Cook Islands PM re-elected despite row over China ties with New Zealand

Asia - South China Morning Post · Aug 18, 2026

Cook Islands Prime Minister Mark Brown’s securing of another term, despite a dispute with New Zealand over his government’s deals with China, suggests voters are more focused on the cost of living than geopolitical concerns, analysts have said. Brown’s Cook Islands Party is on track to win a fifth consecutive term in government after securing 18 seats – up from its previous 12 – in last week’s election, according to preliminary results. That gives the party a three-quarter supermajority in the...