WEBVTT - Tere Carr: Mark Brown has to eat some humble pie

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<v Speaker 1>You're listening to the Weekend Collective podcast from News Talks dB.

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<v Speaker 2>Yes, it is twenty eight past three now. As you know,

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<v Speaker 2>Foreign Minster Winston Peter's announced to pause. Well he didn't

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<v Speaker 2>announce it, it came out he paused eighteen million dollars

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<v Speaker 2>in funding to the Cook Islands following a lack of

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<v Speaker 2>consultation over their deals with China earlier this year. The

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<v Speaker 2>money would have been used for health, education and tourism.

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<v Speaker 2>The Cook Islands. Prime Minister Mark Brown slammed the move

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<v Speaker 2>hot saying holding millions in sect to support us patronizing

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<v Speaker 2>and doesn't align with our part partnership arrangements. And he

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<v Speaker 2>says they're committed to addressing this urgently. That's probably up

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<v Speaker 2>for a bit of debate to discuss that cook we

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<v Speaker 2>have from the Cook Island tourism development. We have Terry

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<v Speaker 2>Carr joining us. How let's see, I just need to

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<v Speaker 2>push the right button, Terry Hello. Sure. What was the

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<v Speaker 2>reaction to this locally?

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<v Speaker 3>The reaction was taken as with mister Peters with holding

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<v Speaker 3>the aid solely their Mark Brown fault. So much of

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<v Speaker 3>what's happened this year has not been disclosed to the people,

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<v Speaker 3>as Cook Islands has not been disclosed to the New

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<v Speaker 3>Zealand government and so it came as no surprise really

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<v Speaker 3>that mister Peters took the steps he needed to do

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<v Speaker 3>to pull mister Brown back into line. And I think

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<v Speaker 3>that's what most of it were seeing on the ground here. Yeah,

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<v Speaker 3>is that? Yeah? It you know, it's a situation we

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<v Speaker 3>find ourselves and right now actions are one man, How.

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<v Speaker 2>Important was this money?

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<v Speaker 3>The money is important. All age that comes from New

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<v Speaker 3>Zealand is very important because it does support services in

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<v Speaker 3>the community in the country. But at the same time,

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<v Speaker 3>I think it's more important this year for mister Brown

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<v Speaker 3>and his government and that it's election year next year,

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<v Speaker 3>so that aid would have been news. I'm sure in

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<v Speaker 3>situations where it would, you know, it would be seen

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<v Speaker 3>that the government was doing what it should be doing

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<v Speaker 3>and therefore reflected and reinstating them in government next year.

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<v Speaker 3>So really, really critical, I would say at this point

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<v Speaker 3>in time is.

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<v Speaker 2>The So I get the vibe that the major concern

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<v Speaker 2>it's not maybe so much with the money, but it

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<v Speaker 2>is in the way Mark Brown's going about business and

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<v Speaker 2>arguably cozying up with China to the expense of its relationship.

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<v Speaker 3>With New Zealand absolutely, and I think what New Zealanders

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<v Speaker 3>need to understand is that the Cook Islands has a

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<v Speaker 3>long history with New Zealand since nineteen oh one. We've

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<v Speaker 3>been part of the realm of New Zealand in nineteen

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<v Speaker 3>sixty five. We have a constitution in place, and under

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<v Speaker 3>that constitution we have internal self government. We also have

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<v Speaker 3>New Zealand in charge of defense and foreign affairs. It's

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<v Speaker 3>in our constitution and mister Peters has alerted mister Brown

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<v Speaker 3>that there was been any change in status. You need

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<v Speaker 3>to go back to the people of the Cook Island

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<v Speaker 3>and sleeper referendum, and that hasn't been done. And so

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<v Speaker 3>until that's done, we're not a sovereign nation. We can't

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<v Speaker 3>be going out there making deals and unknown deals which

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<v Speaker 3>could harm us. It could harm New Zealand. We are

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<v Speaker 3>in New Zealand citizens and so I think from our perspective,

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<v Speaker 3>we're really pleasing. Let mister Peters is stepped in.

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<v Speaker 2>What about Mark Brown? Is he giving any signs that

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<v Speaker 2>there's going to be I don't know. Some healing of

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<v Speaker 2>the relationships one thing to talk about it, but it

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<v Speaker 2>doesn't seem like they're having a constant dialogue him and

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<v Speaker 2>Winston does it.

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<v Speaker 3>No, it doesn't. And I think the problem with mister

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<v Speaker 3>Brown's government, with the government we have in place at

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<v Speaker 3>the moment, is that, you know, there's a lack of

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<v Speaker 3>brain power. Mister Brown is really the brains behind the

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<v Speaker 3>whole thing. So any decision making of a serious nature

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<v Speaker 3>is made by one man. So all the China deals

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<v Speaker 3>are made by him. The passport situation arose because he decided,

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<v Speaker 3>you know, that we should go our own way and

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<v Speaker 3>have a secret passport with an understanding that you know,

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<v Speaker 3>the relationship with New Zealand means you can't do that.

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<v Speaker 3>So it's yeah, it's up to mister Brown to kind

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<v Speaker 3>of eat humble Pire would say, because I think the

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<v Speaker 3>people at the Cook Islands value this relationship we have

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<v Speaker 3>with New Zealand. They're like our backstop. They are there

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<v Speaker 3>when we need them when our government goes off the rails.

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<v Speaker 3>At least under our constitution, you know there's a backstop

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<v Speaker 3>where New Zealand can step in and say in that

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<v Speaker 3>there are things you need to do before you even

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<v Speaker 3>talk about sovereignty and being able to go around the

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<v Speaker 3>world and make deals.

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<v Speaker 2>It's just a case of waiting for the next election,

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<v Speaker 2>for the people to have their say, or the other

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<v Speaker 2>things that he's that Brown might respond to.

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<v Speaker 3>I think it's imperative. I think in today's newspaper he's

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<v Speaker 3>urged by the opposition party to go and talk to

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<v Speaker 3>mister Peters. But I think until the full extent of

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<v Speaker 3>what you know, the contract or the duralty signed with

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<v Speaker 3>China actually exposed, how how they will affect you know,

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<v Speaker 3>the relationship, the foreign affairs relationship with defense relationships. I

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<v Speaker 3>just feel that mister Brown needs to do a whole

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<v Speaker 3>lot of disclosing of what's actually on the table, and

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<v Speaker 3>the people at the Cook Islands need to know as

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<v Speaker 3>well and make informed decisions. You know that if there

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<v Speaker 3>is a referendum, the Cork Islanders need to know that

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<v Speaker 3>they in danger of losing their passport. They're in danger

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<v Speaker 3>of losing you know, these are free entry into New

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<v Speaker 3>Zealand health services that they have access to. So I

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<v Speaker 3>think the biggest disappointments and a lot of us on

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<v Speaker 3>the ground here is that mister Brown's actions simply alerted

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<v Speaker 3>the whole public of New Zealand that the Cook Islands

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<v Speaker 3>is receding taxpayer money from New Zealand and not valuing it,

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<v Speaker 3>so it's very disappointing.

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<v Speaker 2>Yeah, how's, by the way, your president of Cork, Colin's

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<v Speaker 2>Tourism Council, how tourism going, Because New Zealanders love going

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<v Speaker 2>to the Cook Islands. So how's everything shaping up at

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<v Speaker 2>the moment for you guys? People spending money where you'd

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<v Speaker 2>like them to.

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<v Speaker 3>You know, New Zealand tourists have been our best supporters

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<v Speaker 3>since we opened after COVID and now be joined by

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<v Speaker 3>our Australians and North America coming through, but the New

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<v Speaker 3>Zealanders coming over had been They're on the ground and

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<v Speaker 3>they like to know what's happening on the ground. So

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<v Speaker 3>last week there was a lot of questions about what's

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<v Speaker 3>going on. And I think New Zealanders that do come

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<v Speaker 3>here as tourists see the real Cook Islands. They see

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<v Speaker 3>how the people on the ground are feeling, whereas in

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<v Speaker 3>New Zealand. New Zealanders probably wouldn't have that same feeling,

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<v Speaker 3>but they understand that these are decisions made by the

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<v Speaker 3>Prime Minister and it's impacting all of us without us

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<v Speaker 3>actually having a choice about it right now. But yeah,

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<v Speaker 3>they've been absolutely wonderful.

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<v Speaker 2>Thanks Hey, Terry, we really appreciate your time staff known

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<v Speaker 2>for your comments on the situation that as a Terry Carr,

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<v Speaker 2>President of the Cook Islands Tourism Council. Yeah, fascinating comments.

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<v Speaker 2>Actually not pulling out punches there at all? Was she

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<v Speaker 2>on Mark Brown? They're not happy with him over there.

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<v Speaker 2>So watch the space. We'll be doing some e one

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<v Speaker 2>hundred eighty ten to eighty talk back your thoughts, so

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<v Speaker 2>you can add a comment on the Cook Islands. But

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<v Speaker 2>I imagine in terms of the big piece of news

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<v Speaker 2>of course, as America attacking a round in those three

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<v Speaker 2>nuclear facilities. My my indview with Jeffrey Miller there, which

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<v Speaker 2>was it didn't make me feel particularly relaxed about the situation.

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<v Speaker 2>But what's your thing? What's your response? Do you think

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<v Speaker 2>the States have done the right thing? Or are you

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<v Speaker 2>as concerned as Jeffrey is that it was madness? Basically

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<v Speaker 2>sums it up. It is twenty four minutes to four

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<v Speaker 2>News Talks EDB.

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<v Speaker 1>For more from the weekend collective, listen live to News

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