Prime Minister Mark Brown (front-5th from left) with Pa Enua executive officers (EOs) and OPM chief of staff Karopaerangi Ngatoko (far right). OPM/26102217
Prime Minister Mark Brown has called on the Executive Officers (EOs) who lead island administration across the Pa Enua to help Government lift the pace of delivery, saying the outer islands must sit at the centre of the nation’s economic development.
Speaking with EOs from the Northern and Southern Groups during the EO Intersessional Forum in Rarotonga, the Prime Minister said the Government’s renewed mandate came with a clear direction for the public service: move faster, work more efficiently and deliver more effectively.
“The biggest challenge we face is not the availability of funds. It is our ability to implement,” Brown said. “Our Executive Officers are critical to turning that around.”
He urged EOs to think strategically, understand the national context and engage proactively with line agencies, including learning how the national budget process works so island priorities are reflected in it. With access to concessional finance narrowing since the Cook Islands graduated from Official Development Assistance eligibility, he said every dollar of capital investment, delivered with partners such as New Zealand, Japan and the Asian Development Bank, needed to reach the ground.
He acknowledged the often-delicate role EOs play alongside Mayors and Island Councils, and invited them to call on the Office of the Prime Minister, and on him as Minister, where tensions arise. He confirmed the current review of the Island Government Act would be shaped around the operating reality of each island.
“Great work comes from a strong relationship between the Executive Officer, the Mayor, the Island Council and the MP,” he said. “We move far and fast when we work well together.”
Responding to questions from EOs on food security, the Brown confirmed that a national food security plan is being developed, after the recent fuel crisis and rising prices underlined how exposed the country is to imported supply.
“This isn’t just about import substitution or throwing money at the problem,” he said. “We need to be teaching the next generation to grow and to plant, and enabling them to see agriculture as a viable industry. Every island has a part to play.”
On depopulation, Brown said the answer lay in national economic development: making the Pa Enua a place where people can stay, return to and live meaningful lives.
He also challenged EOs to exercise their agency to path-find solutions appropriate to their contexts, and to engage substantively with line agencies looking to advance economic development and wellbeing initiatives, noting that strong engagement and support requires two-way collaboration.
Over five days, EOs worked through governance, finance and workforce issues with central agencies, presented State of the Island reports, and each developed a practical six-month action plan for their island.
“The Pa Enua is central to everything we are trying to achieve as a country,” said Chief of Staff Karopaerangi Ngatoko. “This forum gave our EOs a direct line to the Prime Minister and to central agencies. Now the work is to follow through, and the Office of the Prime Minister will be alongside every island as they deliver their plans.”
- Office of the Prime Minister (OPM)