Cook Islands ocean stakeholders were present with individual stalls on Wednesday at Terevete Park to celebrate World Oceans Day.

The 2022 theme was Revitalisation: Collective Action for the Ocean.

Office of the Prime Minister chief of staff, Ben Ponia said the event was picking up momentum again following Covid-19.

“This has traditionally been a day that the agencies that are involved in this space come together,” Ponia said.

Some of the government agencies onsite were the Ministry of Marine Resources (MMR), Seabed Minerals Authority, the Ministry of Transport, National Environment Service and the seabed mineral companies that were awarded exploration licences.

Adam Stemm, chief operations officer of CIC – one of the three companies awarded an exploration licence – said they were there mostly to answer questions.

“It’s just good to see people interested and being able to get out there,” Stemm said. 

“We have got our offices set up now, that’s another thing we’re trying to tell people here is it’s not just events like this … we would really like people to come, stop by the offices ask questions if they hear things, if they are curious about what we’re doing and what we plan to do.

“We would love to be able to sit down and just kind of explain it.”

Seven different school groups took advantage of the day, paying visits to individual stalls and watching the talks on the main stage.

Marae Moana, Seabed Minerals and MMR all took the stage throughout the day.

Prime Minister Mark Brown also appeared virtually to address the crowd from Fiji. In a pre-prepared video statement, Brown described the event as “a day which allows us to come together and reaffirm our commitment to protecting our ocean, not just for today, but also for tomorrow – for our children and grandchildren”.

Referring to this year’s Oceans Day theme of ‘Revitalisation: Collective Action for the Ocean,’ Prime Minister Brown said it was up to the global community to “work together to ensure balance with the ocean”.

“I am proud to acknowledge that in the Pacific, our leaders have long held a commitment to working together to protect our ocean in a manner that resonates with our unique vulnerabilities, our cultures and traditions, and our social, economic and environmental landscape,” he continued.

“Here in the Cook Islands, we understand the vital importance of our ocean space to our security, our prosperity, and indeed to our very survival.

“Over a decade ago, the Cook Islands embarked on a journey to create an Oceans Governance framework that would provide long-term, intergenerational benefit and security for our people and by extension, our Pacific.

“This framework drew upon the oceans management practices and wisdom of our ancestors, and the best available science, allowing us to strike a balance between our economic interests and conservation ambitions. It is science that has empowered us and science that must continue to inform our oceans management approaches into the future.

“I refer here of course to our Cook Islands multi-use marine park, our Marae Moana, which covers our entire Exclusive Economic Zone.

“Importantly, our Marae Moana brings together all the sectors of our society so that we are taking action collectively. Our government, Aronga Mana, religious leaders, civil society, business community and our people all have an important role to play in our Marae Moana.”

In closing, Brown also acknowledged the recent tragic passing of Cook Islands Natural Heritage Trust director and former National Environment Service director Joseph Brider.

“Joseph had a true curiosity for understanding the wonders of the environment we live in – and generously shared his wealth of knowledge with others. His passing is a huge loss to the Cook Islands, and to the Pacific region. My thoughts and well wishes go to his family and loved ones.”