US ambassador rejects military base claims over Penrhyn wharf

The United States ambassador to the Cook Islands says Washington is not discussing a military base at Penrhyn/Tongareva.

Jared Novelly is pushing back on recent reporting about the planned wharf at the remote Tongareva atoll.

Novelly has just returned from Tongareva where he travelled with Cook Islands Prime Minister Mark Brown to see the site of the planned wharf and meet the community.

Speaking with William Terite on Pacific Mornings, Novelly said he had not discussed a military base with Brown during the visit.

“The security deals that we talk about are around illegal fisheries and narco-terrorism,” he said.

“You know, we briefly discussed that on our trip as well. But in no way are we talking about a military base here.”

Listen to Jared Novelly's full interview below.

Novelly was also asked about an earlier headline which said a US military presence at Penrhyn was being negotiated.

“I want to be clear that I have not acknowledged that whatsoever,” he said. “That was a headline. That was a quote that was taken out of context.”

He said if the Cook Islands asked the United States about a defence application for the port, the two countries could discuss it. But he said that was not the reason for the project.

US Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau, Cook Islands Prime Minister Mark Brown and New Zealand Foreign Minister Winston Peters announce the Penrhyn port project at the Pacific Islands Forum Leaders Meeting in Palau. Photo/PMN News/Thomas Tarurongo Wynne

The United States is putting US$50 million (NZ$88.27 million) into the planned wharf upgrade with New Zealand contributing NZ$17.5m. The project is now moving into its feasibility and planning phase.

The project was formally agreed during the Pacific Islands Forum Leaders Meeting in Palau earlier this month.

Prime Minister Brown, New Zealand Foreign Minister Vaovasamanaia Winston Peters and US Deputy Secretary of State, Christopher Landau, signed the agreement.

Peters described the project as a “positive and hugely significant initiative” while Brown said the wharf would be “a lifeline for Tongareva” providing safer landings, better access to services, and stronger connections for the Pa Enua.

Penrhyn MP Vaine Wichman has also stressed the importance of making sure local people are involved in the project.

“I will make sure that our people will be involved, especially in the construction of the infrastructure,” she said.

Tongareva/Penrhyn MP Vaine Wichman during her visit to the island as part of the NZDF's Tropic Twilight exercise. Photo/Facebook/Radio Cook Islands

Penrhyn Executive Officer Puna Vano, who is currently working with New Zealand Defence Force personnel on community projects, says the atoll has welcomed the outside support.

“Penrhyn is blessed,” Vano says.

He says he has been impressed by the way the NZDF personnel are approaching their work.

“They want to make sure that we get the best,” he says.

Novelly says seeing Tongareva first-hand has changed his understanding of what the project means for the people living there. "It is the lifeblood for that island."

He said supplies such as sugar, rice and flour can take months to reach the remote atoll while fuel, food, medicines and other essential goods currently come ashore through ageing infrastructure.

Listen to Puna Vano's full interview below.

Novelly said the wharf would also have a role in disaster recovery, fisheries monitoring and wider Pacific security.

“Illegal fishing is a major issue throughout the Pacific and in the Cook Islands EEZ,” he said. “And there are bad actors out there that are perpetuating that illegal fishing.”

He said the port could support work with Pacific partners and the US Coast Guard including efforts against illegal fishing and what he called “narco-terrorism”.

Novelly also rejected the idea that the US investment depends on the Cook Islands pursuing seabed mining.

He said planning for the port began before recent debate over deep sea mining and that the facility would have multiple uses.

“The discussion of this port and the need for this port predates my ascending to the ambassadorship or any of the recent discussions around seabed mining,” he told Terite.

New Zealand Defence Force personnel work alongside members of the Tongareva community on projects identified as priorities for the remote atoll. Photo/Facebook/NZDF

Ambassador Novelly acknowledged that if the Cook Islands chose to pursue deep sea harvesting of polymetallic nodules, the US could potentially become a market for those resources.

But he said the port should not be viewed as being for one purpose alone.

Novelly said the project also reflected long-standing US ties with Tongareva, where American personnel built the original port and airfield during World War Two.

He said visiting the atoll had left a lasting impression. “The Pacific inspires me. It is a vast ocean, a gift from God.”

He said one young person on Tongareva told him he was the first American they had ever met.

Listen to NZDF's Major Cam Gurney's full interview below.

Novelly said the encounter, along with the island's memories of the US wartime presence, made the visit particularly meaningful.

“This trip touches me and every trip to the Pacific touches me,” Novelly said.

The project will now move into feasibility and planning, with the Cook Islands, New Zealand and United States to work together on the proposed wharf at Tongareva.