New Zealand Cuts Millions in Funding to Cook Islands Over China Ties

New Zealand Foreign Minister Winston Peters said the island nation needs to take ‘concrete steps to repair the relationship and restore trust.’

New Zealand Foreign Minister Winston Peters speaks to reporters at Parliament in Wellington, New Zealand, on Jan. 28, 2025. Hagen Hopkins/Getty Images

New Zealand has cut millions of dollars in funding to the Cook Islands due to the island group’s deepening ties with China.

A spokesperson for New Zealand Foreign Minister Winston Peters said in a statement on June 18 that New Zealand had decided earlier this month to suspend payment of 18.2 million New Zealand dollars (about $10.9 million) in development funding for 2025–26 as this “relies on a high trust bilateral relationship.”