Cook Islands Prime Minister Mark Brown, New Zealand Foreign Minister Winston Peters and U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau announced the project in Palau yesterday on the margins of the Pacific Islands Forum Leaders Meeting.

The U.S. Department of State, working with Congress, will contribute US$50 million (approximately $NZ84 million) and New Zealand will contribute $NZ17.5 million (approximately US$10 million), according to a joint press statement.

Cook Islands Office of the Prime Minister (OPM) says the major port upgrade responds directly to a priority identified by the people of Penrhyn and successive Cook Islands governments over many years: ‘a safe and reliable port for Tongareva’.

The elected Penrhyn MP Wichman says, “This is a landmark investment for Penrhyn and a significant vote of confidence in our future (nationally and regionally). The port is our lifeline, and upgrading it will secure connectivity, strengthen supply chains, and create new opportunities for economic development.”

“Over 80 years after the wartime presence of U.S. forces in Penrhyn, this investment is both historically symbolic and economically transformative. Penrhyn was once part of the Pacific’s strategic defence network, and today this partnership reaffirms this.”

New Zealand Foreign Minister Peters said, “This is a positive and hugely significant initiative that demonstrates the strength of New Zealand’s partnerships with both the Cook Islands and the United States.”

“We are very pleased to be able to partner with the United States and the Cook Islands Governments to deliver this development priority for the Cook Islands, drawing on New Zealand’s experience in infrastructure delivery across the Pacific.”

US Deputy Secretary Landau said the project demonstrates the United States’ strong commitment to Pacific partners and builds on the Critical Minerals Framework signed with the Cook Islands earlier this year.

The island’s executive officer Puna Vano said he had no issue with the US comments on critical minerals, adding, “We’ve been waiting for this golden opportunity, and I believe that the time has come. We are so grateful for what the U.S. has offered in partnership with the New Zealand and the Cook Islands government.

“We have confidence in our Prime Minister regarding the decisions he will make to benefit our people and our country.

“All we can say is, praise the Lord for this opportunity given to us, our people. We’ve been looking forward to this. There’s no other way of showing how happy we are as leaders for the island.”

PM Brown says the port is a lifeline for Tongareva, providing safe passage and landing for fuel, food and building materials and allowing people in the Pa Enua to travel, return, and remain on their islands with dignity and opportunity.

“Improving connectivity across our outer islands is a priority of our national development vision, and this project speaks directly to it.”

He said the moment carries deep history, as the US built the original port and airfield on Penrhyn more than 80 years ago, and that infrastructure has served the people of Tongareva ever since.

“It means something to us that the United States now returns, alongside New Zealand, to build for Penrhyn’s next generation. This is a friendship with deep roots, renewed for a new era.”

Brown said that the project must belong to Cook Islanders in practice as well as in name, and the Cook Islands would not come to it empty-handed.

“A project of this significance must belong to Cook Islanders; our people must be part of its delivery, from design and procurement through to construction and the long life of the port that follows.

“We expect the Cook Islands to be deeply involved at every stage, and we intend to put our own skin in the game, so that this port is anchored in a wider system that works for Penrhyn, for our northern group islands, and for the nation.”

Penrhyn, also known as Tongareva, is the northernmost island of the Cook Islands, with its port at the village of Omoka.

PM Brown said the announcement marked the shared intention of the three partners, and the commitment of the US and New Zealand to fund the project.

Its scope and implementation plan would be determined through a feasibility study and further technical engagement between Cook Islands, New Zealand and US officials.

OPM stated that upgraded facilities are expected to deliver safer landings, improved access to services, and stronger transport links and economic opportunities for the northern Pa Enua.

The Prime Minister said he hoped the partnership could, in time, extend to renewing Penrhyn’s airport, so that the people of Tongareva are connected by both sea and sky.

“For many years our people have spoken of the need for a safe, reliable port. Today, that long conversation becomes action,” Prime Minister Brown said. “To our partners, the United States and New Zealand, thank you for your friendship, and for the confidence in the Cook Islands that this investment represents. Meitaki poria.”