New Zealand has rejected a proposal by the Cook Islands to introduce a separate passport for its citizens while allowing them to retain New Zealand citizenship. Cook Islands, a self-governing island Pacific nation, is in “free association” with New Zealand, which is responsible for the former’s foreign affairs and defence. Cook Islanders can also live, work, and access healthcare in New Zealand. Prime Minister Mark Brown had asked for Cook Islanders to have their own passports “to recognise our own people” – but New Zealand has said that is not possible unless the Cook Islands becomes fully independent. Documents showed that Brown has for months been pushing for a separate passport and citizenship for those in the Cook Islands, while hoping to maintain its relationship as a realm country of New Zealand. Reports say tensions between the two countries have been escalating over the issue, with leaders of both places holding a series of talks over the past few months. Some Cook Islanders criticized their government for a lack of consultation over the proposal. New Zealand’s Foreign Minister Winston Peters effectively brought the conversation to an end, announcing that a separate passport and citizenship is only available to fully independent and sovereign countries, requiring a referendum to change the current relationship between the two countries.
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