ancient times. Today our very existence still depends on that understanding.”