Tiana
Haxton RNZ Pacific journalist/presenter
The
United States says a military presence at a planned port
upgrade in the northern Cook Islands, located near a former
US World War II airfield, is “all being
negotiated”.
The US and New Zealand governments will
jointly fund the NZ$101 million project on Penrhyn Island.
The Americans will be contributing US$50m (approximately
NZ$84m), while New Zealand will contribute NZ$17.5m
(approximately US$10m).
Cook Islands Prime Minister
Mark Brown, New Zealand Foreign Minister Winston Peters and
US Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau announced
the project on the margins of the recent Pacific Islands
Forum Leaders Meeting in Palau earlier this month.
US
Ambassador to the Cook Islands Jared Novelly told Cook
Islands News earlier that the
“friendly port” would help Pacific Island nations combat
“bad actors”.
But in an exclusive interview with RNZ
Pacific this week, Novelly said a future US military
presence at Penrhyn remained under discussion.
The
agreement between the three countries would upgrade a port
in Omoka, near an airfield built by US troops in World War
II.
Advertisement – scroll to continue reading
Novelly said the port project itself “is not a
[US] military base”.
“Ideally, it would be beneficial
for us to [have a base], from a policing of illegal fishing
and narco-terrorism,” he told RNZ Pacific.
“But this
is not meant to be a US military base. The Coast Guard’s
different. You know, the US Navy, if they happen to come
through, is going to be supporting their mission in a not
military way.
“We should we should look at this as an
extreme maritime benefit to the Cook Islands and to the
Pacific writ large.”
Local environmental groups have
raised concern over the connection between this investment
and the US administration’s interest in seabed
minerals.
US officials have previously linked the
project to the wider Critical Minerals Framework, but
Novelly said the port upgrade had a range of benefits and
should not be viewed primarily through the lense of critical
minerals.
Novelly, who is also ambassador to Niue and
Samoa, pointed out there were many local benefits to the
port upgrade, but the main focus is strengthening maritime
security, particularly tackling illegal fishing and drug
trafficking across the Pacific.
“The Pacific is so
vast and to be able to police it from bad actors requires
certain assets, and those assets need to be able to
resupply, and that’s something that a port can do in a way
that maybe it’s lacking right now.”
He said the US
Coast Guard, the New Zealand Defence Force, and other
regional partners could potentially use the
facility.
The US is also considering whether the US
Coast Guard vessels could operate from the port, but Novelly
noted that their larger cutters would be unlikely to
fit.
Security deal
On the note of regional
security, Novelly said the US is open to a security deal
with the Cook Islands, if that was what it wanted.
He
stated that although there have not been discussions yet, a
broader deal could be on the table if requested.
“I
have not had any discussions about that, but I’d like to
think that anything’s on the table.”
Novelly described
his friendship with Cook Islands Prime Minister Mark Brown
as “close” and said he would raise any requests from him
with relevant US officials.
“I have, I believe, a
close relationship with the prime minister, and a lot of
people in government there.
“I think if that’s
something that is of interest to them, then they only need
to bring it up with me, and I’ll I’ll talk to the right
people to try and see what I can do to help my friend
there.”
In
the meantime, the diplomat is looking forward to travelling
to Penrhyn in the near future to get a lay of the
land.
“The term that we use in real estate is either
boots on the ground or being a dirt man. And I’m a dirt man.
I need to be there and and see the soil and see where things
are going to be and how it’s going to lay out.
“I
can’t wait to get there to see it.”
Novelly said he is
looking forward to meeting the people of Penrhyn, who he
heard are happy to know their port will be
upgraded.
New Zealand’s public broadcaster, providing comprehensive NZ news and current affairs, specialist audio features and documentaries.
Radio New Zealand is a Crown entity established under the Radio New Zealand Act 1995. Radio New Zealand News are vital elements in our programming, providing impartial news and information to New Zealanders every day. Radio New Zealand (RNZ) provides listeners with exciting and independent radio programmes in accordance with the Radio New Zealand Charter.
