As leader of the Cook Islands delegation, Prime Minister Mark Brown will be travelling to the 13th Festival of Pacific Arts & Culture (FestPAC) in Hawai’i next month.

While there, Prime Minister Brown will be signing an agreement to establish a “sister-city relationship” between Rarotonga, Cook Islands, and the city and county of Honolulu, Hawai’i.

Typically, sister-city relationships are established to encourage a mutual exchange of friendship and culture, as well as helping to promote tourism, trade, business, and educational opportunities, the Office of the Prime Minister said in a statement.

In the case of Honolulu and Rarotonga, it is anticipated that this relationship will be even more significant, especially given our shared Polynesian history and culture.

In an initial submission to the Honolulu City Council in support of establishing the sister-city relationship, the Office of the Prime Minister acknowledged our interconnecting culture, customs, and traditions, as well as a shared interest in sustainable and regenerative tourism.

“Rarotonga and the Cook Islands have been connected with the people of Honolulu and Hawai’i for millennia through our shared Polynesian heritage of ocean navigation and exploration,” says Prime Minister Brown.

“They are our cousins from across the sea and these are family ties that cannot be denied. One can almost call the relationship a twin Sister City – with Hawaii sharing the same latitudinal location of 21 degrees north as we are 21 degrees south of the equator – same time zones, weather patterns etc. And at one stage in our history, we shared the same language and culture. In fact, many Hawaiians consider us to be their Avaiki in the South.

“In the present day, it is my sincere hope that this sister-city agreement will strengthen those historical and cultural ties even further, leading to increased collaboration and the mutual exchange of ideas, information, assistance and support.”

The agreement will be signed by the Prime Minister and his Honolulu counterpart Mayor Rick Blangiardi at the Hawai’i Convention Center in Honolulu on the morning of June 7, the day after the official FestPAC opening ceremony.

Rarotonga also has a sister-city arrangement with Zhuhai in China.

Through the US-based NGO Sister Cities International (SCI), Honolulu has established several dozen sister-city relationships around the world over the past 64 years, from Azerbaijan to Venezuela, but the agreement with Rarotonga will be their first in the South Pacific.

This sister-city partnership will also be the first in the SCI ‘7 For 70’ programme, which aims to create seven sister-city partnerships between the US and Pacific Islands in celebration of the organisation’s upcoming 70th anniversary in 2026.