Will’s Word: A moment of pride and unity for the Cook Islands

I’ve criticised Mark Brown before and I still believe in holding him, and any government frankly, to account.

But as I stood in Rarotonga yesterday and listened to his speech marking 60 years since the Cook Islands became self-governing, I felt something I wasn’t expecting, pride. He acknowledged where we’ve come from in terms of the challenges, the sacrifices, the long road travelled by our ancestors.

But he also spoke about the future. A future where the Cook Islands is economically sustainable, where we chart our own course, where we rely less on others and more on ourselves.

That’s an idea I think many of us, even those who often sit on the sidelines and critique can get behind. So it was in that moment, hearing our Prime Minister speak to those values, I felt immensely proud.

Brown’s speech was aspirational, but grounded. And I think that’s why it resonated so deeply with me. It reminded me that we’re capable of more than we often give ourselves credit for. We don’t need to wait for others, we just need to back ourselves.

That doesn’t mean turning a blind eye to poor decision-making. We still need to challenge policies that don’t serve our people. We still need to ask the hard questions, especially when times are tough.

Listen to Will’s Word on Facebook below.

But there’s also a time to listen. To reflect. To come together as Cook Islanders and remember why any of this matters. Yesterday was one of those moments and it made me proud to be a Cook Islander.

That’s Will’s Word.