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A diplomatic row broke out in February between Aotearoa New Zealand and the Cook Islands, after the Cook Islands government signed a range of strategic partnership deals with China.

NZ Foreign Minister Winston Peters accused Cook Islands Prime Minister Mark Brown of lacking transparency and failing to consult with NZ over the deals before they were signed, leading Brown to accuse NZ of trying to control the Cook Islands and treating it like “a child”.

The row followed a controversial proposal by Brown to introduce a Cook Islands passport, which critics warned would threaten the country’s longstanding relationship with Aotearoa. 

The Cook Islands operate under a “free association” agreement with NZ — its former colonial ruler. This means that while the nation is self-governing, Aotearoa provides assistance with foreign affairs, disasters and defence. Cook Islanders also hold NZ citizenship.

Brown had to abandon his passport proposal after NZ “bared its teeth” over the initiative, reportedly threatening to “change its passport regime” so that “any Cook Islanders who applies for a Cook Islands passport will be seen as renouncing the New Zealand one".

While some locals think the China deal will lead to economic growth and development, others fear it could negatively impact local businesses and cause foreign dependency. 

In the wake of the deal, a no-confidence motion was introduced into parliament by opposition MPs. The motion was eventually defeated 13-9.

China established diplomatic relations with the Cook Islands in 1997 and has since provided aid to the island nation for infrastructure projects.

Around the time the partnership deal with the Cook Islands was being finalised, China sent three warships into the Tasman Sea, conducting live fire military drills which led to flights being diverted between Australia and NZ.

These drills led to a strong response from mainstream media on both sides of the Tasman, which platformed calls for increased military spending and “boots on the ground” in the Pacific.

China’s deal with the Cook Islands outlines cooperation in various sectors including education, tourism, infrastructure and seabed exploration. Also signed were two agreements covering the maritime industry and “blue economy”.

The Cook Islands has one of the largest Exclusive Economic Zones in the world covering almost two million square kilometres around the nation’s land borders. These zones grant exclusive rights to explore and exploit natural resources within them, including oil and gas.

The news that China may be involved in the “exploration and research of seabed mineral resources” has the Cook Islands’ Western allies worried. 

In October 2022, Aotearoa announced it was backing a moratorium on seabed mining until robust environmental protections are in place. The Australian government is under pressure to sign on to an international ban on deep sea mining, but has failed to do so.

The Cook Islands government says the deals do not provide for exploration or mining licences. Brown has previously praised the benefits of the deep sea mining industry however, saying that the Cook Islands needs to protect itself against climate change "through whatever revenues that we can get".

The Cook Islands granted five-year seabed minerals exploration licences to three mining companies in 2022: Cook Islands Cobalt (CIC) Ltd, Moana Minerals Limited and Cook Islands Investment Company (CIIC) Seabed Resources Limited.

Deep sea mining is controversial, and critics say it exacerbates climate change. It disrupts carbon stored on the ocean floor, and could release methane deposits and interfere with ocean currents. It may also lead to an irreversible loss of the ocean’s biodiversity, with catastrophic consequences for the planet.

The China-Cook Islands deal is just the latest in a series of events that signals a loosening of the West’s grip on the Pacific.

Brown also opposes the AUKUS nuclear submarine deal, and criticised it in 2023 for “going against” the 1985 Treaty of Rarotonga, the Pacific's nuclear non-proliferation agreement. 

Prior to its spat with the Cook Islands, Aotearoa faced off with the small state of Kiribati. After a perceived snub by its President Taneti Maamau, who cancelled several meetings with him, Foreign Minister Winston Peters put Aotearoa’s considerable aid program under review.

Tensions between the two countries have been growing ever since Kiribati signed a raft of bilateral deals with China in 2019. It also severed ties with pro-West Taiwan the same year.

In Samoa, Aotearoa’s lack of support to communities affected by a NZ Navy boat sinking eventually drove them to seek assistance from the Chinese embassy. The HMNZ Manawanui sank in October 2024 and since then locals have been unable to fish to feed their families and sustain their livelihoods.

After a slow response by Aotearoa’s government to the clean-up, and refusals to provide compensation, villagers from the Safata district reached out to the Chinese embassy. They have since been given a $30,000 donation to support their people.

The world’s second largest economy is also taking advantage of the chaos caused by Donald Trump’s administration to increase its influence in the region.

The signing of the US-Pacific Partnership deal in 2022 signalled to the region the US was committed to supporting it in tackling some of the significant challenges it faces, such as climate change. 

As part of the deal, it agreed to provide $1.3 billion (US $810 million) in aid to the region over ten years. The future of these commitments is now uncertain after Trump put a temporary freeze on all foreign aid spending the day after taking office.

It’s clear the credibility of South Pacific’s traditional allies is rapidly diminishing. Aotearoa’s paternalistic behaviour is damaging relationships across the region. At the same time, the historic deal the US struck with regional leaders is under threat due to the Trump administration’s illogical policy decisions.

These small island nations are growing more assertive and starting to challenge the system that has kept them subordinate to their traditional Western allies. In so doing they are seeking to protect their national interests amid a sharpening economic competition and geopolitical tensions between East and West.