A Time of Great Joy and Celebration
On Thursday morning, 74 people were granted the honour of receiving their Permanent Residency (PR). As the spouses of Cook Islanders, or the spouses of other Permanent Residents, these people were awarded the status of becoming “true locals”, much to the pride of the families of these Permanent Residents.
Everybody had gathered inside the National Auditorium for the special ceremony awaiting the arrival of several distinguished guests, such as the Queen’s Representative Sir Fredrick Goodwin and Lady Goodwin, Prime Minster Hon Henry Puna and Mrs. Puna, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Immigration Hon Tom Marsters and his wife, Leader of the Opposition Party, Hon Wilkie Rassmussen, President of the House of Ariki, Travel Tou as well as other Cabinet Ministers.
Danny Williams, President of the Religious Advisory Council, opened the ceremony with a prayer as well as a speech, in which he acknowledged the presence of the people receiving their Permanent Residency, the distinguished guests as well as the families and friends who were among the audience.
DPM Hon Tom Marsters also gave a speech in regards to the PR’s and their relationship with the Cook Islands. He said the ceremony was a time of great joy and celebration. He commented on the longest standing marriage that a Cook Islander has ever had with a foreigner, which is the marriage of Patrick Lynch, who is originally from Ireland, and his wife. “Paddy”, as he is more commonly known, has been married to a Cook Islander for more than 55 years prior to the year he was married, which was in 1957. The DPM said that in 2008, a special category was formed for the spouses of Cook Islanders, and that they would have to be married for at least 5 years to their partner in order to receive a Permanent Residency. He said the ceremony was the first of its kind and therefore was an historic national event.
The ceremony officially began with the PR’s taking an oath to obey, honour and respect the laws, traditions and customs of this country. They were then guided onto the stage in which they would receive their certificates from Sir Tom Marsters. Among the PR’s was the Secretary of Education, Sharyn Paio, who was also the former principal of Tereora College. Proud families and friends would be at the bottom of the stage, awaiting their loved ones arrival as they graced them with beautiful flower eis’.
Sharyn Paio then gave a closing speech on behalf of all the PR’s and began her speech with a traditional Maori turou, which impressed many onlookers. She quoted that they “will be a beneficial resource to the Cook Islands.”
Danny Williams ended the ceremony with a closing prayer.
- Norma Ngatamariki

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