Full Internal Autonomy

For Cook Is. In 1965

The Cook Islands (population fewer than 20,000 ) will have full internal self-government in 1965. The Territory will have a fully elected Legislative Assembly, with complete legis lative autonomy, with a cabinet of five, headed by a Chief Minister.

THE Cooks will continue its association with New Zealand under a common Head of State, the Queen, and with a common citizen ship, that of New Zealand.

New Zealand will have her own representative in the Cooks, but he will have no power to overrule the Assembly.

The NZ Minister of Island Terri tories, Sir Leon Gotz, who announced New Zealand’s decision to proceed on these lines in a statement in Well ington in November, also gave this time-table for self-government: • The new constitutional pro posals will be brought into force at the next session of the NZ Parliament. • A “shadow cabinet” of five members, headed by a Leader of Government business, will be chosen by the Cook Islands Assembly im mediately, to take the place of the present Executive Committee of the Cooks. Each member of the new committee will be responsible for one or more Government departments. • The Legislative Assembly will be dissolved in February, 1965 (its life having been extended by 12 nonths). • In March, 1965, a 22-member Legislative Assembly will be elected ?y universal suffrage. • The new Assembly will meet in Vlay, 1965, and elect a Speaker and i Chief Minister. The Chief Min ster will name four of his colleagues o form a Cabinet.

Sir Leon said details of the nature )f the future relationship between the legislative Assembly of the Cook slands and the New Zealand Parlia nent would be discussed in Welling on early next year. ‘There will be frequent and close laison between the two Governments •n matters of external relations and inancial policy,” he said.

The day before Sir Leon made his nnouncement, the Legislative As embly, meeting at Rarotonga, .ppointed local businessman and assembly member, Mr. D. C. Brown, s first Leader of Government Busi-

ness. The four other members of his shadow cabinet were to be announced the following week.

The decision to elect Mr. Brown could well mean that he will be the Cooks’ first Chief Minister, or Premier. ‘The foundations have now been laid for a new system of Govern ment which has been chosen by the people of the Cook Islands,” said Sir Leon.

“The New Zealand Government has full confidence in the ability of the Islanders to continue governing themselves soundly and practically,”

Speedy Decisions

The speed with which the important decisions were taken surprised many people in New Zealand and the Cooks. As a result, the Cooks look like being a unique example of how to achieve self-government speedily and without agitation.

The latest decision follows the visit to the Cooks in late August of a special committee to report on consti tutional development.

It comprised Professor C. C.

Aikman, of Victoria University, Well ington, Professor J. W. Davidson, of the Australian National University,

Mr. D. C. Brown.

Canberra, and Mr. J. B. Wright, New Zealand High Commissioner in Samoa, Professors Aikman and Davidson were closely connected with framing the constitution of Western Samoa, which has been independent since January 1, 1962.

The three men were invited to the Cooks by the Legislative Assembly and by the New Zealand Government to report and make recommendations on future political steps for the islands.

In July last year, Sir Leon Gotz had suggested to the Assembly that it might like to consider four broad alternative courses of political de velopment complete independence; integration with New Zealand; as a member of a Polynesian Federation; and full internal self-government.

The Assembly, following Sir Leon’s address, declared in a resolution that full independence after the fashion of Western Samoa was not the goal of the Cooks; that it invited the New Zealand Government to proceed with a plan for giving the Cooks the fullest internal government while at the same time preserving for the islanders their present status as New Zealanders.

Report Accepted

The report made all the recom mendations which have now been an nounced as firm decisions by the NZ Government. The Cook islands Assembly accepted the report with only minor changes.

The report also made these points: • The position of Secretary to the Cabinet should be held by the per manent head or Secretary of the Premier’s Department of the Cooks, who should occupy the position at present held by the Secretary to the Government. This man would be the principal administrative officer of the Cooks. • The NZ official appointed to act as the Queen’s representative in the Cooks should also be the NZ Govern ment representative. He should be appointed by the NZ Governor-Gen eral and be given the title of Com missioner of the Cook Islands. Later, the functions of Queen’s represent ative and NZ representative might be separated. • There should be an Executive Council established, comprising the Commissioner and Cabinet, with sower to discuss and refer back to Cabinet but not to vary any Cabinet lecision. The Commissioner and the Premier should each have power to convene an Executive Council meet ing- • The 22 Assembly members

should comprise; Nine members from Rarotonga, including Palmerston; 3 from Aitutaki; 2 each from Man gaia and Atiu; 1 each from Mauke, Mitiaro, Pukapuka (and Nassau), Manihiki, Rakahanga and Penryhn.

Manuae might be attached to either Rarotonga or Aitutaki. ® Cook Islanders living in the Cooks for three months before an election, and British subjects not born there but living there for a year be

fore an election, should be entitled to vote. • Public servants elected to the Assembly should be able to remain with the Public Service during a transitional period. • The Assembly should have the power to repeal or amend all NZ legislation in force in the Cooks, and the powers of reservation and dis allowance at present held by the NZ Government should be eliminated. NZ Parliament might continue to legis late for the Cooks at the request or consent of the Cooks’ Government. • The Judge of the High Court should be appointed by the Executive Council. Appeals from the High Court should for the time being con tinue to be heard by the NZ Supreme Court. • Cabinet should control the Public Service through the Secretary of the Premier’s Department. The Cooks was too small to require a Public Service Commission of its own.

• The conduct of external rela tions of the Cooks should remain a responsibility of the NZ Govern ment. The report says it is unlikely that there would be many instances of basic disagreement between the two Governments about external affairs, but if there should be a dis agreement it would be ’’natural” for

the matter to be discussed directly by representatives of the two Gov ernments. • Financial grants made by NZ to the Cooks should continue to be on a three-yearly basis, and the Commissioner and Cabinet should discuss the proposals for each grant. (Over)

The Commissioner should be in formed of any major changes in the pattern of expenditure. • The NZ Parliament should be asked to set up a Parliamentary Select Committee on Cook Islands Affairs, which would meet representatives of the Cook’ Government each year.

The report says the Committee would keep itself informed of all Cook Islands’ problems and thus might be more effective than an elected Cook Islands’ representative in the NZ Par liament. The report does not rule out the suggestion that a Cook Islander be elected to the NZ Parliament. • The Cook Islands’ Constitution should not be amended by the Cooks’

Assembly without a two-thirds majority at the second and third read-

ings of the ordinance involved and the elapse of 90 days between the second and third readings.

The report discusses at some length the position of the traditional leaders in the Cooks, the Arikis, and con cludes that because their influence has waned there should be no special provisions made for them in the new Constitution.

Professor Davidson, in a minority opinion, disassociates himself from any discussion at all on the position of the Arikis.

He says the colonial past “cannot be sloughed off as painlessly as a snake sheds its skin,” and although he agrees it is not wise to accord the Ariki a special position under self government, it would “be far wiser, politically, in my opinion, to let the issue lie fallow for the present” and let time provide the answer.

The report does not touch on the economy of the Cooks apart from making the comment that the Islands’ economic development is limited and that a very high proportion of the Cooks’ budget is being provided by NZ grants.

Undoubtedly, then, the most vital parts of the new proposals hinge on the powers of the NZ Commissioner to discuss the budget.

Although he will not have authority to alter the budget, he will be in a position to influence the size of the NZ grant. The NZ Government would no doubt use this as a weapon to bring into line any Cook Islands Cabinet which was irresponsible in its spending.

ISLANDS VISITORS: Lawrence Little, who has been in Sydney for some time, took his charming sister Anita, a new arrival, to a recent social gathering of the Poly nesian Association in Sydney. Lawrence and Anita are from Lautoka, Fiji.

Telephotos.