NZ and US to build major port on former military base in Cook Islands

<p>The United States has thrown down the gauntlet in the Pacific revealing it’s to develop a deep sea port on a former military base in the Cook Islands – with New Zealand playing a core role and contributing to the cost.</p> <p>Alongside Cook Islands Prime Minister Mark Brown and New Zealand’s Foreign Minister, US Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau has announced the US$60 million (NZ$101 million) port development on the atoll of Penrhyn – once home to a World War II military base.</p> <p>The move, announced at the Pacific Islands Forum in Palau, comes as geoplitical tensions rise in the Pacific, with the US and China both exerting their influence.</p> <p>In an exclusive interview with 1News, Peters called the partnership to build the major port a “landmark decision”, describing it as “a seminal moment that we are back in the game looking after our part of the world”.