Cook Islands History

According to radiocarbon analysis, the Cook Islands from the Southern Group were originally populated by Polynesians no later than 500 AD ^[1] . According to comparative linguistics, the islands of the Southern Group were settled from the islands of the Society , which in turn were settled from the Marquesas . At the same time, the separation of the Pramarkiz and Prataitian languages ​​occurred around 900 AD. The islands of the Northern group (except for Pukapuk , probably settled from Samoa ) were settled either from the islands of the Southern group, or directly from the islands of the Society ^[2] .

According to oral traditions of the inhabitants of the Cook Islands and the Maori people , New Zealand was settled around 1000 CE. from the island of Rarotonga and other islands of the Pacific Ocean . It is likely that Rarotonga was an intermediate point of the Polynesians sailing in a canoe towards New Zealand. The most legendary migration from the island took place in 1350 , when seven canoes sailed from Avan Bay to Rarotong towards New Zealand.

Exploring the Islands

The period of the European exploration of the Cook Islands began in 1595 , when the Spanish navigator Alvaro de Mendanya discovered the island of Pucapuca . Later, in 1606, another Spanish traveler from Portugal , Pedro Fernandez Quiros , discovered the island of Racahanga . In 1765, a British ship sailed past Pucapuca under the command of John Byron , who called the atoll the island of Danger .

In 1773 - 1775, the English navigator James Cook , who named the archipelago of Hervey Islands, visited many islands of the Southern Group. The islands got their modern name only in the 19th century , when the Russian traveler Kruzenshtern named the archipelago of Cook Island .

In 1789, the captain of the Bounty ship William Bly visited the island of Aitutaki . Rarotonga island was first discovered by Europeans only in 1813 .

Missionary

The first missionary of the London Mission Society on the Cook Islands, John Williams , landed on Aitutaki Island in 1821 . Having converted part of the Arica (leaders of the islands) to Christianity , the new religion eventually spread to all the islands of the Southern Group, and the long-awaited peace came on the Cook Islands themselves (before that, the inhabitants of the islands of the archipelago were constantly at war with each other). The missionaries also had a merit in stopping the practice of cannibalism on the archipelago; they helped to spread literacy among the local population.

However, the appearance of aliens on the Cook Islands led to sad consequences: diseases were brought to the islands against which the islanders did not have immunity . As a result, the local population was reduced to less than 2,000 people, compared to about 6,000 people when missionaries appeared on the islands.

British annexation of the islands

In the middle of the XIX century, France and Great Britain pursued an active policy of capturing islands in the Pacific Ocean, in particular, in 1843, France annexed the island of Tahiti and the islands of the Society . The active colonial policy of this state caused great concern both from the side of missionaries on the Cook Islands, and from the side of New Zealand merchants.

The idea of ​​establishing a British protectorate over Rarotonga Island was first expressed in 1848 by Rev. Aaron Buzacott , the main missionary of the London Missionary Society on the island. In his opinion, the establishment of French rule over most of the South Pacific islands, including the island of Rarotonga, after the annexation of Tahiti and the adjacent islands was only a matter of time. This, in turn, would contribute not only to a decline in the role of the Protestant London missionary society (and France was a Catholic country) in the region, but would also lead to the disappearance of the control levers of the missionaries, who by that time had become real political power on the islands. However, the Ariks of the Rarotonges initially did not see a real threat from France, and the idea of ​​forced establishment of the British protectorate did not find support among them.

In the 1850s, the London Missionary Society was going through very difficult times, as every year it became increasingly difficult to finance their missions in the Pacific Islands. In 1859, the German missionary Rev. E.R. arrived on the island of Rarotonga. Krause, who took over the leadership of the only European mission on the island in the settlement of Takamoa , which was the main theological college of the Cook Islands.

When Krause arrived at Rarotonga, only one European lived on the island - the Frenchman. However, over time, in the course of establishing trade relations with other Pacific islands, merchants from other islands began to appear on Rarotong more often, mainly from New Zealand . New Zealanders, interested in increasing trade, revived the idea of ​​establishing a British protectorate and believed that the island of Rarotonga should be annexed by New Zealand, which at that time was a colony of the British Empire. The establishment of French rule would greatly infringe on the trade rights of New Zealanders. It was with the aim of protecting their commercial interests that they opposed French influence on the island of Rarotonga.

In order to push the Ariks of the Cook Islands to make a decision on the British protectorate, merchants from the city of Auckland , who had their sales offices on Rarotonga, equipped the schooner Victoria in 1863 . The main negotiator with the local leaders was one of New Zealand’s Arik Paora Tuchere . During the discussion of the issue, some leaders were persuaded, and after some time part of the arica sent a request to Governor Gray in the city of Wellington to establish a British protectorate, and then association with New Zealand. The governor supported this idea and sent a petition to the Ministry of the Colonies on the implementation of the necessary measures. However, the British government rejected the possibility of establishing a protectorate over the Rarotong Islands in both the first and second in 1865.

The idea of ​​establishing an association with New Zealand was not particularly popular among both the Arica of the Hervey Islands and the local population. The reason for this was the fear of the Cooks about the control of their lands by the New Zealanders, which, in turn, would facilitate the influx of Europeans to Rarotonga and the alienation of land from the indigenous population.

It should be noted that the annexation of the Hervey Islands by New Zealand, which at that time was a self-governing colony of Britain, was impossible, since it did not have legitimate rights to capture Rarotonga or any other island in the Pacific Ocean, therefore, all the colonial trends of New Zealand rested on favor Britain, which at that time considered the annexation of the Hervey Islands economically inexpedient.

In 1869, Rev. Krause's place on Rarotonga Island was taken by Rev. James Chalmers, who was little interested in the annexation of the islands and was more concerned about the negative European influence (this related to the spread of alcohol and the appearance of many wine cellars).

In 1870, J.T. Arundel, a major merchant of the time in the region, arrived on the island of Rarotonga. In exchange for the help of the Rarotong missionaries, he covered the costs of maintaining Protestant missions on the Hervey Islands. In the same year, a merchant Goodman came to Rarotonga from England. Since his father was a patron of the London Missionary Society, Goodman very quickly found a common language with local missionaries. In 1872 , with the support of Rev. Chalmeras and several traders, Goodman petitioned the British Foreign Office to appoint him to the post of British Vice Consul on the Hervey Islands. However, no answer came, since at that moment Britain was again more interested in Fiji , the New Hebrides , Tonga and the Solomon Islands .

In 1873, Julius Vogel became Prime Minister of New Zealand. During his premiership, special attention was paid to strengthening trade relations with the islands, since the existence of "commercial opportunities" on the Hervey Islands could convince Britain of obtaining benefits after their annexation. Almost immediately after taking office, Vogel turned to the British Ministry of Foreign Affairs about the need for Great Britain to create a “Polynesian Federation”, which would include a significant part of the islands in the South Pacific region, including Hervey Island. However, the ministry rejected this project, and the very next year Britain annexed Fiji .

The reluctance of Britain to annex the islands of Hervey was due to several reasons. First of all, one of the leading powers of the world at that time was conducting an electoral policy in relation to the new colonies. Only territories that were strategically located or whose capture was economically beneficial for the metropolis were captured (that is, they could be used as raw materials appendages). And the tiny islands in the Pacific Ocean were in last place after such territories as Egypt , India , and East Africa . In addition, the maintenance of a bulky colonial apparatus on remote islands was very expensive.

In June 1885, a shipping link was first established between New Zealand and Rarotonga Island, as well as Tonga , Samoa, and Tahiti .

In 1881, the first unpaid British consul was sent to the Hervey Islands . And already in 1888, after the request of some leaders for British patronage, the vice consul on Rarotonga announced a British protectorate over the Southern Group. Subsequently, in the early 1890s, the protectorate spread to part of the islands of the Northern Group (the British Ministry for Colony Affairs decided that they would play a significant role in the future construction of the Trans-Pacific cable station).

In October 1885, the British Ministry accepted the proposal of New Zealand, which at that time was a self-governing British colony, to pay for the work of the British consul on the island of Rarotonga, but on condition that this consul would be appointed by the New Zealand government and be the official agent of New Zealand. The consul served as an adviser to the island leaders on the drafting of bills, signed all acts of local legislation on behalf of the Governor of New Zealand, and could also reject the bill.

In 1890, a general council was formed, the first government of the islands. The following year, the Ariks of the Rarotonga and other islands of the Southern Group agreed to form the first federal legislature on the islands. The British currency was officially introduced. However, many local leaders were not happy with the fact that, in fact, the control of the islands passed into the hands of New Zealand, and not Britain (the Ariks, however, wanted the Cook Islands to directly enter the British Empire).

The official request of the Supreme Arica of September 6, 1900 stipulated the conditions under which the Cook Islands could be included in the British Empire:

1. The dissolution of the federal parliament and the convening of the Council of Arica, headed by Makea Arica . Entry into force of New Zealand law only with the approval of the council.
2. Simultaneous annexation of the islands of the Northern Group.
3. The islands should be annexed to Britain and federated with New Zealand.

New Zealand period

However, already on September 27, 1900, the New Zealand Parliament approved the annexation of the Cook Islands, and the governor of New Zealand arrived in Rarotonga the following month. Without any discussion, the supreme Arica and other island leaders signed the cession act, which envisaged the expansion of New Zealand's borders at the expense of the Cook Islands.

On June 11, 1901, the Cook Islands became part of New Zealand.

Despite the fact that the Supreme Arica and the Government of the Cook Islands during the New Zealand parliamentary mission in 1903 strictly adhered to the idea of ​​independence of the Cook Islands in matters of their legislation, by 1909 all power on the islands passed to the New Zealand resident commissar and minister of island territories, and all Legislative acts adopted in the New Zealand Parliament have acquired the force of law. As a result, by 1915, after the adoption of a number of bills, the Cook Islands became completely dependent on the will of the New Zealand Parliament from the point of view of the law.

In 1945, New Zealand took an active part in the creation of the United Nations , as well as in the development of that part of the UN Charter, which deals with non-self-governing territories. All this had a definite impact on the development of the Cook Islands. On the whole, the post-war period (its early years) was marked by the strengthening of the economy of the archipelago, an increase in the quality of life of the islanders, but failed to solve the problems associated with the emigration of the Cook Islands to New Zealand (mainly young people).

The first years of self-government. Fundamentals of Free Association with New Zealand

In 1962, the New Zealand Minister for Island Territory visited the Legislative Assembly of the Islands, proposing four projects for the future status of the Cook Islands:

1. Granting full independence, in which New Zealand will continue to contribute to the development of the archipelago.
2. Unification with New Zealand subject to direct representation of the Cook Islands in the House of Representatives of New Zealand .
3. Integration into the Polynesian Federation, if possible the creation of this state in the future.
4. Granting full independence in resolving internal issues while maintaining New Zealand citizenship for residents of the territory.

At the same time, the minister emphasized the shortcomings of the first three alternatives:

1. Cook Islands have a very small area, an underdeveloped economy. The islands of the archipelago are at a long distance from each other. With complete independence, all this would lead to a number of problems in the economic, political, social and other spheres.
2. Full integration with New Zealand would lead to the supremacy of New Zealand laws in the Cook Islands, and representatives of the territory in the New Zealand Parliament would not be able to lobby for their interests because of their small representation.
3. When joining a possible Oceania Federation in the future, the Cook Islands would play a secondary role compared to Samoa , Fiji and other countries.

The most practical of these was the provision of full internal self-government while maintaining New Zealand citizenship for residents of the territory. The members of the Cook Islands Assembly understood that the archipelago was completely dependent on financial assistance from New Zealand. In addition, the provision of islanders with New Zealand citizenship would be very favorable given the growing outflow of population to New Zealand. That is why the Cook Islands Assembly approved the project of a self-governing territory. After lengthy consultations, on November 17, 1964, the New Zealand Parliament adopted the Cook Islands Constitution Act , which was supposed to enter into force after a universal vote on the island territory.

The people who participated in the vote on the adoption of the document on April 20, 1965 supported the proposed constitution and the provision of self-government to the Cook Islands. Observers of UN member countries ( India , Spain , Togo , Sudan , USA and Japan ) were invited to vote.

On June 7, 1965, the New Zealand Parliament, according to the results of the popular vote, introduced some amendments to the Constitution of the Cook Islands . On July 26, 1965, a resolution was finally adopted by which the Cook Islands was declared self-governing territory in free association with New Zealand. The first minister was Sir Albert Henry .

16 декабря 1965 года Генеральной Ассамблеей ООН был принята Резолюция 2064 (XV), в которой Острова Кука объявлялись территорией с полным объёмом внутреннего самоуправления.

Под свободной ассоциацией Островов Кука с Новой Зеландией подразумевается:

1. Правительство Островов Кука наделено всей полнотой исполнительной власти .
2. Парламент Островов Кука наделён правом издания законов. Парламент Новой Зеландии не имеет права издавать законы для Островов Кука.
3. Жители Островов Кука являются гражданами Новой Зеландии.
4. Острова Кука остаются частью Королевства Новой Зеландии. Главой Островов Кука является британская королева Елизавета II .

Однако Новая Зеландия отвечает за внешнюю политику и оборону.

История Островов Кука 1970—2000 годов

В ходе очередных выборов в 1971 , 1974 и марте 1978 года премьером Островов Кука был избран Альберт Генри из Партии Островов Кука. Однако в июле 1978 года после рассмотрения законности выборов верховный судья Островов Кука отозвал голоса эспатриантов Островов, которые специально за счёт государственных фондов были привезены из Новой Зеландии для участия в выборах. В результате пересмотра результатов выборов Партию Остров Кука обошла Демократическая партия Островов Кука , лидер которой, Томас Дэвис , стал новым премьером самоуправляющейся территории.

В мае 1981 года в Конституцию Островов Кука была внесена поправка, согласно которой число парламентариев увеличилось с 22 до 24 человек (параллельно был увеличен срок полномочий с четырёх до пяти лет).

В апреле 1983 года Сэр Том Дэвис уступил власть оппоненту из Партии Островов Кука, Джеффри Генри , двоюродному брату бывшего премьера. Однако Генри находился у власти очень короткий период, и уже в ноябре 1983 года пост премьера вернулся к Дэвису. В августе 1984 года Дэвис осуществил коренные изменения в правительстве с целью создания коалиционного правительства: семь министерских портфелей получили члены Партии Островов Кука, а Джеффри Генри был назначен заместителем премьера. Однако в середине 1985 года Генри и его однопартийцы были уволены с постов. В июле 1987 года Том Дэвис в связи с вынесением вотума недоверия правительству был вынужден уйти в отставку, а его место занял член Кабинета министров и ключевая фигура на тот период Демократической партии Пупуке Робати . В ходе очередных парламентских выборов в январе 1989 года победу одержал Джеффри Генри.

В августе 1991 года была внесена новая поправка в Конституцию Островов Кука, согласно которой число парламентариев увеличилось с 24 до 25 человек. Одновременно изменения коснулись Кабинета министров: число министров возросло с 7 до 9 человек.

Результаты парламентских выборов марта 1994 года были вполне ожидаемы: 20 мест в парламенте получила Партия Островов Кука, 3 места — Демократическая партия и 2 места — Партия альянса, основанная в 1992 году Норманом Джорджем . Том Дэвис, партия которого проиграла на выборах, ушёл с поста председателя Демократической партии Островов Кука.

В 1994 году на Островах на некоторое время удалось избежать крупного финансового кризиса из-за предоставления правительством страны гарантий по кредитам иностранным компаниям в размере $NZ l,200 млн. (к сравнению, в 1994—1995 годах валовый доход Островов Кука составлял около $NZ 50 млн.). В ходе разбирательства Резервный банк Новой Зеландии пришёл к заключению, что эти действия правительства были в основном продиктованы интересами иностранных компаний. Однако сложившаяся ситуация в самоуправляющейся территории привела к отзыву иностранными инвесторами своих капиталов, тем самым, ещё сильнее провоцируя финансовый кризис. Чтобы решить проблему министр Островов Кука Джеффри Генри в середине 1995 года вывел из обращения доллар Островов Кука и провёл меры по сокращению государственных расходов. Однако избежать кризиса не удалось. Новозеландское правительство критиковало правительство Островов Кука за отсутствие решительных мер, в том числе, за не вынесение обвинений в мошенничестве и уклонении от уплаты налогов иностранным компаниям. Ситуация на Островах ещё более ухудшилась после того, как стало известно, что территория не в состоянии самостоятельно погасить долг в размере US $100 млн перед Банком Италии . В апреле 1996 года Джеффри Генри были предприняты новые решительные меры в сфере финансов: на 50 % была сокращена заработная плата государственным служащим, были закрыты все дипломатические миссии за границей, на 60 % сократилось количество государственных департаментов и министерств, была проведена приватизация большинства государственных предприятий. Отмеченная в 1995 — 1996 годах возросшая эмиграция жителей Островов Кука ещё сильнее пошатнула финансовый сектор страны.

В августе 1997 года Парламент Островов Кука одобрил Акт о местном правительстве на внешних островах ( англ. Outer Islands Local Government Act ). В результате была создана новая бюджетная система пополнения местных фондов с целью осуществления различных проектов на внешних острова и увеличения власти на местах.

Действия администрации Джеффри Генри продолжала вызывать споры в обществе, особенно заявление в декабре 1997 года о закрытии Министерства общественных работ, исследований, жилищного фонда, водоснабжения и окружающей среды из-за превышения сметы расходов. В знак протеста ответственный министр Том Марстерс подал в отставку, так как без работы осталось более 100 государственных служащих. Также возникли проблемы с ЖКХ (особенно водоснабжением), были приостановлены многие государственные проекты.

В ноябре 1997 года острова Северной группы сильно пострадали от циклона «Мартин»: погибло по меньшей мере 8 человек, была фактически разрушена инфраструктура островов, большие убытки потерпела индустрия по производству чёрного жемчуга .

В конце XX века Острова Кука стали крупным офшорным центром, где открывали свои счета многие иностранные компании, в том числе, российские. В результате появились заявления о том, что в стране отмываются нелегальные деньги криминальных организаций. Попытки правительства Островов Кука уйти от ответа не дали результата, поэтому после давления со стороны многих государств мира были проведены изменения в финансовом законодательстве в августе 1999 года (в том числе, был создан орган по делам легализации незаконно полученных денег).

16 июня 1999 года были проведены очередные парламентские выборы, победу в которых одержала Партия Островов Кука, получив 11 из 25 мест в парламенте. Демократическая партия получила 10 мест и Партия нового альянса — 4 места. Премьер-министром остался Джеффри Генри, заместителем премьера — Норман Джордж, лидер Партии нового альянса, с которой была создана правительственная коалиции. В ответ на союз с Партией нового альянса трое членов Партии Островов Кука вошли в коалицию с Демократической партией. В результате Джеффри Генри был смещён Джо Уильямсом , который, в свою очередь, ушёл в отставку в ноябре (его место занял Терепаи Маоате ).

11 июня 1980 года США подписали договор с правительством Новой Зеландии, определяющий морские границы Островов Кука с Американским Самоа . США также отказалось от претензий на острова Пенрин , Пукапука , Манихики и Ракаханга .

В течение первого десятилетия самоуправления деятельность правительства Островов Кука сосредоточилась на внутренних делах и осуществлении основных социальных и экономических программ. Цель внутренней политики Островов Кука в эти годы — национальное развитие и снижение зависимости страны от экономической помощи Новой Зеландии.

В 1972 году недавно созданный Южнотихоокеанский форум (сейчас Форум тихоокеанских островов ) сформировал на основе договора Южнотихоокеанское бюро экономического сотрудничества ( англ. South Pacific Bureau for Economic Cooperation ). В соглашении, подписанном Австралией , Западным Самоа , Науру , Новой Зеландией, Островами Кука, Тонга и Фиджи в 1973 году , Острова Кука впервые выступили как самостоятельный субъект международного права.

В 1990-х годах продолжилась активная политика правительства Островов Кука в сфере международного сотрудничества.

Сейчас страна является членом Азиатского банка развития , Всемирной организации здравоохранения , некоторых подразделений ООН . Острова Кука также являются ассоциированным членом Содружества наций , поддерживает дипломатические отношения с 19 государствами мира.

• Хронологическая таблица по истории Островов Кука
• Политическая система Островов Кука
• Внешняя политика Островов Кука

1. ↑ Малаховский К.В. История островов Кука. Москва, изд-во "Наука", 1978, стр. 7.
2. ↑ Беликов В.И. Происхождение и миграции полинезийцев (по лингвистическим данным). В сборнике статей: Пути развития Австралии и Океании: история, экономика, этнография. Москва, изд-во "Наука", 1981, стр. 243-254.

• (англ.) История Островов Кука на сайте www.ck
• (англ.) История Островов Кука на сайте Cookislands.de
• (англ.) Путь к независимости