Deep-rooted cultural influence behind Cook Islands corruption
By
Talaia Mika
, Cook Islands News
Paul Raui Pokoati Allsworth at the University of the South Pacific (USP) Cook Islands Campus on Thursday night.
Photo:
Cook Islands News / Talaia Mika
Former Director of Audit, Paul Allsworth, claims that cultural ties and environmental factors are strong contributing forces to corruption in the Cook Islands government.
Speaking during a public presentation of his newly published doctoral thesis at the University of the South Pacific (USP) on Thursday, Allsworth said the "heart" of his research lies in the symbolic representation he developed to explain how cultural influences feed into corrupt behaviour.
Allsworth's PhD thesis,
'Cook Islands - A Small Island Developing State - The Causes and Consequences of Corruption in the Public Sector - 1978 to 2018'
, represents a significant contribution to the field of Political Science in the Pacific. It spans 511 pages and 175,359 words and is set for publication soon.
Senior lawyer Norman George.
Photo:
Cook Islands News / Talaia Mika
His thesis research scrutinises and analyses the diverse types of corrupt activities committed by former Members of Parliament, Cabinet Ministers, and public officials, utilising the "fraud triangle model".
"In this fourth element, I will call the 'Te Toki e te Kaa Rakau'," he said, describing the metaphor based on traditional Cook Islands imagery. The toki (stone axe), ka'a (coconut fibre binding), and rakau (timber handle) together represent the unethical cultural and environmental threads that contribute to white-collar crime in government.
The presentation was based on his thesis book titled 'The Causes and Consequences of Corruption in the Cook Islands Government - 1978 to 2018', submitted to Atlantic International University for a Doctor of Philosophy in Political Science.
Allsworth explained that his research drew on actual corruption cases, many of which had been before the courts.
"These are real cases," he said, "highlighting various cases of abuse of positions, misuse of public funds, conspiracy, theft, mismanagement."
The used in his analysis came from publicly available information from the Cook Islands Ministry of Justice. This was further backed by records on the Pacific Islands Legal Information Institute (PacLII).
George Pitt at the evening event held at the University of the South Pacific for Dr Paul Allsworth.
Photo:
Cook Islands News / Talaia Mika
During the presentation attended by over 10 members of the public, one of the participants, George Pitt, questioned Allsworth's definitions of "illegal" and "unlawful".
Senior lawyer Norman George, who assisted Allsworth during the presentation, responded: "If you do something unlawful, that's illegal and if you do something illegal, that's unlawful."
Allsworth, who spent over 30 years in the public service, including as Director of Audit, said the inspiration for his PhD came from the late Papa Ron Crocombe, Emeritus Professor, who persistently encouraged him to undertake the study.
"You're in the centre of government operations; you know the heart of what's happening in government. Do your PhD," Allsworth recalled Papa Ron urging him in the mid-2000s.
It was not until 2019-2020 that he finally enrolled, and after nearly 16 years of preparation, research and writing, he completed the thesis in 2024.
He said he was drawn to Dr Donald Cressey's "Fraud Triangle" model, which highlights motivation, opportunity and rationalisation as the core drivers of fraud. However, he felt it needed a fourth element to fully explain what was happening in the Cook Islands.
"I scrutinised and analysed various types of corrupt activities committed by former members of parliament, cabinet ministers, and public officials using Dr Cressey's model. However, I introduced a fourth element," he said, referring to the "Te Toki e te Kaa Rakau" concept.
The model, he argued, incorporates kinship, tribal obligations, bloodlines, and political affiliations - invisible influences that shape decision-making and rationalisation in public office.
"In my view, cultural influences that are closely connected to local environmental conditions play a significant role," he said.
He emphasised that while the corrupt actions are often individual, they are triggered or supported by collective social and cultural pressures, making them more difficult to detect and address.
Allsworth said his research is intended to provide clarity and understanding into why corrupt practices occur in small island states like the Cook Islands, where tight-knit community ties can both obscure and enable unethical behaviour.
To his knowledge, this is the first time such an in-depth analysis has been conducted using publicly available court data in the Cook Islands.
"This research links big white collar corruption cases that have been before the courts and provides some clarity and exposure surrounding the circumstances why the officials (are) carrying out corrupt practices," he said.
Dr Paul Allsworth completed his doctoral thesis in Political Science (Honours) after six years of dedicated research and part-time study online at the Atlantic International University in Honolulu, Hawaii.
The thesis was presented in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. The objective is to comprehensively research the causes and consequences of corruption in the Cook Islands public sector for the years 1978 to 2018.
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Photo: Cook Islands News / Talaia Mika His thesis research scrutinises and analyses the diverse types of corrupt activities committed by former Members of Parliament, Cabinet Ministers, and public officials, utilising the "fraud triangle model". "In this fourth element, I will call the 'Te Toki e te Kaa Rakau'," he said, describing the metaphor based on traditional Cook Islands imagery. The toki (stone axe), ka'a (coconut fibre binding), and rakau (timber handle) together represent the unethical cultural and environmental threads that contribute to white-collar crime in government. The presentation was based on his thesis book titled 'The Causes and Consequences of Corruption in the Cook Islands Government - 1978 to 2018', submitted to Atlantic International University for a Doctor of Philosophy in Political Science. Allsworth explained that his research drew on actual corruption cases, many of which had been before the courts. "These are real cases," he said, "highlighting various cases of abuse of positions, misuse of public funds, conspiracy, theft, mismanagement." The used in his analysis came from publicly available information from the Cook Islands Ministry of Justice. This was further backed by records on the Pacific Islands Legal Information Institute (PacLII). George Pitt at the evening event held at the University of the South Pacific for Dr Paul Allsworth. Photo: Cook Islands News / Talaia Mika During the presentation attended by over 10 members of the public, one of the participants, George Pitt, questioned Allsworth's definitions of "illegal" and "unlawful". Senior lawyer Norman George, who assisted Allsworth during the presentation, responded: "If you do something unlawful, that's illegal and if you do something illegal, that's unlawful." Allsworth, who spent over 30 years in the public service, including as Director of Audit, said the inspiration for his PhD came from the late Papa Ron Crocombe, Emeritus Professor, who persistently encouraged him to undertake the study. "You're in the centre of government operations; you know the heart of what's happening in government. Do your PhD," Allsworth recalled Papa Ron urging him in the mid-2000s. It was not until 2019-2020 that he finally enrolled, and after nearly 16 years of preparation, research and writing, he completed the thesis in 2024. He said he was drawn to Dr Donald Cressey's "Fraud Triangle" model, which highlights motivation, opportunity and rationalisation as the core drivers of fraud. However, he felt it needed a fourth element to fully explain what was happening in the Cook Islands. "I scrutinised and analysed various types of corrupt activities committed by former members of parliament, cabinet ministers, and public officials using Dr Cressey's model. However, I introduced a fourth element," he said, referring to the "Te Toki e te Kaa Rakau" concept. The model, he argued, incorporates kinship, tribal obligations, bloodlines, and political affiliations - invisible influences that shape decision-making and rationalisation in public office. "In my view, cultural influences that are closely connected to local environmental conditions play a significant role," he said. He emphasised that while the corrupt actions are often individual, they are triggered or supported by collective social and cultural pressures, making them more difficult to detect and address. Allsworth said his research is intended to provide clarity and understanding into why corrupt practices occur in small island states like the Cook Islands, where tight-knit community ties can both obscure and enable unethical behaviour. To his knowledge, this is the first time such an in-depth analysis has been conducted using publicly available court data in the Cook Islands. "This research links big white collar corruption cases that have been before the courts and provides some clarity and exposure surrounding the circumstances why the officials (are) carrying out corrupt practices," he said. Dr Paul Allsworth completed his doctoral thesis in Political Science (Honours) after six years of dedicated research and part-time study online at the Atlantic International University in Honolulu, Hawaii. The thesis was presented in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. The objective is to comprehensively research the causes and consequences of corruption in the Cook Islands public sector for the years 1978 to 2018.
