By Jo Cooper

Located about 5000km southeast of Sydney, the Cook Islands is a selfgoverning country in free association with New Zealand nestled between fellow Polynesian neighbours Samoa and French Polynesia.

Local Government New Zealand (LGNZ) is working with the New Zealand Agency for International Development (NZAID), the government’s aid and development agency, to assess how local government in New Zealand can help the Cook Islands with infrastructure and asset management.

The scenario While the Cook Islands has a resident population of about 21,000 over the 15-island archipelago, that number swells courtesy of more than 100,000 tourists a year.

With tourism being the islands’ number one industry, officials are hoping to grow that intake to about 300,000 annually, which would stimulate the economy but place further pressure on an ageing and minimalist infrastructure. Read More>>

Read the full report: Big help for little islands [PDF]

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