New Zealand, Cook Islands agree defence pact, ending China tension

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AVARUA: New Zealand and the Cook Islands signed a landmark Defence and Security Declaration on Thursday, effectively ending a year-long diplomatic freeze sparked by the island nation's deepening ties with Beijing. 

The agreement, signed by New Zealand Foreign Minister Winston Peters and Cook Islands Prime Minister Mark Brown, establishes New Zealand as the ‘partner of choice’ for all security matters and provides Wellington with a ‘timely and transparent’ consultation process including a de facto veto over any foreign deals deemed a threat to the realm's security.

The standoff began in February 2025 when Cook Island Prime Minister Brown signed a ‘comprehensive strategic partnership"’with China without prior disclosure to Wellington. 

In response, New Zealand, the Cook Islands' primary benefactor, suspended approximately $30 million in development aid. Under the new declaration, that aid will resume immediately. 

While the Cook Islands remains a self-governing nation in ‘free association’ with New Zealand, the pact clarifies that its foreign policy remains subject to constitutional limits. The agreement also reportedly sidelines earlier China-linked infrastructure and maritime deals, with Minister Peters stating that those previous arrangements now face ‘massive limitations.’