New Zealand Signs Cook Islands Pact to Counter China Deal
A Chinese research vessel at Avatiu Harbour in the Avarua district of the Cook Islands on Nov. 8, 2025.
Photographer: Johnny Beasley/AFP/Getty ImagesNew Zealand has signed a defence and security declaration with the Cook Islands, repairing a relationship strained when the tiny South Pacific nation entered a strategic agreement with China.
The declaration was signed Thursday in the Cook Islands capital of Rarotonga during a visit from New Zealand Foreign Minister Winston Peters. It also means New Zealand will resume development funding, which was paused in June last year when the Chinese deal was revealed.