At dawn on Anzac Day on April 25, I had the honour of joining Prime Minister Mark Brown, former prime minister Henry Puna and veterans at the cenotaph.

As the sun rose behind the coconut palms, I took a moment to reflect on how far our partnership has come since our people first served together in the Great War, writes Australian High Commissioner to the Cook Islands Dr Christopher Watkins.

Australia and the Cook Islands share deep bonds of enduring friendship, mutual trust and respect. Our friendship is based on our common democratic values and we are linked through community and cultural ties.

Tens of thousands of Cook Islanders call Australia home. Before the Covid-19 pandemic, 28,000 Australian travellers visited the Cook Islands every year and we look forward to those visitors returning as soon as possible.

Family stick together, through the good times and the tough times. Australia celebrated with the Cook Islands when it became the first Pacific Island country to achieve high-income status and when it joined other Pacific countries in ratifying the PACER Plus regional trade agreement in 2019.    

Reflecting the strength of our bilateral relationship, Australia established our first resident High Commission in Rarotonga in December 2019 and has worked hard to ensure the Cook Islands can continue to benefit from Australian-led regional initiatives in priority areas such as health, infrastructure and environmental protection.

Our commitment to the Cook Islands proved timely, with the onset of the pandemic just three months later. As High Commissioner since March 2020, I have been impressed by the Cook Islands’ resilience and innovation. I am pleased Australia has been here, in person, for the difficult times. 

At the outset of the pandemic, Australia pivoted our assistance to support the Cook Islands’ Covid-19 response and coordinated with international partners to supply Covid-19 testing equipment and protective gear.   

We know border closures have hit the Cook Islands and some other Pacific countries hard. We have worked in partnership with our Pacific family to weather this storm and build a stronger, more resilient and more prosperous region.  

We have supported the Cook Islands’ pursuit of economic diversification, including by supporting the Seabed Minerals Authority as it develops and regulates this new industry. We are supporting preparatory work for the redevelopment of Penrhyn wharf, a key piece of infrastructure in the Cook Islands’ exclusive economic zone (EEZ).  

In June, Australia will gift the Cook Islands a new Guardian-class patrol boat, Te Kukupa II, under our Pacific Maritime Security Program. The new patrol boat will enable the Cook Islands to police its large EEZ more effectively, supporting efforts to combat illegal fishing on the high seas and strengthening the Cook Islands Police Service’s capacity to respond swiftly in a crisis.

Australia values Cook Islands’ insights into Polynesia and the broader Pacific, and welcomes its strong regional engagement. Our countries speak regularly and openly, at all levels, about issues affecting our region and our bilateral interests.

We stand ready to work with the Cook Islands as it navigates a path out of the pandemic, towards security and prosperity. Because we are enduring friends.