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National | Cook Islands

Kīngitanga to consider land development in the Cook Islands

The King Movement is to look at land development opportunities in the Cook Islands.  This comes as part of their new cultural covenant partnership with their polynesian relatives.

Tukuroirangi Morgan, director of Waikato Tainui’s business arm, Tainui Group Holdings says, “The King (Tuheitia) has been offered land in Aitutaki, and the king intends to go there, and they could develop a community centre there.”

Morgan says a number of people have offered land to the Kīngitanga in a bid to bring their people together.

Yesterday the new cultural partnership was formalised between the King Movement and the Cook Islands, through the signing of a covenant at Tūrangawaewae Marae in Ngāruawāhia.

Cook Islands Prime Minister Henry Puna says, “We share a common ancestry, and it's so nice to re-discover those ties, and more importantly to strengthen them, re-establish them so that together, we can explore the future.”

Te Kāea reporter, Mānia Clarke will have more on this tonight at 5:30pm.