Island Life Supporting tamariki in education, culture and sport

The Cook Islands Trading Corporation, better known locally as CITC, is proud of its roots and its commitment to the future of the Cook Islands and its communities, especially the tamariki (youth).

Fittingly, CITC enthusiastically supports many of Cook Islands’ most prominent and worthy cultural, artistic, environmental and educational events and programs involving the young.

An example: in 2023 CITC signed a three-year sponsorship for the Tangi Kaara drumming competition, dubbed the ‘CITC Pump the Beats.’ CITC is keen to support the competition for junior and intermediate drummers in schools to ensure that the traditional style of Cook Islands drumming continues with future generations.

CITC’s Key Brands Manager, George George, who was instrumental in the sponsorship and promoting the event to primary and secondary schools in Rarotonga, said:

“The future of the Cook Islands is within our kids. If we as a company can nurture and invest in our tamariki it is going to be a huge gain for our country in the long run.”

In partnership with the Ministry of Cultural Development ‘CITC Pump the Beats’ was successfully staged at the National Auditorium in Avarua in June 2023.

Also, in Rarotonga the CITC Prince of Wales Primary Schools Athletics

Championships have been supported by the company for many years. This premier sporting event in the Rarotonga Primary Schools sports calendar involves over 600 students and hundreds of staff, officials, volunteers and spectators. Amongst the events VIPs are traditional leaders, Members of Parliament, the Prime Minister Mark Brown, and the King’s Representative, Sir Tom Marsters.

The Tamariki Fishing Competition is an interesting concept event sponsored by CITC with the aim of promoting and teaching sustainable living to the younger generation of Cook Islanders by learning the traditional way of fishing with a bamboo rod. The fishing competition is open to the ages of five to 14 years, and the event hosted by the Cook Islands Game Fishing Club.

The CITC support for tamariki goes beyond Rarotonga. In a 5-year agreement, CITC and some of its key suppliers provide prizes for the end of year prize giving awards for eight schools in the Northern Group of the Cook Islands. The number of students in these schools range from under 10 to over 150 students, totalling 350 out of a population of 1100.

For older students, CITC sponsor the annual prize giving ceremony at Tereora College in Rarotonga, including Dux and Building & Construction Awards. As the country’s biggest employer outside of government, getting involved in youth, cultural and environmental activities come naturally to CITC.

Cook Islands is a sporting nation and CITC enjoys a commitment to supporting sport including badminton, netball, rugby sevens and the paddling event Vaka Eiva.

On the cultural and environmental side CITC is involved with Miss Cook Islands, Clean-up the World program, Recycle Raro, the creative arts, Rakei Manava, and Cook Islands’ national cultural festival, Te Maeva Nui.

Te Maeva Nui is Cook Islands’ biggest cultural event celebrating independence and involving all the country’s fifteen islands.

CITC general manager Gaye Whitta said: “Culture helps define who we are and links us to our heritage. Supporting culture in all its different forms - through arts, dance, music, education and voyaging - helps us build on the foundation passed down from our ancestors and provides guidance to our future generations”.

Meet Cook Islands Prime Minister & Minister for Tourism, Mark Brown.

Mark Brown was elected Prime Minister of the Cook Islands in October 2020 following the retirement of Henry Puna; he had been Deputy Prime Minister since 2018.

Amongst his portfolios Mark Brown is the Minister for Tourism.

One of the first actions taken by Brown as PM was establishing a travel bubble in 2021, in association with his New Zealand counterpart Jacinda Ardern, that enabled two-way quarantine-free travel between the two countries: the envy of many countries around the world at the time.

In the 2022 election Mark Brown was re-elected and reappointed Prime Minister.

Brown was born in Avarua in 1963 and educated in the Cook Islands and New Zealand, he holds a Master Business Administration and a Diploma in Public Sector Management.

Mark Brown turned sixty on the 28 February 2023. In person he looks younger.

A few days before his birthday, Brown was appointed Chair of the Pacific Islands Forum at the Pacific Islands Forum Special Leaders Retreat held in Fiji on

24 February 2023, taking over the role from outgoing PIF Chair, the Prime Minister of Fiji, Sitiveni Rabuka.

The Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) comprises 18 members: Australia, Cook Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, French Polynesia, Kiribati, Nauru, New Caledonia, New Zealand, Niue, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Republic of Marshall Islands, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, and Vanuatu.

The Government of the Cook Islands will host the 52nd Pacific Islands Forum Leaders Meeting in Rarotonga from 6 –10 November 2023 with the topic: “Our Voices, Our Choices, Our Pacific Way: Promote, Partner, Prosper.”

Brown said that as Chair of the Pacific Islands Forum he is representing all the Pacific Island countries.

“A common theme is economic recovery and economic growth. Getting back to the prosperity levels that we had just prior to COVID in 2020.”

With Mark Brown’s presence as Chair of the Pacific Islands Forum, the Cook Islands also enjoys elevated exposure at the global level.

Following a summit between the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) and the USA in October 2022, Brown was particularly pleased with one outcome.

“The US will take steps to recognise the Cook Islands as an independent sovereign country. Forming formal diplomatic relations with a country like the USA is going to be a huge step for us.

“It will enable us to deal directly with the largest economy in the world.”

In March, Mark Brown visited Washington and met with the US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken and Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman to discuss the bilateral relationship between the United States and Cook Islands, as well as Cook Islands’ role as the PIF chair.

Back home Prime Minister Brown, is working on the economic recovery of the Cook Islands. Brown said there are significant challenges for the Cook Islands tourism industry and tourism-related industries, post pandemic. A major part of the recovery has been encouraging airlines to reinstate services to Rarotonga and enticing new airlines to fly to the Cook Islands.

Air New Zealand were unable to immediately reinstate the number of flights they operated pre-pandemic, but as of 1 July 2023 they operate 9 flights a week from Auckland with plans to increase capacity. Jetstar operate 3 flights a week from Auckland, and three flights a week from Sydney.

Additionally, as of 1 July 2023, Hawaiian Airlines fly once a week from Honolulu, Air Rarotonga and Air Tahiti fly from Papeete once and twice a week, respectively.

Cook Islands depends on tourism to keep the economy engine running.

“For us, being so reliant on Air New Zealand exposed our vulnerability. It was important then to negotiate additional capacity into the country with other airlines. We are certainly open to any airlines that want to come in.”

Brown said that Cook Islands depends on tourism to keep the economy engine running.

“Close to 70% of our GDP is generated by tourism directly,” said Brown.

“Right now, tourism operators need visitor numbers!”

One problem the Cook Islands tourism industry has faced for years, especially post pandemic, is that many local workers move to New Zealand and Australia looking for higher paid work.

Brown acknowledges it is a challenge to reverse the local population exodus.

There are concerns that the replacement of emigrating locals with workers from overseas will disturb the Cook Islands brand.

“I don't think it affects it too much. This is the nature of the global economy that we live in today. Cook Islanders can go to New Zealand and Australia and earn a better hourly rate. That gap is met by Filipinos or Fijians who, in their country, are earning only a few dollars an hour. And coming into to the Cook Islands, earn the minimum wage or more, which is many times what they earn in their country,” said Brown.

“It's the nature of the world we live in; labor is much more mobile. It is something that we just have to accept and work with.”

Business ownership stays, in the main, with Cook Islanders, especially businesses involving land ownership.

“It is one of the unique features of our country - the land tenure system, where foreigners can't buy or sell land, only lease it. Land, inevitably, stays in the hands of Cook Islanders.”

Despite the increase of much needed foreign labour, the Cook Islands tourism industry is predominantly led by Cook Islanders or permanent residents.

“Our people are our greatest asset!”

Is the Government encouraging overseas Cook Islanders to return and work?

“It's still an opportunity, but we have to realise Cook Islanders carry New Zealand passports. An increasing number now carry Australian passports. So, the workplace for a Cook Islander is not just the Cook Islands,” said Brown.

“Our job is to try and match the work conditions and the market rates that these countries offer," said Brown.

“The only way to afford this is to grow the economy.”

To help turn around the population decline Mark Brown is exploring the opportunity to develop a new industry for the Cook Islands, known as seabed mining.

“We've got one of the biggest mineral deposits in the world, in our jurisdiction,” said Brown.

“The COVID closure really reinforced for us the need to diversify. I'm excited about the prospect of our minerals industry becoming a key part of our country, moving forward.

“I see ourselves as pioneers in this field. I would like to see the Cook Islands as a centre of excellence on the understanding of the deep ocean. And that, for me, is going to be the single most important key if we want to progress towards harvesting the minerals in a way that ensures we protect the ocean”.

Brown emphasised: “There is no mineral mining taking place right now. It's a cautious journey of discovery to get the knowledge and understanding to enable us then to make the next steps of, ‘Do we?" There is no doubt that Mark Brown is the ‘real deal’ when it comes to his love of his country and its people. He is dynamic and curious to examine economic possibilities for the future of the Cook Islands. He is a proud Cook Islander through and through.

“My grandfather came from Mangaia. The original Brown, he was Scottish, he settled in Mangaia, and had 15 children. Number three was my grandfather. So, my grandfather is half Mangaian, half Scottish. My grandmother, who he met here on Rarotonga, has links to Aitutaki, Manihiki and Rarotonga. I consider myself a Rarotongan”.

Mark Brown is married to Daphne, and they have two children, a daughter 24, and a son 18, and more recently, a granddaughter.

Despite his busy life in politics and at home, Mark Brown values his time to relax.

“I have a group of mates that I can freely interact with, let my hair down, and not worry too much about public exposure. So, it's great to be able to relax in an environment like that,” said Brown.

Mark Brown enjoys his sport, especially Rugby League and Rugby Union. He played local sport competitively as recently as last year, and has represented Cook Islands at the Pacific Games in touch rugby.

“I still play League; just a little run around to keep active.”

In 2000 Brown was manager of the Cook Islands Rugby Sevens team.

“George George was the coach, and we took our first team to Wellington for the Wellington Sevens. We played New Zealand. They had in their team Jonah Lomu and a couple of All Black stars.

“We were leading at halftime, but they came back and just beat us. That was the start of a great tour. From there to Fiji, and then to Australia.”

Mark Brown has served his country well in many ways, initially as a public servant and policy advisor to the Prime Minister’s Office, then head of the Ministry of Agriculture and other portfolios, as a Member of Parliament, Deputy Prime Minister, and now Prime Minister. As Prime Minister how does Mark Brown want to be remembered?

“Basically, being seen as somebody who does the right thing; being regarded as an approachable sort of person who gets on well with most people. Somebody who is not afraid to make a stand on what we represent.”