New Zealand has rejected a Cook Islands proposal to introduce a separate passport for its citizens while allowing them to retain New Zealand citizenship.
The Cook Islands, a self-governing island nation in the Pacific, are in “free association” with New Zealand, which is responsible for the country’s foreign policy and defense.
Cook Islanders can also live, work and access healthcare in New Zealand.
Prime Minister Mark Brown had called for Cook Islanders to have their own passports “to recognize our own people” – but New Zealand has said this would not be possible until the Cook Islands became fully independent.
Documents first released to local broadcaster 1News and seen by Reuters reportedly showed Brown has been pushing for separate passports and citizenship for Cook Islands residents for months as he hopes to maintain its relationship as the kingdom of New Zealand.
Tensions are reportedly escalating between both countries over the issue, with leaders of both countries having held a series of talks in recent months.
“New Zealanders are free to hold dual passports, there are a number of New Zealanders who hold passports from other countries,” Radio New Zealand, Brown reported.
“It’s exactly the same thing we’re going to do,” he had said.
However, some Cook Islanders had criticized their government for a lack of consultation on the proposal.
Thomas Wynne, a Cook Islands national working in Wellington, told local news agency Cook Islands News: “The real question is what do the people of the Cook Islands want and have they been consulted on this important decision?” Or will it be a decision made by the few on behalf of the many?”
Other Cook Island residents told 1News they were concerned such a move would also affect access to services such as their right to healthcare in New Zealand.
But on Sunday, New Zealand’s Foreign Minister Winston Peters effectively ended the conversation by announcing that a separate passport and citizenship would only be available to fully independent and sovereign countries.
Any attempt to change the current relationship between the two countries must be done through a referendum, he added.
“Such a referendum would allow the people of the Cook Islands to carefully consider whether they prefer the status quo with access to New Zealand citizenship and passports or full independence,” he said in a statement to the media.
“If the goal of the Cook Islands government is independence from New Zealand, then of course that is a conversation we are happy to initiate.”
According to 1News, Brown later responded to Peters’ statement that the Cook Islands would “not implement anything that affects our important status (with New Zealand).”
Almost 100,000 Cook Islands nationals live in New Zealand, while only around 15,000 live in the Cook Islands themselves.
Another small Pacific island, Niue, also has a similar relationship with New Zealand – it is internally self-governing but relies on Wellington for defense and most foreign affairs.
Self-governing territories in other parts of the world, including Greenland and the Faroe Islands, which are part of the Kingdom of Denmark, and Puerto Rico, which reports to the United States in defense and foreign policy.
