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US and New Zealand to fund major upgrade of Cook Islands port
The United States and New Zealand will jointly fund a major upgrade of a World War II-era port on Penrhyn atoll in the Cook Islands, announced at the Pacific Islands Forum in Palau. The project, with Washington contributing US$50 million and Wellington NZ$17.5 million, aims to improve infrastructure and counter China's influence in the region.
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Joint US-NZ initiative for Penrhyn port
The United States and New Zealand will jointly fund a major upgrade of a World War II-era port on Penrhyn atoll in the Cook Islands, the three governments announced on September 1 during the Pacific Islands Forum in Palau. The project, to be implemented by New Zealand in coordination with the Cook Islands and the US, is intended to make ship landings safer, improve access to services, and strengthen transport and economic links for the northern Cook Islands, according to a joint statement.
Washington intends to contribute US$50 million, while New Zealand will provide NZ$17.5 million, the statement said. The announcement was made by US Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau alongside Cook Islands Prime Minister Mark Brown and New Zealand's Foreign Minister Winston Peters.
Penrhyn, also known as Tongareva, was home to a military base during World War II. Its port and airstrip were originally constructed by American personnel over 80 years ago, and the airfield was used to move personnel and supplies and support aircraft transiting the region during the war, according to Landau.
"Through transformational infrastructure initiatives such as this, we are making the United States and our partners safer, stronger, and more prosperous," Landau said in the statement. He added that the project builds on a critical-minerals framework signed earlier this year with the Cook Islands.
Strategic and economic context
Peters called the partnership a "landmark decision" and "a seminal moment that we are back in the game looking after our part of the world," in an interview with 1News. He said it is the first time in years that New Zealand has partnered with the US on such a significant project. Peters said the port will have "so many reasons to use it," including fishing, transportation, countering transnational crime, and the war on drugs.
The investment comes as the US, Australia, and New Zealand seek to counter Beijing's expanding diplomatic, economic, and security footprint in the Pacific, where small island states have become more important in a contest for strategic influence. China has stepped up engagement through infrastructure, trade, and security agreements across the region.
The Cook Islands signed a comprehensive strategic partnership with China in February 2025, which included cooperation on infrastructure, maritime issues, and seabed minerals. That agreement triggered a sharp dispute with New Zealand, with which the Cook Islands is in a free association. Relations have since been repaired with a defence and security declaration.
Peters told 1News that the port development is "a lesson I hope for others to take a hard look at what's going on here as opposed to chequebook diplomacy."
Local impact and seabed minerals
Prime Minister Brown described the port as a "lifeline" for Penrhyn. The atoll is an international port of entry, and its deep lagoon will allow large vessels to enter, according to 1News.
Deep sea mining also plays a major role in the US interest in Penrhyn, with the seabed containing polymetallic nodules rich in cobalt, nickel, and other metals. Cook Islanders are divided over deep sea mining due to environmental concerns and potential economic benefits. Both the US and China have signed cooperation agreements with the Cook Islands on deep sea minerals, and US Ambassador Jared Novelly visited Rarotonga two weeks ago, saying seabed exploration was a top priority, as reported by 1News.
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Framing: Announces the port project as a joint NZ-US initiative on a former military base (not available, headline not captured) — The tone is explanatory with a competitive, geopolitically charged undercurrent, emphasizing rivalry with China.
Facts Included:
The United States is to develop a deep sea port on a former military base in the Cook Islands with New Zealand playing a core role and contributing to the cost.
US Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau announced the US$60 million (NZ$101 million) port development on the atoll of Penrhyn alongside Cook Islands Prime Minister Mark Brown and New Zealand's Foreign Minister.
The announcement was made at the Pacific Islands Forum in Palau.
The port development is on Penrhyn, once home to a World War II military base.
US is contributing US$60 million and New Zealand will manage the building and contribute to the cost.
Penrhyn is an international port of entry and its deep lagoon will allow in large vessels.
Peters called the partnership a 'landmark decision' and 'a seminal moment that we are back in the game looking after our part of the world'.
Peters said it’s the first time in years that New Zealand has partnered with the US in such a significant project.
Peters said the port will have 'so many reasons to use it', including fishing, transportation, countering transnational crime and the war on drugs.
Penrhyn’s new port will be for the Cook Islands to manage.
New Zealand is responsible for the defence of the Cook Islands and, according to a recently signed Defence and Security Declaration, NZ’s military has access to the Cook Islands' exclusive economic zone.
Deputy Secretary Landau says the project underscores the US's strong commitment to its Pacific partners.
Cook Islands Prime Minister Mark Brown said the port will be a 'lifeline' for Penrhyn.
The announcement takes place at the Pacific Islands Forum, which has been overshadowed with allegations of foreign interference from China.
Last year the Cook Islands signed a number of secret deals with China, infuriating New Zealand.
The relationship was healed in April with a defence and security agreement, essentially sidelining China.
Peters told 1News the port development is a 'lesson I hope for others to take a hard look at what’s going on here as opposed to chequebook diplomacy.'
Deep sea mining also plays a major role in the US wanting to invest in Penrhyn.
The minerals include polymetallic nodules rich in cobalt, nickel, and other metals.
Cook Islanders are divided over deep sea mining due to environmental concerns and potential economic benefits.
Both the US and China have signed cooperation agreements with the Cook Islands on deep sea minerals.
Two weeks ago, US Ambassador Jared Novelly visited Rarotonga and said seabed exploration was a top priority.
Prime Minister Brown described the precious metals as 'golden apples'.
Cook Islanders have, until now, been unaware of the planned port.
Framing: The headline emphasizes the joint funding of the port upgrade by New Zealand and the US.
Framing: Headline reports the joint funding agreement
Facts Included:
New Zealand and the US will jointly fund a major upgrade of a World War Two port on a Cook Islands' atoll
The upgrade at Omoka village on Penrhyn is intended to make ship landings safer, improve access to services, and strengthen transport and economic links
Penrhyn's port and airstrip were originally constructed by American personnel over 80 years ago
The airfield was used during World War Two to move personnel and supplies and support aircraft transiting the region
Landau said: 'Through transformational infrastructure initiatives such as this, we are making the United States and our partners safer, stronger, and more prosperous'
The project builds on a critical-minerals framework signed earlier this year with the Cook Islands
The investment comes as the US, Australia and New Zealand seek to counter Beijing's expanding footprint in the Pacific
China has stepped up engagement through infrastructure, trade and security agreements across the region
The Cook Islands signed a comprehensive strategic partnership with China in February 2025
That agreement triggered a sharp dispute with New Zealand, with which the Cook Islands is in a free association
Relations have since been repaired with a defence and security declaration
New Zealand and the US will jointly fund a major upgrade of a World War II port on a Cook Islands' atoll
The three governments said this on Sept 1
Washington intends to contribute US$50 million
The project will be implemented by Wellington in coordination with the Cook Islands and the US
The joint statement was released during the Pacific Islands Forum in Palau
The upgrade is at Omoka village on Penrhyn, also known as Tongareva
The port and airstrip were originally constructed by American personnel over 80 years ago
US Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau said the airfield was used to move personnel and supplies during World War Two
Landau said in the statement: 'Through transformational infrastructure initiatives such as this, we are making the United States and our partners safer, stronger, and more prosperous'
The project builds on a critical-minerals framework signed earlier in 2026 with the Cook Islands
The Cook Islands signed a comprehensive strategic partnership with China in February 2025, which included cooperation on infrastructure, maritime issues and seabed minerals
That agreement triggered a sharp dispute with New Zealand, with which the Cook Islands is in a free association
Cook Islanders have New Zealand citizenship, but the two countries consult on foreign affairs matters
Relations have since been repaired with a defence and security declaration signed by the Cook Islands and New Zealand
AI-extracted; can misattribute a claim — see Methodology.
Each row is one claim, attributed to the outlet whose wording states it most clearly. Confidence rates how directly the source text states the claim — explicit and unhedged rates high; hedged, pieced-together, or internally inconsistent statements rate lower. It does not measure whether the claim is true. Status is Contested when two claims on this page negate each other; otherwise it counts the distinct outlets we found asserting that specific claim — so a single-source claim can still show high confidence, and a multi-source claim can show medium. Every one of those outlets is named beside the status, so you can check the count against the list. For claims extracted before we began storing that list, the row says so: it names the outlet the claim is quoted from and states that we have not recorded which outlets backed it. Outlets wrote at different times, so a figure that evolves — a casualty count, for example — can legitimately differ between rows; check the "as of" time next to each claim's source.
Claim
Confidence
Status
ClaimThe United States is to develop a deep sea port in the Cook Islands at a former World War II military base.