List of high commissioners of Australia to the Cook Islands

High Commissioner of Australia to the Cook Islands
Incumbent
Phoebe Smith (High Commissioner)
since March 2022
Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade
StyleHer Excellency
Reports toMinister for Foreign Affairs
ResidenceAvarua, Rarotonga
NominatorPrime Minister of Australia
AppointerGovernor General of Australia
Inaugural holderRay Greet
(Non-resident High Commissioner)
Formation1994
WebsiteAustralian High Commission, Rarotonga

The high commissioner of Australia to the Cook Islands is an officer of the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and the head of the High Commission of the Commonwealth of Australia in the Cook Islands. The position has the rank and status of an ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary and the high commissioner resides in Rarotonga.

Posting history

In 1994, Australia formally established diplomatic relations with the Cook Islands, a self-governing state since 1974 in free association with New Zealand, with the high commissioner in Wellington also serving as high commissioner to the Cook Islands. In November 2018, Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced an expansion of Australia's diplomatic representation to all members of the Pacific Islands Forum, including opening new high commissions in the Cook Islands, Niue, and Palau.[1] On 18 December 2019, Foreign Minister Marise Payne. announced the establishment of a resident Australian High Commission in the Cook Islands to "help underscore Australia’s focus on deepening engagement across the region."[2] The first resident high commissioner, Christopher Watkins, took up office in Rarotonga on 17 March 2020.[3]

Heads of mission

# Officeholder Residency Term start date Term end date Time in office Notes
1 Ray Greet Wellington, New Zealand 1994 (1994) January 1996 (1996-01) 1–2 years [4]
2 Geoff Miller January 1996 (1996-01) February 2000 (2000-02) 4 years, 1 month [5][6]
3 Bob Cotton February 2000 (2000-02) July 2003 (2003-07) 3 years, 5 months [6][7]
4 Allan Hawke July 2003 (2003-07) 27 February 2006 (2006-02-27) 2 years, 7 months [7]
5 John Dauth 27 February 2006 (2006-02-27) September 2008 (2008-09) 2 years, 6 months [8]
− Frank Ingruber September 2008 (2008-09) May 2009 (2009-05) 8 months [9]
6 Paul O'Sullivan May 2009 (2009-05) July 2012 (2012-07) 3 years, 2 months [10]
7 Michael Potts July 2012 (2012-07) January 2016 (2016-01) 3 years, 6 months [11][12]
8 Peter Woolcott 28 January 2016 (2016-01-28) 1 August 2017 (2017-08-01) 1 year, 185 days [13]
− Andrew Cumpston 1 August 2017 (2017-08-01) 14 February 2018 (2018-02-14) 197 days [14]
9 Ewen McDonald 14 February 2018 (2018-02-14) 2 March 2019 (2019-03-02) 1 year, 16 days [15]
10 Patricia Forsythe 2 March 2019 (2019-03-02) 17 March 2020 (2020-03-17) 1 year, 15 days [16][17][18]
11 Christopher Watkins Rarotonga 17 March 2020 (2020-03-17) August 2022 2 years, 137 days [19][20]
– Ruth Baird (Acting) August 2022 March 2023 six months [21]
12 Phoebe Smith March 2023 Incumbent [21]

See also

References

  1. ^ Morrison, Scott (8 November 2018). "Address - "Australia and the Pacific: A new chapter"". PM Transcripts. Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet. Retrieved 27 November 2022.
  2. ^ Payne, Marise (18 December 2019). "New Australian diplomatic missions in Palau and Cook Islands" (Media Release). Minister for Foreign Affairs, Australian Government. Retrieved 27 November 2022.
  3. ^ "About us". Australian High Commission Cook Islands. Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.
  4. ^ Gareth, Evans (28 October 1992). "Diplomatic appointment: New Zealand" (Media Release). Minister for Foreign Affairs, Australian Government. Retrieved 25 November 2022 – via ParlInfo.
  5. ^ Evans, Gareth (26 September 1995). "DIPLOMATIC APPOINTMENT: High Commissioner to New Zealand" (Press release). Australian Government. Archived from the original on 12 February 2014.
  6. ^ a b Downer, Alexander (25 October 1999). "Diplomatic Appointment: High Commissioner to New Zealand" (Press release). Australian Government. Archived from the original on 12 February 2014.
  7. ^ a b Downer, Alexander (2 May 2003). "Diplomatic appointment: High Commissioner to New Zealand" (Press release). Australian Government. Archived from the original on 12 February 2014.
  8. ^ Downer, Alexander (20 January 2006). "Diplomatic Appointment – High Commissioner to New Zealand" (Press release). Australian Government. Archived from the original on 13 April 2015.
  9. ^ "Mr F Ingruber (Acting) High Commissioner to New Zealand". Heads of missions. Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. Archived from the original on 25 April 2009. Retrieved 25 November 2022.
  10. ^ Smith, Stephen (25 February 2009). "Diplomatic Appointment: High Commissioner to New Zealand" (Press release). Australian Government. Archived from the original on 4 April 2015.
  11. ^ Carr, Bob (25 June 2012). "High Commissioner to New Zealand" (Press release). Australian Government. Archived from the original on 2 February 2016.
  12. ^ "New envoys to present their credentials". Governor-General of New Zealand. 17 July 2012. Archived from the original on 14 July 2014. Retrieved 1 July 2014.
  13. ^ Bishop, Julie (28 January 2016). "High Commissioner to New Zealand" (Press release). Australian Government. Archived from the original on 28 January 2016.
  14. ^ "First Australians to learn from Māori | Newshub". Archived from the original on 27 January 2018.
  15. ^ Bishop, Julie (11 January 2018). "High Commissioner to New Zealand" (Press release). Minister for Foreign Affairs, Australian Government. Archived from the original on 24 March 2019.
  16. ^ "Patricia Forsythe announced as Australia's High Commissioner to New Zealand". www.msn.com. Archived from the original on 18 February 2020. Retrieved 18 February 2020.
  17. ^ Wroe, David (1 March 2019). "Foreign Minister Marise Payne appoints friend and ally to plum diplomatic post". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 24 July 2020.
  18. ^ Payne, Marise (2 March 2019). "High Commissioner to New Zealand" (Press release). Minister for Foreign Affairs, Australian Government. Archived from the original on 17 March 2022.
  19. ^ Kumar, Rashneel (28 March 2020). "Aussie emissary: 'We want to hear the singing start again'". Cook Islands News. Retrieved 27 November 2022.
  20. ^ Solomon, Sian (20 January 2022). "Australian High Commissioner returns to Raro". Cook Islands News. Retrieved 27 November 2022.
  21. ^ a b Wong, Penny (20 December 2022). "High Commissioner to the Cook Islands". Minister for Foreign Affairs, Australian Government. Archived from the original (Media Release) on 25 December 2022. Retrieved 25 December 2022.