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RNZ News
24-04-2025
- Politics
- RNZ News
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.
RNZ News
23-04-2025
- Politics
- RNZ News
Cook Islands govt defends Eagle S case, reaffirms commitment to maritime compliance
By Talaia Mika , Cook Islands News a photo taken on December 28, 2024 off Porkkalanniemi, Kirkkonummi, in the Gulf of Finland, shows oil tanker Eagle S (R), which flies under the flag of the Cook Islands, next to Finnish border guard ship Uisko (back C) and tugboat Ukko (front L). Photo: AFP / Jussi Nukari The Ministry of Transport (MoT) and Maritime Cook Islands (MCI) have defended and clarified that the vessel MT Eagle S, which has been at the centre of international scrutiny following an undersea cable incident in the Gulf of Finland, is not, and has never been, under sanctions. In a joint response to Cook Islands News, the Ministry and MCI confirmed that contrary to some public assumptions, the vessel remains compliant with international regulations. "The Eagle S vessel is not sanctioned, nor has it ever been," the statement said. "In fact, whilst the vessel was detained in Finland, the Finnish authorities investigated whether the vessel was in breach of the sanctions imposed by the G7, EU and Australia on the trade in Russian petroleum products and concluded that Eagle S was not." Eagle S was released by Finnish authorities with its full cargo onboard. According to a Finnish press release, cooperation with Cook Islands representatives was acknowledged positively. "Our cooperation has been very good. The Cook Islands representatives and the authorities have exchanged information, and we have established a shared situational picture. While on board the ship, the representatives went through the deficiencies observed in the port state control inspection with Traficom inspectors," said Sanna Sonninen, Maritime Director at Traficom. The Cook Islands-flagged vessel MT Eagle S has been the subject of news due to an incident in the Gulf of Finland where damage to the Estlink-2 undersea power cable was reported. The vessel was boarded and inspected by Finnish authorities, who found it missing its port-side anchor and initiated an investigation. Concerns have also been raised about the vessel potentially being part of a "shadow fleet" linked to Russia's sanctions evasion efforts. The preliminary report into the incident is currently being reviewed by MoT, MCI and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Immigration (MFAI). "Once this review is complete, a statement will be made," the agencies stated. The authorities also emphasised that there are no sanctioned vessels on the Cook Islands Ship Register. "Any vessel registered that appears on any of the following sanctions lists is immediately deleted: OFAC (USA), UK, EU," the joint response said. New Zealand, they noted, does not have a sanctions list. MCI also employs a full-time staff member solely responsible for monitoring the movements of Cook Islands-flagged tanker vessels. "For those vessels that trade in Russian petroleum products, MCI ensures that they are in compliance with the conditions imposed and agreed by the G7, the EU and Australia when engaged in that trade." The agency operates a Sanctions Monitoring Program, which is publicly available via the MCI website. As a responsible member of the International Maritime Organisation (IMO), the Cook Islands Maritime Administration-which includes MoT, MCI, and other agencies such as the CI Ports Authority-is preparing for its upcoming IMO audit. "The IMO audits all member states every five years to determine whether their Maritime Administration is giving full and complete effect to IMO mandatory instruments - through an IMSAS audit," the statement said. To prepare for this, Maritime New Zealand, through the Pacific Maritime Safety Programme (PMSP), has already carried out a mock audit of the Cook Islands Maritime Safety Authority. The audit, conducted by senior Maritime New Zealand officials, was welcomed by MCI. "MCI has welcomed this assistance from PMSP and the opportunity to review the Ministry's oversight and management of MCI to ensure that MCI is fulfilling its responsibilities," the joint response added.
