Celebrating our achievements

CONSTITUTION DAY ADDRESS BY THE PRIME MINISTER Hon Henry Puna National Auditorium Thursday 4 August 2011
Your Excellency Sir Fredrick Goodwin and Lady Goodwin
The Ui Ariki, the Koutu Nui, the aronga mana
The Speaker of Parliament, Sir Geoffrey Henry, and Lady Henry
Members of the Diplomatic Core, Your Excellency the Zealand High Commissioner, Your Excellency the Ambassador of the Peoples Republic of China, the Honorary French Consul, the Honorary German Consul
The Deputy Prime Minister, and Mrs Marsters
The Leader of the Opposition, and Mrs Wigmore
Cabinet Ministers and Members of Parliament, and your wives/partners
The President and Executive of the Cook Islands Party and the Democratic Party
The Religious Advisory Council,
The Mayors, Councillors and our People from the Pa Enua
Fellow Cook Islanders, Visitors, Ladies and Gentlemen
Kia Orana i te aroa maata o to tatou Metua Atua.
To our people in the Pa Enua, I would like to say Kia Orana to you in my own special way.
Song: “Kua Rere o te Manu Reva”
As we celebrate today 46 years of self government, I bring you congratulations and best wishes from your Government.
Today we celebrate the rich experience of constitutional democracy which is alive, healthy and treasured in our country of the Cook Islands. We celebrate today the maturing of a society that was born out of a burning desire to chart and direct our own future.
Today we celebrate our many achievements and accomplishments as a developing country, ever conscious of God and steadfast in the knowledge that only with God’s guidance can we overcome the challenges that we as a nation face.
Today, we celebrate at a time that is unique in the world’s history. A time when the world is characterised by environmental, financial, social and economic challenges. These challenges are a test of our capacity, our strength, our creativity, innovation and resilience.
As a nation and people, despite our ‘smallness’, we have persevered. We have weathered many storms and have achieved many of our goals. The past 46 years has been the unfolding story of our continuing journey to make our country better for all of it’s people.
Our Cook Islands reality is that for a small country which is no more than a few dots on the world map, we have some achievements that we all should be proud of.
• We have a tourism industry that is second to none in the Pacific....and it all started with the vision of our founding father, Papa Arapati;
• We have a welfare system that is the envy of many developing countries;
• We have a quality telecommunications system that is arguably a leader in the Pacific;
• We have a culture that is vibrant and alive as our young people have demonstrated with so much pride in this auditorium this week;
• We have developed our international personality where we now have warm and friendly diplomatic relations with a growing number of countries including the three major economic powers, the USA, China and Japan;
• We have a vibrant progressive private sector that has allowed us to move from an economy based on agricultural exports to New Zealand to an economy based on tourism and service industry that compares with any in the Pacific;
• We have seized upon the opportunities available to us in the region and beyond to educate our youth and develop our human resources;
• As our forefathers have in previous times, we have recognised the important role women play in development and we are taking steps to have this reflected in relevant legislation as a signatory to the CEDAW Convention;
• We have given concrete recognition to the status of our Ui Ariki by setting aside a public holiday to celebrate this fact;
• We have added real substance to our special relationship with New Zealand by granting them greater and freer access to the Cook Islands;
• Finally, thanks to you our people, we now have peace and stability in our country. I promise you that your Government treasures this gift that you have given us and with God’s help, we will try to live up to your expectations at all times.
Ladies and gentlemen, as recently announced during the Opening of the 47th Session of Parliament, Government’s objective is to transform our country into a dynamic economy and society.
Although we have only been in office for a short time, I believe that we have demonstrated that this objective is achievable.
• In this financial year we have committed 12% of our financial resources towards ensuring that our economy will grow from strength to strength focusing on our the key driver of our economy – tourism and also directing resources on fisheries, pearls and seabed minerals.
• 17.1% of the Government’s budget has been appropriated to Governance and Law and Order to make certain that our people have a Government that is ‘value for money’ and that safety and justice is guaranteed.
• Our infrastructure to underpin our development will receive 26% of the budget where our people will reap the benefits of business and employment opportunities.
• Our human resources as our most important asset will benefit from 25% of the budget in 2011/2012.
Ladies and gentlemen we have committed to some bold actions. These bold actions are necessary to deal with the challenging times. Most importantly these actions place our people at the centre of our development.
That is not to say that we do not have urgent challenges facing us now.
• The recent outbreak of petty crime among our youth is a real concern. When these are directed against our guests, visitors to our country, it brings shame and embarrassment to all of us. I have observed with great interest suggestions from various sectors of our community on how to combat this problem - increasing the number of our Police Force; setting up Neighbourhood Watch groups; introducing remedial education programmes; public whipping and others. Yet I have been disappointed that no one has pointed the finger at our homes, at us, the parents. The truth is, home is where everything starts, and that is where everything that needs fixing should be fixed. So my challenge today is to you parents, take responsibility for the problems with your children and don’t expect others to fix them for you. They are God’s gift to you; so treasure them, care for them, and teach them to be proud and honest Cook Islanders and above all respect for others and the rule of law.
• Our people also continue to migrate to New Zealand and Australia. This outmigration is the greatest threat to our development and ensuring that the future of our country belongs to Cook Islanders. We cannot sit around and hope that our people will stay. We cannot continue with business as usual. Our actions must be specifically designed to curb the desire for migration.
In doing so, our approach to development must definitely have a national focus where the entire Cook Islands must be considered. For too long our Pa Enua has been neglected. We will change this with a renewed focus on implementation of projects in the Pa Enua to improve infrastructure, expand economic activities, address the cost of living and support sustainable livelihoods. To this end, Government will begin the roll out of its renewable energy program in the outer islands.
Rest assured that this time next year, I will be able to tell you of the concrete results that have been achieved within a year. This is my promise to you. I can do this with confidence because I stand on the shoulders of an able and very capable Cabinet and Government Caucus, all committed to living up to the mandate you have given us last November.
On a more pleasant note, I must say I have been most inspired by the apparent consciousness shown by our people about our environment and the need to preserve or restore it for future generations. The powerful message conveyed by the winning MOIP float and others last Friday is a case in point. So too were the messages expressed through choral items and songs in these celebrations. I personally find these encouraging as they lend support to your Government’s Clean and Green Policy.
Did you know that your country is a world leader of sorts in matters environmental? We were the first country in the world to declare our whole Exclusive Economic Zone a whale sanctuary. It is now 10 years since we did that, and the world has followed our example.
Your new Government has committed our country to an exciting programme of renewable energy, a first I believe in the world: 50% conversion by 2015, and 100% by 2020. Ambitious? May be. Impossible? No. Solarisation will start to roll out in Rakahanga very soon, followed by Pukapuka/Nassau, Manihiki and Penrhyn. Scoping work has already been done in Mitiaro, where, because of its size, it will lead the way in the Southern Group.
This of course will move forward in tandem with our efforts to address our waste management challenges. We need to urgently do something to protect our lagoons and water quality. I am pleased to report that trials are already underway in Muri to find a system best suited to our conditions.
At the same time, thanks to the suggestions from all sectors of our community, your Government is moving soon to ban the importation of certain plastic bags and phosphate detergents and washing powders. Small steps, perhaps, but major steps, nevertheless, in raising awareness about the need to collectively do something now to protect our environment.
Our previous Government laid the groundwork for a further major environmental initiative. This initiative is to establish a Marine Park within our EEZ, an initiative that my government fully supports. With the assistance and technical advice of some of our regional partners in particular, Conservation International and the SPREP we are now embarking on a journey that will lead to this Marine Park being established for all Cook Islanders. It will also be the largest in the world. I am humbled by the support shown by our Ui Ariki and all sectors of our community here in Rarotonga, and anticipate the same support from people in our Pa Enua.
Finally, we should all be proud of the courage and bravery of our boys and girls on the vaka Te Marumaru Atua. They have traversed the Pacific Ocean in the steps of our ancestors to send a powerful message to the world that the Pacific is our home, our soul, our mother providing us with sustenance and life, and that we ask everyone else to treat it with the same respect that we do. I am honoured that I will be there on all our behalf next Wednesday to welcome them in San Francisco, and be with them in front of the world media with our clear message.
Please join me in applauding our heroes and heroines on Te Maruamaru Atua.
In closing, I am mindful that success will require a concerted effort by all to build our country. For if we have learnt anything from the achievements of the past, these have only been possible because as a nation we have collectively put our shoulders to the wheel in the quest for a better life for all Cook Islanders.
I pray that just as we did as a people in 1965, we continue to demonstrate our determined spirit and our togetherness.
And so, today we pay special tribute to our farmers, our fishermen, our planters, our teachers, our health workers, our trades people, our business men and women, our public servants , our parents, our senior citizens, our young people and all whom contribute daily to the sustenance and life of our nation.
For we do know that when any one of you succeeds, the Cook Islands succeeds.
As we commence another year of Self Government, we are positive that we will grow. Our optimism for a better year is driven and informed by the strength and character of our Cook Islands people who have always risen to the various challenges of the day.
Our optimism is also founded on our conviction that the primary prerequisite for sustainable development is the adherence to our fundamental core principles of integrity, honesty and good governance.
This is not the time for political posturing and pursuit of individual agendas.
It is the time for greater unity.
It is the time for pursuing greater self reliance.
It is the time for digging deep within our souls, for being creative, for using our resources wisely to find new solutions.
So as we celebrate today we pay homage to our past leaders for their vision, courage and burning aspirations to have us become masters of our own destiny. They have given us a self governing Cook Islands.
A Cook Islands that must be for Cook Islanders and all those who want to be Cook Islanders.
A Cook Islands that must lead the Pacific.
A Cook Islands that we must continue to develop, nurture, sustain and preserve for our future generations.
As we fly our flag today, let us take pride in who we are and what is uniquely ours. And as we sing ‘Te Atua mou e, ko koe rai te Pu o te Pa Enua’ – may we sing with the deep conviction that our God will hear our prayers and is always with us.
On this 46th anniversary, your Government wishes all a wonderful birthday and a joyous day of celebrating our Self Government.
May God bless and guide us as a nation.

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