Four years ago, in December 2019, like so many of our people, I made the difficult decision to leave behind all I knew and had built – my wife, my parents, my family – to seek new skills and new learnings beyond the reef in another government and Parliament, writes Thomas Tarurongo Wynne.

It was a journey my grandparents first made in 1954, followed not long after by my mother, and one that thousands of our people have taken since. The plan, like so many others before me, was to return. But as the years passed, that return never happened, and today, 97,000 Cook Islanders call Aotearoa home, with another 21,000 in Australia.

Whether it is for our children’s education, work for our husbands, partners, or wives, or the need for just one family member to earn enough to support those back home, we continue to journey beyond the reef to New Zealand, always holding onto the dream of returning.

Some leave for education, some for vocational training, and many, sadly, for medical reasons. Too often, that journey ends in a solemn return, with family gathered at the airport hangar to receive a loved one who has passed away overseas.

This ritual is unique to the Cook Islands – our loved ones returning to a hangar, having taken their last breath in New Zealand. It speaks to our reliance on New Zealand’s health system, one that has saved countless lives, including my own. For many, access to New Zealand’s healthcare has been life-saving, a lifeline that ensures they can one day make their way back home.

As a board member of one of New Zealand’s largest schools, I see each year the growing number of Cook Islands children stepping into new uniforms in pursuit of a better education. Parents, with hope in their hearts, make the difficult but necessary decision to send their children to school in Aotearoa, equipping them with what they believe will be the tools for a brighter future.

Just this week, I spoke with parents whose daughter is on the verge of making the New Zealand secondary schools’ rugby team – a talent first nurtured on the fields of Rarotonga but given the chance to flourish on the fields of Aotearoa. Though their growth may now take place beyond the reef, often within the halls of Aotearoa’s institutions and on its rugby fields, the hope remains that they will return – bringing back the skills, knowledge and relationships that will help shape our nation’s future.

Let me be clear – our relationship with New Zealand, people to people, family to family, remains as strong as ever. It is a bond that cannot be diminished, it is mutually beneficial and will remain despite the few. We often speak of our three pillars – church, traditional leaders and government – but I wonder if we have overlooked a fourth pillar, one we have leaned on for decades. A pillar built not just for us, but also by us – by the many sons and daughters of the Cook Islands who have contributed to New Zealand’s economy since the 1940s.

And now, like so many others, I prepare for my eventual return home from Aotearoa. There is a shift in the wind, an urgency among friends, colleagues and family – a call growing louder, the pū sounding over the reef, the fires burning above Maungaroa and along the beaches of Ruaau. The smoke from those fires rises above the horizon and will guide our Vaka home again.

But returning home is more than just an eventual flight – it is about action. It is about standing up for what is right, ensuring that together, we build a Cook Islands where staying is as much an option as leaving.

A Cook Islands where our children can be educated and find work. Where our health system meets the needs of our people. Where our police have the resources to protect us, our teachers the tools to shape our future, and where our people can thrive and not just survive. And most importantly – where our leaders are trusted, because they listen, consult, take advice, and above all, stay home and serve from a heart of service.

The pū is sounding. The fires are burning. It’s time to ready the sails for a Cook Islands we all dream of – a future, we all work towards and one where no one is left behind. Te tuatau taui.