Editing History of the Cook Islands (section)

==Recent history==
In 1962 New Zealand asked the Cook Islands legislature to vote on four options for the future: independence, self-government, integration into New Zealand, or integration into a larger Polynesian federation. The legislature decided upon self-government. Following elections in 1965, the Cook Islands transitioned to become a [[self-government|self-governing]] territory in [[Associated state|free association]] with New Zealand.<ref name="Lal2006">{{cite book |author1=Brij V Lal |title=British Documents on the End of Empire Project Series B Volume 10: Fiji |date=22 September 2006 |publisher=University of London: Institute of Commonwealth Studies |page=305 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Z2R3Nk3jUlsC |chapter='Pacific Island talks': Commonwealth Office notes on four-power talks in Washington |isbn=9780112905899 |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Z2R3Nk3jUlsC&pg=PA297}}</ref> This arrangement left the Cook Islands politically independent, but officially remaining under New Zealand [[sovereignty]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mfai.gov.ck/attachments/068_WELLINGTON-1129712-v1-CookIslands%20%20Constitutional%20Status%20and%20International%20Personality%20%20informationpaper.pdf |title= Cook Islands: Constitutional Status and International Personality |publisher=www.mfai.gov.ck |access-date=11 February 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304000423/http://www.mfai.gov.ck/attachments/068_WELLINGTON-1129712-v1-CookIslands%20%20Constitutional%20Status%20and%20International%20Personality%20%20informationpaper.pdf |archive-date=4 March 2016 }}</ref> This political transition was approved by the United Nations. Despite this status change, the islands remained financially dependent on New Zealand, and New Zealand believed that a failure of the free association agreement would lead to integration rather than full independence.<ref name="Lal2006"/>

New Zealand is tasked with overseeing the country's foreign relations and defense. The Cook Islands, [[Niue]], and New Zealand (with its territories: [[Tokelau]] and the [[Ross Dependency]]) make up the [[Realm of New Zealand]].

After achieving autonomy in 1965, the Cook Islands elected [[Albert Henry (politician)|Albert Henry]] of the [[Cook Islands Party]] as their first [[Prime Minister]]. He led the country until 1978 when he was accused of [[vote-rigging]]. He was succeeded by [[Tom Davis (Cook Islands)|Tom Davis]] of the [[Democratic Party (Cook Islands)|Democratic Party]].

On 11 June 1980, the [[United States]] signed [[Cook Islands – United States Maritime Boundary Treaty|a treaty]] with the Cook Islands specifying the maritime [[border]] between the Cook Islands and [[American Samoa]] and also relinquishing the US claim to the islands of [[Penrhyn Island|Penrhyn]], [[Pukapuka]], [[Manihiki]], and [[Rakahanga]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.paclii.org/pits/en/treaty_database/1980/6.html|title=Treaty Between the United States of America and the Cook Islands on Friendship and Delimitation of the Maritime Boundary Between the United States of America and the Cook Islands (and Exchange of Notes)|work=Pacific Islands Treaty Series|publisher=University of the South Pacific School of Law|access-date=2009-05-18}}</ref> In 1990, the Cook Islands signed [[Cook Islands – France Maritime Delimitation Agreement|a treaty]] with [[France]] which [[boundary delimitation|delimited]] the [[maritime boundary]] between the Cook Islands and [[French Polynesia]].

On June 13, 2008, a small majority of members of the [[House of Ariki]] attempted a coup, claiming to dissolve the elected government and to take control of the country's leadership. "Basically we are dissolving the leadership, the prime minister and the deputy prime minister and the ministers," chief Makea Vakatini Joseph Ariki explained. The ''Cook Islands Herald'' suggested that the ''[[ariki]]'' were attempting thereby to regain some of their traditional prestige or ''[[Mana (Oceanian mythology)|mana]]''.<ref name="TVNZ_1845025">{{cite web |url=http://tvnz.co.nz/view/page/536641/1845025 |title=Cooks heading for internal strife |date=June 13, 2008 |work=[[Television New Zealand]] |access-date=October 3, 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.stuff.co.nz/4583560a12.html |title=NZ Maori stirs Cooks sovereignty stoush |date=June 13, 2008 |work=[[Stuff.co.nz]] |access-date=October 3, 2011 |archive-date=June 14, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080614075156/http://www.stuff.co.nz/4583560a12.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> Prime Minister [[Jim Marurai]] described the take-over move as "ill-founded and nonsensical".<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/4587067a12.html |title=NZ Maori behind strange Cook's 'coup' |date=June 17, 2008 |work=[[Stuff.co.nz]] |access-date=October 3, 2011}}</ref> By June 23, the situation appeared to have normalised, with members of the House of Ariki accepting to return to their regular duties.<ref name="RNZI_40504">{{cite web |url=http://www.rnzi.com/pages/news.php?op=read&id=40504 |title=Cook Islands chiefs drop take over claim, return to normal duties |date=June 23, 2008 |work=[[Radio New Zealand International]] |access-date=October 3, 2011}}</ref>