False Start in Paradise

After sixty-five years under New Zealand control, the Cook Islands adopted the United Nations push for self-government which it achieved in 1965, led by the enigmatic Albert Henry. But the early promise was left unfulfilled as Henry, attempting to build a self-serving empire, manipulated the political system and used Government funds to stay in power. This led to a major court battle where for the first time a government was overturned by a court decision. It ushered in another enigmatic leader, Sir Tom Davis, who had spent many years in the US with the NASA space programme. Davis changed the direction of the Cook Islands to a liberal, free market, open economy. Decades of political seesawing followed as the Cook Islands tried to right its political and economic boat in the turbulent winds of a tiny democracy. Too often its mishaps and false starts resulted from lots of enthusiasm but little knowledge and experience running a modern democracy. This book is an attempt to record many of the events and people that contributed to this enthralling, difficult and politically turbulent period in the short life of a tiny island democracy.