Cook Islands election: PM Mark Brown speaks on the diplomatic crises that defined his year

<p>The prime minister tells the Guardian that last year’s diplomatic rift with ally New Zealand could be on voters’ minds as they head to the polls</p><p>As voters in the Cook Islands prepare to head to the polls in a high-stakes general election, they will have much to reflect on. Over recent years, politics in this small island nation has been defined by fierce debates about <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/oct/24/us-china-contest-potential-deep-sea-mineral-mining-cook-islands">deep-sea mining</a>, diplomatic rifts with ally New Zealand and a major reshaping of the country’s foreign partnerships.</p><p>In an exclusive interview with the Guardian, days before Wednesday’s poll, Cook Islands prime minister Mark Brown defended his four-year term and the decisions he made that have seen this South Pacific nation of 17,000 people pushed into the international limelight, turning it into a <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/jul/14/caught-in-the-contest-between-china-and-the-west-the-cook-islands-asks-where-its-future-lies">battleground for influence between Beijing and western powers</a>.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/aug/12/cook-islands-election-mark-brown-pm-prime-minister">Continue reading...</a>