INQUIRY: THE COOK ISLANDS

A report on the construction of an international airport in Rarotonga by the New Zealand airforce, and the changes it will bring to the Cook Islands. One third of the islands’ population presently live in New Zealand, and each week another flight to Auckland is jam packed with new immigrants.

The Premier, Albert Henry, has been in power since the Cook Islands’ independence in 1965. Despite the fact that the New Zealand government pours $2,500,000 a year into the Cook Islands, Henry believes that within ten years his country will be financially self supporting. He sees the tourism potential as the answer to the Islands’ problems.
Ian Short, a Rarotongan lawyer and Dr Tom Davis, the opposition leader, are interviewed. Paul Tangata opposes self rule and believes the answer is a Cook Island MP with a seat in the New Zealand government. Many people wonder what the point of self government is when the Islands are so financially dependant on New Zealand.
A Pukapuka family of nine is shown living in a shanty town in Raratonga. Their land is no longer supporting them and like many others they are becoming more and more reliant on imported products.