Minister of Foreign Affairs and Immigration Tingika Elikana paid a courtesy call on New Zealand Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters in Wellington yesterday.

Elikana is leading the Cook Islands Public Accounts Committee delegation which is hosted by the New Zealand Inter-Parliamentary Relations team.

In a statement, the Cook Islands High Commission in NZ said Minister Elikana was accompanied by Cook Islands High Commissioner Kairangi Samuela on his visit to Deputy PM Peters at the Beehive.

“It was a great opportunity for Hon. Tingika Elikana, the recently appointed Minister of Foreign Affairs, to speak with Minister Peters ahead of the annual Joint Ministerial Forum (JMF) that New Zealand will host in May this year,” the statement said.

“The two ministers discussed key areas of cooperation between the Cook Islands and New Zealand and ways to strengthen their bilateral relationship.  Foreign Affairs Minister Elikana noted he looks forward to more fruitful discussions during the JMF in May.”

Elikana, who is also the chairperson of the Public Accounts Committee, is in Wellington with other members including Vaitoti Tupa (deputy chair), Tina Browne, Te-Hani Brown, Sonny Williams, Teokotai Herman, Robert Heather and government officials.

The Public Accounts Committee is responsible for closely examining and evaluating the government and its entities’ estimated spending plans.

Through the United Nations Development Programme, the committee managed to secure funding for a study excursion to travel to Wellington to gain a deeper understanding of the committee’s role and engage in useful learning experiences.