KAP. 4.

D. Cook Islands (New Zealand)
Located between 156 and 167 deg W longitude, and between 8 and 23
deg S latitude, the 15 islands of the Cooks are an internally selfgoverning
state in free association with New Zealand. The population
in December 1986 was 17,185 (provisional).
The main island is Rarotonga (a little over 67 sq. km) which is 3000
km north-east of Auckland. The administrative centre is Avarua. Local
time is 10 hrs behind GMT but ‘daylight saving’ from 1 January to 31
March reduces that by one hour.
The flag comprises the Union Jack in the top left quarter and a ring
of white stars on a royal blue background. The stars represent the
islands of the group. The National Anthem is God Save the Queen, but
there is also a Cook Islands national song Te Atua Mou’e (God is Truth).
New Zealand currency, together with Cook Islands coins, are legal
tender.
Public holidays include: 1 January, Good Friday, Easter Monday, 25
April (ANZAC day), early June (Queen’s birthday), early August (Constitution
Day), late October (Gospel Day), Christmas and Boxing Day.
THE PEOPLE. The Cook Islands Maori is Polynesian and several
tribes trace their ancestry back to Samoa and Raiatea (French Polynesia).
By tradition there are also connections between the Rarotongans
and the New Zealand Maori. The Cook Islands census of 1 December
1981 recorded a total population of 17,754, compared with 18,128 in
1976 and 21,323 in 1971. The southern islands have the most population
(86.8% in 1981). The most populous islands are Rarotonga (9530
in 1981), Aitutaki (2335), Mangaia (1364) and Atiu (1225).
Nationality. Cook Islanders are British subjects and citizens of New
Zealand through the New Zealand Citizenship Act 1948, and by the
Constitution adopted in 1965.
Language. Most islanders are bilingual, using their own Polynesian
dialect and English. The languages of Polynesia are all closely related
and are of the Malayo-Polynesian family. There is a strong similarity
between the dialects of the NZ Maori, the Cook Island Maori and the
Tahitian. If a NZ Maori speaks Maori in the Cook Islands he is readily
understood. If he goes to Tahiti and speaks Maori without pronouncing
his k’s, he can still be understood.
Migration. Hundreds of Cook Islanders go to New Zealand to seek
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