On 11 June 1901 the Cook Islands was formally created as a political identity...and on the same day these islands were annexed by New Zealand as a Dependent Territory.
   11 June 2001 therefore marks the centenary of these two historic occasions. Included below are a series of five articles leading up to 11 June 1901 and the creation of the Cook Islands as a political entity - and the beginning of its long and respected association with New Zealand.
 

Article No 1...The Various Ariki said : "Queen Victoria - Yes...but New Zealand - no" Click Here
Article No 2..."Petition after Petition...Rejection after Rejection" - now available Click Here
Article No 3...The Road to a British Protectorate Status - now available Click Here
Article No 4...The Years of Frederick J. Moss : 1891 - 1898 - now available Click Here
Article No 5...Colonel Walter E.Gudgeon : and Annexation of the Cook Islands  Click Here

Article No 1...

   11 June 1901 is a very important historical day for the Cook Islands for two specific reasons. The first is because on this day New Zealand formally annexed these islands and then proceeded to administer them as a colonial territory until Self-Government in 1965.
   But 11 June 1901 is far more significant than that..because on this day the Cook Islands was formally created as a political entity and came into existence in the basic shape and form to what the country is today. Prior to this date those islands in the Northern Group were each independent island entities in their own right. They were not part of the then Hervey Islands and they were not part of the Cook Islands as known during the Frederick Moss years of the 1890's. It was not until Great Britain collected these islands together into a single political entity, and then handed them over to New Zealand in 1901, did the Cook Islands actually come into existence.
   While 11 June 1901 deserves to be commemorated as being the day New Zealand annexed these islands, it is far more meaningful and relevant to commemorate 11 June 1901 as the day the political entity of the  present day Cook Islands was legally established in terms of International Law and the day in which the Cook Islands was historically created as a nation.
   11 June 1901 is therefore "Our Foundation Day" and so 11 June 2001 reflects a century of Nationhood that is worth commemorating and certainly worth celebrating. It could therefore be said the New Zealand annexation part...is of "secondary" importance. It is worth commemorating - but is it worth celebrating?

New Zealand's aspirations to be a Colonial Power
   From 1863 to the end of the 19th Century successive New Zealand Administrations sought to have Rarotonga and its adjacent islands declared British and then handed over to Wellington for colonial administration. From Governor Grey in the 1860's to Premier Sir Julius Vogel in the 1870's and from Sir Robert Stout and John Ballance of the 1880's to Richard John Seddon of the 1890's...they all took the view that New Zealand had to be a major colonial power in the South Pacific and that the Hervey Islands (i.e. the present day Southern Group of Cook Islands) had to be part of that "Colonial Empire".
   That was their vision as part of "New Zealand's Destiny" in the South Pacific and so a prime target throughout this period was that of Rarotonga and its adjacent islands. The British Colonial Office consistently said "no" for many years, while the Ariki of these islands consistently said "yes" to be under Queen Victoria...but "no" to that of being under New Zealand - one reason being they had heard what the New Zealanders had done to the Maori of that country during the Land Wars of the 1860's and they certainly did not want anything like that to happen to them in the middle of the South Pacific.

The Missionaries suggest to be British
   The first time consideration was given for asking that Rarotonga be placed under British Protection apparently came in 1848. This initiative was proposed by Rev. Aaron Buzacott, who at the time was the senior Missionary of the island for the London Missionary Society. He was based at Takamoa.
   It was his view that as the French had recently annexed Tahiti and its adjacent islands, then it would only be a matter of time before they headed west and attempted to annex Rarotonga and its adjacent islands as well.
   Buzacott was very much aware that French political control would therefore lead to a weakening and eventual decline of the London Missionary Society and its influence and standing in the community.
   Given that the "Laws of Rarotonga" in force at that time were the laws brought in by the Missionaries and taking into account these same Missionaries were either directly, or indirectly the "political authority" on the island, Buzacott along with Rev Charles Pitman at Ngatangiia and William Gill at Arorangi had no wish to see their status down-graded and then over-taken by the Rules and Regulations as would be imposed by a French Administration.
   Apart from these three Missionaries and their respective families, there was no other Europeans resident on the island. The various Ariki of Rarotonga were not enthusiastic in such an idea and given that the French made no direct move towards Rarotonga in the years that  followed, the proposal to seek British Protection therefore drifted into obscurity.

The New Zealand Traders Arrive
   In the 1850's the London Missionary Society started to fall on hard times. They found it increasingly difficult to finance their various Mission Stations all over the Pacific to the extent that when Rev. E.R.Krause, a German, arrived at Rarotonga in 1859 to take over the Takamoa Mission, he was the sole European Missionary on the island. Those in charge of the Mission Stations at Arorangi, Titikaveka, Ngatangiia and Matavera were natives of Rarotonga and graduates from the Takamoa Theological College as initially trained several years earlier by Aaron Buzacott.
   When Krause arrived there was only one European living on the island...and he was a Frenchman. But during the next two years a number of traders landed, mainly from New Zealand and established a number of trading ventures to the extent by 1864 Rarotonga was exporting, through these traders various produce items that had a ready market in New Zealand.
   Given these New Zealand Traders soon became established, along with a profitable export business to New Zealand, it was they who then resurrected the idea of British Protection and sought, on the basis of their own personal commercial considerations, that Rarotonga should be annexed to New Zealand.
   These traders were very much aware the French had consolidated themselves in other parts of the region and took the view it was only a matter of time before they cast their "political eyes" over Rarotonga and therefore placed their business interests in jeopardy. To safeguard their commercial enterprises it was imperative that Rarotonga be British...and in particular belong to New Zealand.
   However, the various Ariki were not totally convinced.

Paora Tuhaere visits Rarotonga
   In a direct effort to help the Ariki make up their minds towards seeking British Protection and a formal connection with New Zealand, various traders in Auckland, who had trading posts on Rarotonga, charted the 56 ton schooner "Victoria" and in 1863 they sponsored the vessel to visit the island. The person they sent to speak to the Ariki and convince them to seek British Protection and New Zealand annexation was Paora Tuhaere. He was the chief of the Ngati Whatua - the prominent Maori tribe of Auckland Central.
   In due course the "Victoria" arrived at Rarotonga and Paora Tuhaere was given a very warm welcome in accordance with his status as an "Ariki" from Ao-tea-roa. In the days that followed he met several times with the various Ariki and told them of the merits and wisdom to be British and in particular to be associated with New Zealand. Prior to his departure he told the various Ariki to write to Governor Grey in Wellington, as he was the Special Representative of Queen Victoria in that country and ask through him that Rarotonga be made British and then become associated with New Zealand.

Governor Grey seeks British annexation
   As a direct result of Tuhaere's visit, the Ariki then petitioned Governor Grey early the following year seeking British Protection. He supported the idea and wrote to the British Colonial Office advising of the Petition and recommending that it be accepted and acted upon.
   The Governor's basic justification was that the French had annexed and established themselves in French Polynesia and that it was only a matter of time before they would try to annex Rarotonga and its adjacent islands as well. Such an act would therefore place New Zealand's commercial interests on Rarotonga in jeopardy. It was therefore based on economic considerations that Governor Grey sought a political action on the part of Great Britain.
   In July 1864 the British Colonial Office replied :
    "The French authorities have assured the British Foreign Office that they had no intention to annex the Hervey
         Islands (meaning the Southern Group of the present day Cook Islands only) and as a result the British Government
         is not prepared to take Rarotonga under its Protectorate."
   Governor Grey did not even bother referring this reply to Rarotonga and in due course the Ariki Petitioned him a second time in 1865 along with an endorsement from several Europeans living on the island. The Governor sent the Second Petition to London emphasizing the commercial links that were now in place between Rarotonga and New Zealand and how these trade connections needed to be protected from possible French political influence.
   In due course the British Colonial Office replied that it was "their" view that "British" trade interest (not New Zealand's trade interest) with Rarotonga had not developed sufficiently to warrant the trouble or expense of taking Rarotonga and the Hervey Islands...under its protection.

The Maori Land Wars of New Zealand
   Back on Rarotonga there was virtually no support among the Ariki or local population to be formally associated with New Zealand. Rev Krause in particular had heard of the Maori Land Wars that had been taking place and feared that if New Zealand took control of Rarotonga, then the same thing would happen with an influx of Europeans and the subsequent alienation of land.
   The Missionary made sure the various Ariki were aware what the New Zealand Administration had done with regard to the confiscation to "Maori Land" in that country and so they quickly concluded with the Missionary that if they were going to be taken over...then the only one to take them over would be Queen Victoria...ie the British Crown and through her the British Government...and certainly not New Zealand.
   With that consideration in mind, one must also take into account that New Zealand was still technically a "Self-Governing Colony" of Britain and as such had no mandate to acquire colonial possessions of her own. She did not have the legal capacity to formally annex Rarotonga, or any other island in the Pacific and so its colonial aspirations were totally dependent on Britain's "Colonial Generousity"...and at this point in time, Britain had no "Colonial Generousity" towards New Zealand and certainly had no aspirations towards the Hervey Islands - the reason being they were "Economically irrelevant" as far as London was concerned - to them!

The Christian Traders Arrive
   In 1869 Rev Krause was replaced on Rarotonga by the Rev James Chalmers as the Resident Missionary and to him matters such as annexation were of little importance. He was more concerned with the bad sides of European influence that had fallen over the island such alcohol and "Grog-shops" which had sprung up all over the place and how a number of Undesirable Europeans had found their way to these shores.
   The following year, in 1870 J.T.Arundel arrived at Rarotonga as the islands first "Christian Trader" and so began a commercial side of the London Missionary Society as they sought to become economically involved in order to help offset the costs of running the various Mission Stations in the Hervey Islands.
   In conjunction with Chalmers one of their first projects was to arrange for 60 men to go and dig guano on Starbuck Island for the French and in return they received a commission for recruitment.
   Also in 1870 C.E.Goodman (later known as Kutimani) arrived at Rarotonga from England. His father was the Patron of the London Missionary Society and he soon struck up a rapport with Rev. Chalmers. He then established himself as a small trader and a short time later was appointed an Agent for Lloyds of London - for the Hervey Islands.
   In 1872 Goodman, with the support of Rev Chalmers and several traders, petitioned the British Foreign Office to be appointed the British Vice-Consul for the Hervey Islands. They did not even bother to reply because the British had more pressing issues in places such as Fiji, New Hebrides, Tonga and the Solomon Islands - to name but a few.

Sir Julian Vogel takes up the "Cause"
   In 1873 Sir Julius Vogel became the Premier of New Zealand. He once again took up the issue of British annexation of the Hervey Islands with the British Colonial Office and requested for his country to to be given the administrative responsibility.
   No sooner had Vogel taken office, he was approached by various merchants of Auckland who had established business interests on Rarotonga. They told of their concern that both French and German traders had now established themselves on Rarotonga and how they feared that France in particular would sooner or later move to annex Rarotonga and its adjacent islands.
   In response to this the New Zealand Government then commissioned an Auckland merchant H.B.Sterndale to visit Rarotonga. They asked him to report on the "Commercial Possibilities" that existed there for New Zealand business interests in a context that would help convince the British authorities to annex the Hervey Islands...and then hand them over to Wellington.
    The following year, in 1874, Sterndale submitted his Report in which he painted a very glowing picture of Rarotonga and said the people there were in an "Advanced state of civilization".He stated there was many commercial possibilities as a number of tropical produce items could be grown there that were in great demand in New Zealand. He stated the French traders were very active and there was a fear among the New Zealand traders on the island that in due course the "locals" would prefer to trade with Tahiti and the French rather than with that of New Zealand.
   In late 1874 Sir Julius Vogel made a detailed submission to the British Colonial Office in which he proposed that Britain should establish a "Polynesia Federation" comprising of various islands of the South Pacific that had yet to be colonized in which Rarotonga and its adjacent islands should then be included. He also suggested that Samoa should be included as well. The British Authorities rejected this submission but later that year went ahead and annexed Fiji.
   In the years that followed New Zealand's principal "Colonial target" was that of Samoa. Rarotonga and its adjacent islands were of secondary importance, but never the less there was repeated submissions from Wellington to have these islands brought under British control in order to protect New Zealand business interests that had established themselves on these islands.
   However, these submissions were consistently turned down by the British Colonial Office.

Britain's Conservative Colonial Policy
   Though out this period the British Government had a very cautious and calculated "Colonial Policy".    Even at the height of 19th Century imperialism they did not have a grab-all attitude, but rather were very selective and conservative with regard to what territories they annexed in other parts of the world.
   The British had a specific set of priorities that were based upon "economic worth" to Britain itself, and secondly on "strategic locations" to protect and safeguard those territories deemed to be of "economic worth". Countries such as Egypt, India, East Africa and others had unlimited economic value and potential to the British domestic economy, whereas small dots in the South Pacific like the Hervey Islands were looked upon as liabilities and so "worthless" to annex.
   At the same time placing a British Protectorate Status was not an option. This was because Britain took the view that such a status was looked upon as getting a foot in the door. The next thing a Protected state would want was annexation and Britain's attitude was that small colonies and their colonialists always wanted "something for nothing". There was always a colonial unwillingness to contribute towards the cost of annexation - and to contribute to the administration costs that followed afterwards.
   In this regard the British Colonial Office took the view that New Zealanders had to be protected against their own willingness to spend their own money on annexation and the administration of not only Rarotonga, but several of the other Pacific Islands as well.

Hervey Islands...New Zealand's last resort
   In November 1884 Sir Julius Vogel was able to get through the New Zealand House of Representatives, provision in the Supplementary Estimates for a subsidized mail service between New Zealand and the islands of Tonga, Samoa, Rarotonga and Tahiti. This contract eventually went to the merchants Donald and Edenborough (later to become A.B.Donalds) of Auckland and so the 782 ton steamer "Janet Nicoll" came into service in June 1885, as it made two-monthly voyages to various Pacific ports.
   At this point in time the New Zealand Government gave up any hope of acquiring Samoa. German commercial interests had now taken control of the island and the British Colonial Office bluntly stated they had no intention of making any moves towards Samoa. In the words of  British Prime Minister Gladstone at the time :
    "The Germans must be appeased - even at the risk of offending the New Zealanders".
   As a result of this position... New Zealand's last hope of a Pacific Colony therefore rested solely with Rarotonga and the Hervey Islands.
   Every other island group in the South Pacific was either under French, German or British control and yet New Zealand's desire, as expressed by successive administrations over many years to be a major colonial power in the region came down to Rarotonga and its adjacent islands as virtually their last resort. There was simply no other island groups in the region left for anyone to annex.
   ...But Great Britain had different ideas - and for the time being they had the final say on New Zealand's colonial aspirations in the region and their view was - no..."These islands had no good harbours; no conflicting imperial interest and therefore no action will be taken."
   So as the 1880's drew to a close, New Zealand's colonial ambitions was still nothing more than... "colonial ambitions". From 1863 to 1885 nothing had changed in this regard as far as New Zealand was concerned. They were still without a "colony" in the South Pacific.
   ...and the Ariki of Rarotonga were still of the mind : "Queen Victoria - yes...but New Zealand - no".

Article No 2...

   In the early 1880's the situation on the various islands of the Cook Islands was basically this...
The islands of the Northern Group were all independent single island identities. They were neither annexed or protected by any Colonial Power. They were therefore single "Island States" in their own right as they had been for hundreds of years - nothing had changed. The islands of the Southern Group were exactly the same. Even though they were often referred to as the Hervey Islands, or "Rarotonga and its Adjacent Islands" as a matter of easy identification, they were also independent "Single Island" states in their own right. Each was a separate political identity with no formal association with each other let alone to any colonial power that was active in the region.

Foundation Stones put down
   There was, however, a connecting link now in place between all the inhabited islands that was in the process of laying the "Foundation Stones" for the Cook Islands political identity that was later to follow.
That link was...the Gospel.
   Every inhabited island either had a European Missionary from the London Missionary Society, as in the case of Rarotonga and Aitutaki, or had a "Native Teacher" in residence that had been trained at the Takamoa Theological College on Rarotonga, as in the case of all the other islands. In addition to this they had the Gospel that had now been translated in the language dialect of Rarotonga.
   As a result, the various single island states therefore had a gravitation connection to Rarotonga, by way of the London Missionary Society. Through the Gospel a "common language" was in the process of being established throughout these islands...and a national identity was therefore in its infancy.
   Given that each island was still politically independent, the laws and regulations that prevailed on each island were those put in place by the Missionaries, or the "Native Teachers" as taught to them previously at Takamoa. These laws were then enforced in conjunction with, and through the support of...the various Ariki. As a result of this, each island was therefore ruled either directly, or indirectly by "The Missionary" and through the various Ariki, these laws were subsequently administered upon the local population.
   On Rarotonga, however, the arrival of Europeans from the 1860's onwards, in the form of traders, beachcombers, or what ever, created a unique situation in that it was impossible to compel these new arrivals to adhere to the "Local Laws" - with one reason being they were not members of the "Church" and were therefore not under the authority of the Missionaries and were not under the authority of any particular Ariki. They were therefore free to do as they please and were accountable to no-one as there were no enforceable laws to control their behaviour.

The First Honorary British Consul
   On 6 June 1881 the British Colonial Office finally appointed C.E.Goodman as the Honorary British Consul after several years of petitioning the British authorities on his part.This was not a paid position and had nothing to with any formal recognition of Rarotonga being connected to Britain, but rather a recognition that British commercial interests, either from London or indirectly through New Zealand, had an established presence on the island - hence the creation of a British Consulate on Rarotonga.
   Goodman was told he was responsible to the High Commissioner for the Western Pacific who was based in Suva, Fiji, and it was to this person he was expected to report. The then Resident Missionary, William Wyatt Gill, who had earlier spent many years on Mangaia, was not happy with this appointment. He took the view Goodman, like most of the other Europeans on the island showed open contempt towards not only the Church, but also the various Ariki and they had no authority in place to compel these Europeans to abide by any particular laws. These Europeans were all "above the law" and did as they pleased and William Wyatt Gill considered the appointment of Goodman as Honorary British Consul gave these Europeans some sort of legitimate status on the island they did not really deserve.

The First French Landing
   On 10 August 1881 the French warship "Hugon", under the command of Captain Menard arrived at Rarotonga from Tahiti. Several seamen landed and in due course the Captain met with Makea Takau Ariki of Avarua. He told her the people of Rarotonga should draw closer to Tahiti and send their produce there rather than to New Zealand. After further talks the French departed...but the seeds of suspicion had been firmly planted on the island - for the first time the French authorities had landed and made formal contact with the people of Rarotonga.
   In a letter to the London Missionary Society in London dated 16 August 1881, William Wyatt Gill stated the visit of the French warship "...had thrown the entire island into a state of panic." - but that statement is not quite true. It is correct that he himself was in a "state of panic" as his Church had much to loose should the French decide to extend their boundaries to include Rarotonga. The European commercial interests, that were predominantly from New Zealand, also had a lot to loose with any possible French take-over..they were also in a "state of panic". But for Makea Takau Ariki and the local people of Rarotonga - there was no panic with regard to this French visit...at that time.
   In his above letter, William Wyatt Gill appealed to the London Missionary Society to approach the British authorities and seek diplomatic action to ensure that the Hervey Islands remained an "Independent" group. He did not advocate British annexation or a British Protectorate status, but rather sought British recognition of the Hervey Islands as an independent political identity which would then prevent any possible French interference over a group of islands that Britain recognized to be - a nation in its own right.
   However, nothing ever came of this initiative.
   On the other hand the New Zealand traders on the island approached the Ariki, of which four of the five Ariki were now women and apparently "tee-totallers" as well, and convinced them quite easily to support a petition, through New Zealand to Great Britain, requesting the Hervey Islands be declared a British Protectorate and therefore placed under Queen Victoria.
   This petition was sent to Governor Gordon in Wellington, who then endorsed the proposal and dispatched it to the British Colonial Office in London. A short time later he received a reply stating that Britain was not prepared, or on a position to - place a Protectorate Status over the..."said islands".

The Departure of Goodman
   In 1883 ill-health forced C.E.Goodman to leave Rarotonga and return to England.
   Prior to his departure he wrote to the High Commissioner for the Western Pacific advising of his leaving and recommended that Richard Exham, who was the Donald and Edenborough Representative on Rarotonga, be appointed as his replacement. In due course that appointment was confirmed.
   As the 1880"s continued to unfold, the situation on Rarotonga changed dramatically. The European influx brought with it a whole new perspective to European civilization different to that associated with the Missionaries and the Gospel. It brought both good and bad aspects with commercial interests being paramount and many of the local population soon discovered the European traders had more to offer them than what the Church did. As a result of this, the influence of the London Missionary Society began to decline and with it there was a corresponding decline in the basic social order on the island as well.

Profitable Trade from Rarotonga
   The majority of traders on Rarotonga were from New Zealand and had their main headquarters in Auckland. They found their trading posts on the island to be very profitable and even more so once the "Janet Nicoll" came into service with a two-monthly round trip through Tonga, Samoa, Rarotonga and Tahiti in June 1885. As it happened Rarotonga exported the greatest amount of produce that was more than the other three islands put together and so this further encouraged the New Zealand based trading companies to petition the Governor of New Zealand once again to have Rarotonga brought under British Protection.
   In September 1885 the New Zealand House of Representatives Select Committee on the Pacific Islands recommended that Rapa and the Hervey Islands be brought under British Control. This recommendation was then sent to the British Colonial Office - but subsequently turned down.

Makea Takau Ariki to New Zealand
   In an effort to strengthen their petition to the British Authorities for annexation and then a handing over of the Hervey Islands to New Zealand for colonial administration, the New Zealand Government formally invited Makea Takau Ariki to visit New Zealand and so she and her consort arrived in Auckland on the "Janet Nicoll" in October 1885. She was promoted as the "Queen of Rarotonga" by the New Zealand Herald who went on to write at great lengths about her arrival. The Herald reported the Ariki said she and her people of Rarotonga had a strong desire to be protected by the British Crown and wanted to have closer commercial relations with New Zealand.
   Makea Takau Ariki was warmly received by the Mayor of Auckland and later had lengthy discussions with the Minister of Native Affairs - John Ballance who later wrote to the British Colonial Office in  November 1885. He stated :
    "The people of Rarotonga should be allowed to work out their own destiny with as little interference as possible.
        If the islands were to be made a British Protectorate and placed under New Zealand - then it should be a
        stipulation that the right of Self-Government to the people of Rarotonga should be guaranteed."

Vice-Consul Proposal
   Later that month on 11 November 1885, following the visit of Makea Takau Ariki and after receiving yet another Petition from various European residents on Rarotonga that came on the same voyage of the "Janet Nicoll", the New Zealand Premier Sir Robert Stout also corresponded with the British Colonial Office and suggested that a British "Vice-Consul" be appointed on Rarotonga as a step towards upgrading the position of Honorary Consul. This person would therefore have "authority" as the official Representative of the British Government rather than the Honorary Consul status which was nothing more than a person recognising British Commercial interests. Stout stressed the importance New Zealand now placed on Rarotonga and pointed out that New Zealand exports to the island for 1884 totalled 11,000 pounds, while imports from the island was 23,912 pounds. He pointed out the "Queen of Rarotonga" wanted not only a closer relationship with New Zealand, but she and her people also wanted a closer relationship with Great Britain as well.
   Sir Robert Stout then suggested that if the British Government would allow, the New Zealand Government could nominate someone to act not only as the British Consul on Rarotonga, but also act as the "Agent for New Zealand". If this proposal was accepted then Stout stated he was confident the New Zealand House of Representatives would be prepared to vote sufficient funds to pay the appropriate salary.
   The British response came from the British Foreign Office in which Edward Stanhope - Secretary of State for the Colonies stated :
        1 That an Officer with the rank of "Consul" could be appointed with a salary of 500 pounds
           per year - plus on Office Allowance of 200 pounds...for a period of 10 years.
        2 That the appointment be made from London,
       3 ...but only after the New Zealand House of Representatives had allocated sufficient money to pay
            the salary and appropriate allowances.
   Stanhope stated there may be some "complications" as the Consul would have to take orders from both Britain and New Zealand at the same time, but then concluded his communication by asking as to what the duties of this "Colonial Agent"...would be?
   New Zealand's response was quite blunt. They were not prepared to allocate money to pay the salary and allowances to a Consul who would appointed by and responsible to...the British Colonial Office.

Hervey Islands...under the Governor of New Zealand?
   They therefore came up with a counter proposal in that a British Protectorate Status should be placed over the Hervey Islands and that this Protectorate be then placed under the supervision of the Governor of New Zealand, the principal authority in that country...as opposed to the Government of New Zealand.
   In due course the British Colonial Office responded to this in a communication dated 19 April 1886. They wrote : "Negotiations with France over the New Hebrides was at a very difficult stage. Any premature
     step towards the assentation of British control over Rarotonga would seriously prejudice the chances of a satisfactory
     settlement elsewhere."
In reaction to that position Sir Julius Vogel moved a Resolution in the New Zealand House of Representatives on 19 May 1886 proposing the British Colonial Office be asked that :
     1 The New Hebrides be left to the French,
     2 The French be allowed to cede Rapa, and that...
     3 In return France be asked to wave all objections to the British annexing Rarotonga and its
        adjacent islands.
   Over a period of time this resolution went through the various Parliamentary procedures and once adopted, it was then dispatched to the British Colonial Office on 1 July 1886...They turned it down.

Yet another Petition
   New Zealand's response to this was a further petition asking once again for a British Protectorate Status be placed over Rarotonga and its adjacent islands. On 12 August 1887 the British Colonial Office replied :
    "The declaration of a British Protectorate over Rarotonga - which is very close to the major area of French
        influence in the Pacific - would be used by France as a strong argument for them not to withdraw French troops
        from the New Hebrides."
   To the British at this time : "One particular Pacific problem...complicated another Pacific Problem."
   After further correspondence between Wellington and London in which the New Zealanders attempted to convince the British they should have the right to appoint the Consul to Rarotonga since they were going to pay the salary and appropriate allowances, the Secretary of State for the Colonies wrote in a letter dated 26 August 1887 that :
    "The arrangements proposed by the Foreign Office would secure the colonies interest in Rarotonga as effectively as
         existing circumstances allow and that it would be prepared to consider the matter afresh if the development of trade,
         or some other good reason induced the New Zealand Ministers to change their minds."
   Translated that basically means :
    "What we proposed earlier is good enough...if you want something more - you had better come up with something better."

   So as 1887 drew to a close nothing had changed with regard to the constitutional status of the islands later to become - the Cook Islands. Each was still an independent identity loosly linked together through the Gospel and the London Missionary Society...Mission Station on Rarotonga, as the "Power Politics" of colonialism consolidated itself in the region with Britain and France being the major players. In addition to this the Government of New Zealand was desperately trying to become a colonial power in its own right with the Hervey Islands being its prime colonial objective.
   However, the British Colonial Office had different ideas...with the main idea being they wanted absolutely nothing to do with Rarotonga and its adjacent islands - and it was their view that New Zealand should have nothing to do with them as well...but times were about to change.

Article No 3...

   In late 1887 and early 1888 there were two specific "International Developments" that caused Great Britain to drastically review its attitude towards Rarotonga and the various small unclaimed islands of the South Pacific. Such was the magnitude of these developments that Britain did a complete "u-turn" with regard to its colonial policy towards these islands as she came to realise even the smallest isolated "dots" in the region had the potential to be of critical importance to Britain and to her domestic economy.

The "All-Red" Seabed Cable
   The first development happened in late 1887 that specifically affected islands of the Northern Group.
   In this regard the "British Colonial Conference", a meeting of representatives from various corners of the British Commonwealth, strongly recommended that an "All-Red" communications cable be laid across the seabed of the Pacific from Canada down to Australia and New Zealand. This would then link Britain, through Canada to these two countries with a telegraphic link and therefore make communications so much quicker than what they had previously been.
   As far as Britain was concerned, this concept was of major economic importance and so it was endorsed by the British Government in early 1888. As a result, the British Foreign Office dispatched orders that warships be sent to the Pacific with instructions to annex all those islands in a general line from Canada to Australia and New Zealand that were not under the control of another Colonial Power.
   It was known that various landing stations would be required for the "All-Red" Seabed Cable, but it was not known how many would be needed, and it was not decided as to which route the sea-bed cable would eventually take. Be-that-as-it-may, the decision was taken in London to annex all available islands and outcrops of land that lay in the general direction of the proposed Sea-Bed cable as an immediate measure. Those eventually required for a landing station would then be selected and confirmed at a later date.
   As a result of this directive, Penrhyn was the first island to be annexed on 22 March 1888. In the months that followed the rest of the Northern Group were annexed along with various islands that later became Kiribati, Tuvalu, Tokelau, Phoenix and Line Islands...as well as Niue. Great Britain therefore annexed all these islands on the basis they may be required at some future date to be landing stations for a communications sea-bed cable that was to be put in place connecting Canada and Britain to that of Australia and New Zealand.
   As it happened, these islands were later not required, as the Sea-Bed cable was laid further to the West with its major Pacific connection being in Fiji.

The Panama Canal
   The second "International Development" that drastically affected Britain's attitude towards isolated islands in the middle of the South Pacific came in early 1888 with the proposal to construct the Panama Canal and thereby link the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.
   Britain saw this concept to be of major benefit to her domestic economy and to her colonies of Australia and New Zealand. This was because coal-powered refrigerated ships had now been developed to carry frozen meat directly from those countries to the domestic market in Britain. With a Panama Canal in place these ships would not have to travel via South Africa or around South America and so the economic advantage this proposal offered to Britain was substantial.
   But...the British Government quickly realised they had a major problem.
   ...and this problem was that Britain did not have any "Colonial Out-posts" between Australia/New Zealand - and the proposed Panama Canal, that could be used for coaling stations for the steamships crossing the Pacific. By now the French were totally secure with the various islands of French Polynesia and the only option Britain had left was...Rarotonga and its adjacent islands.
   As a direct result to construct the Panama Canal, Rarotonga suddenly became "economically important" to Britain. On that basis the British Foreign Office gave instructions that the Hervey Group had be accorded a British Protectorate status. Should any of them be required at a latter date as a coaling station, then the Protectorate Status would be upgraded to that of annexation. If not - the Protectorate Status could quite easily be withdrawn.
   After many years of being irrelevant, unimportant and insignificant, as far as Great Britain was concerned, in a matter of months both the Northern Group and the Southern Cook Islands became potentially vital to British trade interests...they were now places of potential "economic worth" to the British domestic economy and so were worthy...of being - British.

The French threat to Rarotonga
   Meanwhile back on Rarotonga in early 1888, there was a major incident that caused great concern on the island that was clearly heard from Wellington to London and caused the British to react with even greater haste and urgency.
   One Sunday evening in early April 1888, the Englishman Captain Elliot and his schooner "Nassau" arrived at Avatiu Harbour from Tahiti. Over the years the Captain had been a regular visitor to the island and as per usual, after making port, he made his way to the home of Henry Nicholas a short distance away. He was very much aware that several other Europeans living in the Avarua District often gathered at that place for evening discussion and on this occasion Captain Elliot arrived to find not only Henry Nicholas was at home, but he was in the company of Richard Exham, Arthur Browne and Charles Ward.
   The Captain made his usual cheerful entrance and before he even sat down he asked the question :
   "Do you fellows want to become French?"
   "What are you getting at skipper?" someone asked.
   "A French man-of-war is on her way down here from Papeete and if you fellows wish to remain British - then you had better get busy...and pretty quick."
   The Captains comments hit the small gathering like a bombshell.
   For many years they had feared the French would sooner or later try and extend its political influence to Rarotonga and with the news brought by Captain Elliot, it was clear to the small gathering their worst fears were about to be realised.
   After a short time of discussion the group concluded Makea Takau Ariki had to be told what was about to happen and so the gathering went to see her at Taputapuatea. There the skipper explained what he had heard on Tahiti and he told of his belief the French Warship was on its way to probably claim Rarotonga as French territory. The group then asked the Ariki what she thought they all should do to avoid Rarotonga being taken over by the French.
   Makea was apparently quite astute. She "um'd" and "ah'd" for quite some time and was apparently suspicious as she thought this particular story was nothing more than a "trick". In the end they all came a conclusion, in that the British Union Jack would be hoisted at site close to the Avarua Harbour to indicate the island was British...but only after the French man-of-war had been sighted approaching the island...and that it would be Makea Takau Ariki herself who would unfurl the flag.
   Everyone was now happy with that resolution and so the visitors departed and returned to the home of  Henry Nicholas. There they held further talks and were very much aware that a French warship was very fast and so could appear off Rarotonga at any time. They were also mindful of the outer islands and considered the French may also visit some, if not all of these islands, to claim them for the French as well. As a result of that assumption, it was concluded that something had to be done to alert those islands with regard to the impending French threat.
   Richard Exham then went to his home and a short time later returned with two Union Jacks he had inherited from C.E.Goodman in his capacity as the Honorary Consul. It was decided that Captain Elliot would take these two Union Jacks and depart immediately for Mangaia - to tell the people there of the French man-of-war and to leave them one of the flags. The "Nassau" would then double-back and go to Aitutaki to advise Rev. Lawrence of the French warship and to leave him the second Union Jack.
   In the meantime those left on Rarotonga decided they would make their own union Jack. They did not have time to make flags for the other islands in the Southern Group, but they concluded that if they could get the British flag raised on the three largest islands, then, if the French warship was to go around the group and see these islands flying the Union Jack, the skipper of the vessel would assume the smaller islands in-between were also under British control.

Home made Union Jack
   Late that Sunday evening Captain Elliot and the "Nassau" departed Rarotonga for Mangaia while the rest began making their own Union Jack under the direction of Charles Ward. A local shop owner was pulled out of bed to open his store in order to obtain various rolls of material, muslin and calico. From this a Union Jack approximately six-foot square was pre-cut and the daughter of  Henry Nicholas then sewed the whole thing together on her peddling sewing machine.
   As dawn came upon Rarotonga the following morning, the group departed with their flag and returned to Makea Takau Ariki at Taputapuatea. They told her what they had done and from there they all went to the Avarua waterfront where Makea arranged for various workers to put up the tallest flagpole they could construct. Charles Ward then hoisted the unfurled flag and showed Makea exactly what to do to unfurl it.
   For the rest of the day the group remained in the vicinity of the Avarua waterfront and were joined by hundreds of people as they waited in anticipation to see if a French warship did arrive or not...but there was no sighting of any ship that day. So the Union Jack remained in an unfurled state.
   However, the following morning a large vessel was sighted on the horizon approaching from the east.
   Those gathered on shore increased to great numbers as the ship slowly made its approach and in due course it became obvious the vessel was indeed a French man-of-war. As it came in very close to the reef and sailed along the northern coast of the island to be almost off the entrance to Avarua Harbour, Makea Takau Ariki stepped forward and gave the lanyard a pull which resulted in the "home-made" Union Jack being released to subsequently flutter out in the gentle morning breeze.
   The warship sailed along the reef and made no sign of stopping. It made no signal to those on the shore as it carried on and later turned out to sea and headed back in the direction from which it came.
   In the meantime Captain Elliot had reached Mangaia on the Monday evening and two days later when the French man-of-war was sighted off the island, the Union Jack was flying there as well. It is not known if the vessel visited any other islands of the group. While Captain Elliot later reached Aitutaki and gave Rev Lawrence the second Union Jack, the French vessel was not sighted at that island.

An act of Conceding
   The act of conceding Rarotonga and several other islands to Great Britain had now been undertaken by the people of Rarotonga, Mangaia and Aitutaki with the hoisting of the Union Jack on their respective islands. They therefore made a declaration of being British without the British Crown's consent and certainly without the knowledge of the British authorities.
   In performing this act, the Ariki and people of these islands therefore accepted Queen Victoria as being their sovereign and placed themselves and their respective islands directly under the Metropolitan Power of Great Britain. There is no doubt they would have preferred to retain their independence and their own individual sovereignty. But when the French military threatened to take them over as a dependency of France, just like they had done to Tahiti and its adjacent islands, the conclusion was quickly reached that Queen Victoria and Great Britain was a far better option...and so they hoisted their Union Jacks as a way of saying to the French...you are not welcome here.

Petition of Desperation
   On 31 April 1888 Makea Takau and Tinomana Ariki of Puaikura wrote to the Governor of New Zealand and submitted a fresh request for British protection. They appealed for Britain to act immediately and declare Rarotonga a British Protectorate...in a petition that was apparently tainted with an air of desperation.
   It was their fear that sooner or later the French would discover their flag raising escapade was not legitimate and therefore return and formally take possession of the island. The two Ariki told the Governor that the people of Rarotonga were the same people as the Maori of New Zealand, that they had been educated by English Missionaries and by all accounts had already considered themselves to be British.
   The following day, on 1 May 1888, the British Consul Richard Exham wrote directly to the British Foreign Office in which he urged most strongly for Britain to act as the French were on the verge of annexing Rarotonga.
   On 4 June 1888 Rev. Lawrence on Aitutaki wrote directly to the British Prime Minister Lord Salisbury pointing out the fear that existed on both Rarotonga and Aitutaki with regard to the French and how the people of both islands wanted to be British.
   It is not known how long these three letters took to reach their respective destinations, given there is no details available concerning the shipping movements in and out of the islands at this time. It is safe to assume however, they took several months to be finally delivered...but by that time other events had taken over and developments with the Sea-Bed Cable proposal and plans to build the Panama Canal, that had already brought about a complete change of attitude of the part of the British authorities.

The British change their Minds
   In May 1888, after the "Sea-Bed" Cable and Panama Canal proposals had been endorsed, the New Hebrides issue between Britain and France was settled. As a result of this an internal memo within the British Colonial Office dated 21 May 1888 stated :
   "The French, having now gained by their good diplomacy the New Hebrides..and other islands which they did not exactly         expect, would now naturally turn their attention to the nearest group westward of Tahiti which is the Hervey Group and it can only be a question of time when Rarotonga and other islands containing population of kindred race to the Maoris - are absorbed."
   The memo went on to predict the Colonial Office was on the verge of being swamped once again with the same "indignant protests" from the New Zealanders seeking these islands be made British. It further stated there was every likelihood the French may annex Rarotonga and then establish another "Penal Colony" on the island - that would further upset not only the New Zealanders, but also the Australians as well.
   Great Britain had suffered a minor defeat in the New Hebrides and their "Colonial Pride" was such they were not prepared to be embarrassed once again by the French. So they sought support from the British Foreign Office to place a Protectorate Status over the Hervey Islands.
   On 18 June 1888 the London Times Newspaper reported, from an apparent British Foreign Office Press Release that :
   "The French, while not claiming the Hervey Islands as part of their territory, believe the group to be definitely within their sphere of influence."
   The article went on to say :
   "Of course it may be said with some reason, that the Panama Canal is impossible. Perhaps it may be so ; but suppose it is not - and this negative view is by no means impossible.
The highway between Auckland and Panama is commanded by Rapa and no other island lies in the direct route.
Between Sydney and Panama not a single British Coaling Station exists while France possesses the island of Tahiti and the surrounding islands in the direct passage with their accompanying list of harbours and places of refuge.
   Without Rarotonga - France on this route is supreme. With Britain now possessing Rarotonga, the Balance of Power is materially altered. Rarotonga has two small, but fairly secure harbours and is connected with Auckland by ties of friendship and commerce.
   Its position in the South Eastern Pacific gives it exceptional advantages over the neighbouring islands while its protection by this country, which by the bye, should be followed by annexation, supplies British ships with one possible Coaling Station and a place wherein to obtain supplies in the unhappy event of a European war - along the 7,700 miles of sea that separate Sydney from Panama."
   After a series of inter-departmental exchanges between the British Foreign Office and the British Colonial Office, it was decided that Richard Exham would be appointed officially as the "Acting British Resident" and in that capacity he was to proclaim a British Protectorate Status over the islands concerned.

27 September 1888 - A British Protectorate Status
   On 27 September 1888 Richard Exham received his instructions from London and on that same day he formally proclaimed a British Protectorate Status over the islands of Rarotonga, Aitutaki, Mangaia, Atiu, Mitiaro, Mauke and Manuae. Takutea was not included.
   Many people on Rarotonga were very disappointed because there was no actual ceremony on this occasion. There was no formal flag-raising...it was just "another day"...it was something of a "let-down".
   At the time orders were dispatched to Richard Exham on Rarotonga, additional orders were sent to the Captain of the nearest British vessel to that location which happened to be Captain E.G.Bourke and the "H.M.S.Hyacinth". This ship was in Hawaii when Bourke received instructions to proceed with great haste to Rarotonga and formally declare a British Protectorate Status over that and its adjacent islands.
   He reached Rarotonga and then performed this ceremony on 27 October 1888 in which the Union Jack was ceremoniously hoisted over the island and so was officially declared a British Protectorate. On this occasion there was much pomp and ceremony and the "locals" were indeed very impressed.
  As a "side" matter...27 October was Captain Cook's birthday. He was born on 27 October 1728 - exactly 160 years prior to the day Bourke made his proclamation over a group of islands in which his name was first used as a country of identification.
   Richard Exham then travelled with Captain Bourke to Mangaia, Mauke, Mitiaro and Atiu before reaching Aitutaki on 4 November 1888 where each island in turn was declared a British Protectorate and the Union Jack was formally hoisted.
   On each occasion Captain Bourke read out a letter to the Ariki and the various islanders in which he said : "That the English Government, having been petitioned to grant the protection of the British flag to the Cook Islands,
            now did so by hoisting the flag.
       : He declared in the name of Queen Victoria, that each island was now part of the British Dominions.
         : All laws that were in force were to remain in force, and
         : That the Ariki and people of each island now belonged to the country who had done so much for the
           advancement of civilization in all parts of the world."
   From various sources it appears this was the first time the words "Cook Islands" were used to describe Rarotonga and its adjacent islands. Previous communications from both London and Wellington consistently referred to these islands as the Hervey Islands and for reasons not clearly explained Captain Bourke was the first British Official to give them the name - Cook Islands.
    Some of the Europeans who heard the language Captain Bourke used in his proclamation were surprised at what he said. Instead of using statements associated with the establishment of a Protectorate state...he actually used words that in effect...annexed the various islands.

Definitions in International Law
   In terms of International Law, as accepted in the late 1800's, there was a fundamental difference between the annexation of a territory and the declaration of a Protectorate State.
Annexation - was when a given territory was brought under the total administrative control of a Colonial Power, who would then establish an administrative presence and therefore impose their own laws and regulations along with a political and judicial system - and in effect "run" the territory.
   A Protectorate State, however, was a territory not under the administrative control of a Colonial Power, but rather a territory that was offered and guaranteed protection from being annexed from any other Colonial Power. A Protected State was therefore not subjected to colonial administration and all the associated costs associated with that, whereas an annexed territory was indeed formally colonized.
   For the British to have a Navel Commander declare a Protectorate Status over a territory was not the normal practice. But given the urgency of the matter the British sent a Captain totally inexperienced in such matters who then used the wrong words and pronounced the wrong proclamation.
   When Captain Bourke reported to the British Authorities in a memorandum dated 13 November 1888 outlining what he had done, the British then realized their Navel Commander had made a few mistakes with regard to what he did.
Firstly : Bourke's proclamation was worded incorrectly. By stating that the land and people were
            now part of the British Dominions was in itself an act of annexation, and
Secondly : By failing to draw up an appropriate treaty with the Ariki of each island - which should
            have spelled out the terms and conditions under which the Protectorate Status had been
            established, such a Protectorate Status was totally invalid.
Thirdly : As a result of these two considerations Captain Bourke had therefore annexed the
            "said islands" by mistake.
   The first reaction of the British was to send another war-ship, with a different Commander who knew what he was doing - and then place a proper Protectorate Status over these islands. However they decided against this and concluded it was better to keep the whole blunder "hush-hush". If the French found out about the mistake...then it would make the British look "colonial incompetent" and if the New Zealanders found out they would intensify their pestering and petitions for administrative responsibility.
   Given that the local population of these islands did not understand one-way or the other what had happened, the British therefore "sat on their hands" and kept quiet...but at least for the time being all the islands of the present day Cook Islands that were inhabited, both Northern and Southern Group, were British - to varying degrees. They were therefore in one capacity or another...under Queen Victoria.

From Hervey Islands to Cook Islands
   Captain James Cook "discovered", in European terms, Manuae on 23 September 1773 during his Second Voyage to the Pacific. He called it Hervey Island and as other islands in the vicinity, that today make up the Southern Group were also located by Cook and other British navigators, then the British Authorities changed Hervey Island to one of plural...hence - the Hervey Islands in recognition of Captain Cook's earlier achievement.
   Even as late as June 1888, the British Authorities were still referring to the Hervey Islands. However, when Captain Bourke proclaimed a Protectorate Status over Rarotonga and its adjacent islands in October/November 1888, he used the name...Cook Islands.
   From this situation one can therefore conclude the British changed the name from Hervey Islands to the Cook Islands as a consequence of deciding to place a Protectorate Status over these islands and in their instructions to Captain Bourke on the "H.M.S.Hyacinth" they advised him as such. As a result of that direction, Captain Bourke not only proclaimed  a "British Status" over these islands, but he also gave them a new "British Name" as well...hence - the Cook Islands

The Russians were the First
   However, the first country to actually use the name "Cook Islands"...was Russia.
   In the early 1800's various Russian explorers travelled the Pacific including Mikhail Lazarev who called at Suwarrow on 27 September 1813 and named it "Suvorov"...after his ship. Otto von Kotzebue visited Penrhyn in 1816, while Lazarev and Thaddeus Bellingshausen called at Rakahanga in 1820.
   At this time the Czars Court in Russia spoke French as their daily language and wrote in French as their common form of communication. In 1834 Russian cartographers produced a map of the world taking into account all the various "discoveries" that had taken place over previous years by various European nations...and this map was written in French.
   In the absence of Hervey Islands the Russians included the name "Archipel de Isles de Cook" as reference to the "Cook Islands Archipelago." It was therefore the Czar's Court in Russia who first named these islands in honour of James Cook and recognised that to be the case as early as 1834. However, it took the rest of the world, including that of Great Britain, more than 50 years to finally accept that Russian initiative as being suitable, worthy...and appropriate.

The Appointment of Frederick Moss
   Once a British Protectorate status had been placed over the Cook Islands, Premier John Ballance and the New Zealand Government resurrected their earlier proposal to appoint and pay the salary of a British Consul. They insisted this person be appointed from Wellington and therefore responsible to New Zealand Government and not responsible to the British High Commissioner for the Western Pacificin Fiji...or anyone else.
   At this time the British Authorities showed no objection and so in November 1890 Frederick Moss was appointed the first "British Resident". He landed on Rarotonga on 22 April 1891 where he read out a Proclamation from the Governor of New Zealand in which he stated the Cook Islands (meaning the Southern Group only ) was now a "British Protectorate" - for the present...and that he had been appointed as the first official "British Resident".
  ...at last the New Zealand Government now had a "toe-hold" into the South Pacific.
   Their aspirations to be a Colonial Power in the region dating back to Sir George Grey and others in the 1860's, was starting to materialize. Many politicians in Wellington took the view that New Zealand's "Colonial Destiny" was about to be formally established with the appointment of "their choice" as the First "British Resident" to the Cook Islands.
   Back on Rarotonga the Ariki and people of the island were very happy to be British and in particular were very happy to be under Queen Victoria...but they still had no desire to be under New Zealand and certainly had no wish to be formally associated with the Government of that country...in a political capacity.
   It was the job of Frederick Moss to therefore change their minds and draw the people of the Cook Islands closer to New Zealand. He changed their minds alright - but they went in the opposite direction.

Article No 4...

The Arrival of Frederick Moss
   When Frederick Moss arrived at Rarotonga in April 1891 as the First "British Resident" to the Cook Islands, (as being the Southern Group only) he landed with no legal authority with regard to introducing British or New Zealand laws and regulations. He had no mandate to establish any form of colonial administration. In fact he had no "power" what-so-ever to impose anything upon the people of the Cook Islands. His status was merely a Representative of Britain...as appointed by New Zealand - nothing more.
   Being a British Protectorate now guaranteed the Cook Islands could not be annexed by any other colonial power such as France. As a result of this, the basic Laws and Regulations, as established by the London Missionary Society and administered through the various Ariki in the three Districts of Rarotonga, were still very much in place and "theoretically" - unaffected.
   While the establishment of a British Protectorate Status over the Cook Islands was welcomed by the New Zealand Government, their colonial aspirations remained unchanged. They still wanted these islands to be annexed by Britain and then placed under New Zealand for colonial administration.
   Technically speaking the Cook Islands were now under the jurisdiction of the Earl of Onslow - the Governor of New Zealand. At the same time the New Zealand Government was also under the jurisdiction of the same person given they were still Self-Governing territory of Britain themselves. So Moss's official channel of communication was through the Governor and then on the Premier John Ballance and the New Zealand Government...who were actually paying his wages.

The Terms of Reference
   The basic instructions to Frederick Moss was to put in place a political. judicial and administrative structure of Government based along similar lines to Self-Government that had been established in New Zealand. The thinking was that in due course the Cook Islands would become a Self-Governing colony of New Zealand, along the same line as New Zealand was a Self-Governing territory of Britain. So Moss was told to establish a "mirror-type" of administration in the islands. It was envisaged that in due course the Ariki and people of the Cook Islands would be drawn closer to New Zealand as they came to understand and appreciate that form of Government...and subsequently request British annexation and attachment to New Zealand.
   That was the basic Terms of Reference for Frederick J. Moss...as given to him by both the Governor and the Government of New Zealand...at the time he departed Wellington - for Rarotonga in 1891.

Frederick Moss - a Man of 63 Years
   When Frederick Moss landed on Rarotonga he was 63 years of age. In his earlier years he had lived in Fiji and after that he had been a Member of Parliament in the New Zealand House of Representatives where he represented the constituency of Parnell (in Auckland). He was therefore very familiar with Parliamentary Procedures. He was also knowledgeable with regard to the structure of Government and how a Self-Governing territory, as in the case of New Zealand, should work.
   With those experiences in mind and taking into account he had no actual mandate to impose anything upon people of the Cook Islands, Frederick Moss was very much aware he could only achieve what the Ariki and the people of the Cook Islands...would allow him to achieve. He was also aware the various Ariki and most of the population were directly under the influence and control of the Missionaries of which the Rev. Lawrence, who had spent more than 20 years on Aitutaki following the retirement of Rev Henry Royle, was now in charge as the Head of Mission at Takamoa.
   Either directly, or indirectly the missionaries controlled the political and administrative situation on Rarotonga through their influence over the various Ariki. The laws in place were the "Mission Laws", the Judicial System was the "Church Judicial System" and the Administration style of the island was that created, maintained and then amended from time to time  by various missionaries since they first landed in 1823.
   As a consequence of this, Moss realised that if he was to achieve anything with his Self-Governing objectives, then he had to work with, and obtain the support of, not only the Ariki, but also the Missionaries as well...and he was comfortable with that.
   While the London Missionary Society welcomed the British Protectorate Status over the Cook Islands as a way to prevent France in particular extending its influence, they were strongly opposed to annexation be it from Britain, New Zealand or anyone else. It was their view the Cook Islands should remain independent as they were, whereby the Church, in conjunction with the various Ariki would rule and control all aspects of local Government, Civil Administration and ultimately the day to day lives of the people concerned.
   On the other hand, however, Rev. Lawrence and his colleagues had a number of situations over which they had no influence or control. The main one being jurisdiction and a controlling influence over the Europeans on the island (about 40) and those people who were not members of the Church. There were no laws on Rarotonga to control their behaviour and there was no administrative or judicial system  to which these people were accountable. They did what they liked - and the missionaries...did not like what many of them did...with alcohol being the root cause of many problems.

Support from the London Missionary Society
   When Frederick Moss explained to Rev Lawrence his basic plans with regard to creating a Self-Government type of Administration for the Cook Islands very similar to that in place in New Zealand...he found an instant ally. The missionary saw this proposal as way to bring a common law and administration to all of Rarotonga in particular, that was based upon British Traditions, but without British Government interference or control. In other words what Frederick Moss had in mind would actually enhance the Church's position on Rarotonga and so the missionaries would then have influence through a law-making authority over those people currently outside their stream of influence.
   Moss also found support throughout the European business community as well. They welcomed his arrival and basically supported his various proposals for Self-Government as well. For them it would provide a stable administration and therefore create a better environment to allow them to conduct their various business activities.
   The Ariki also welcomed Frederick Moss...because he was the Representative of Queen Victoria and because the Missionaries "said"...he should be welcomed.
   At the time Moss landed on Rarotonga, the island was being governed by an "Ariki Assembly" made up of Makea Takau Ariki from Te-au-o-Tonga, Pa Ariki from Takitumu and Tinomana Ariki from Puaikura. All three Ariki were women and directly under the influence of the Missionaries. Below the Ariki Assembly the island was divided into its three Districts in which each Ariki ruled supreme in her own right. They had their own District Judges and a basic administrative system that gave each Ariki full autonomy in her given district of Rarotonga - but with the missionary of that district...being very close at hand.
   From the day he first stepped ashore Frederick Moss was besieged with complaints, appeals and disputes from virtually all sectors of the community. Even the most trivial matters were taken to him for resolution as he was looked upon as the sole judge to sort matters out and determine who was right...and who was wrong. This situation often annoyed him to the extent he refused to consider a large number of matters and this in turn created a lot of disappointment to those who had sought his intervention.

The First Provisional Legislature of Rarotonga
   Moss's first initiative was to expand on the "Ariki Assembly" concept and he succeeded in convincing all sectors on the island to establish a "Provisional Legislature of Rarotonga" that was made up of the following :
   1 The three "Supreme Ariki" from each of the three districts,
   2 The three District Judges,
   3 One representative from the Mataiapo (or sub-chiefs) from each of the three districts, and
   4 One representative "elected" by the European residents on Rarotonga.
   On top of this structure Moss put in place the "Ariki Council" that consisted of the three "Supreme Ariki", as well as Makea Karika and Kainuku Ariki of Rarotonga...and Ngamaru Ariki from Atiu who was the husband of Makea Takau Ariki - six Ariki in total.
   With that structure in place, for legislation to come into effect it therefore had to pass through three stages of consideration and process :
   1 Through the Provisional Legislature of Rarotonga,
   2 Through the Ariki Council, and
   3 Then to be signed by Frederick Moss in his capacity as the British Resident.

The Federal Parliament of the Cook Islands
   One of the first pieces of legislation to pass through this process was the establishment of the "Federal Parliament of the Cook Islands".
   Once that had been completed along with considerable discussion and debate, Moss then toured the other islands in the Southern Group where he explained the concept of the Federal Parliament and obtained the signatures of all the Ariki on these islands to support the concept and to send representatives to Rarotonga to be part of this new Government.
   On 4 June 1891 the various representatives from all over the Cook Islands met on Rarotonga under the Chairmanship of Frederick Moss.This meeting was held at the old Avarua Sunday school as it was the biggest building on the island at the time. In addition to the full Provisional Legislature of Rarotonga there were three representatives from Aitutaki and Mangaia and one representative from Atiu and Mauke. Mitiaro did not send a representative.
   In proposing the Federal Parliament concept to this gathering, Moss said that as the Cook Islands were now British, they needed a legislative process and an organized government to deal with matters including customs, public works, shipping, education, health, postal services, crime and punishment and so on. He said the system had to fair with equality for all throughout the islands.
    Central to his proposal was a Treasury Department and also a Federal Supreme Court. He made it clear that people would need to be employed in all the various Government Departments and so employment opportunities would become available for people to be paid officials of the administration.
   Later that day a motion was moved, seconded and subsequently adopted unanimously to establish the "Federal Parliament of the Cook Islands"... that was made up of the following :
   1 One Ariki from each of the three Districts of Rarotonga,
   2 The three District Judges,
   3 One representative from the Mataiapo from each of the three Districts of Rarotonga,
   4 One representative "elected" by the Europeans,
   5 Three representatives from Aitutaki and Mangaia, and
   6 One representative each from Atiu, Mitiaro and Mauke.
Total number of Representatives in the Federal Parliament = 19.

Makea as "Head of Government"
   The first function of the new Parliament was to elect a Chairperson. That went to Makea Takau Ariki. She therefore became "Head of Government".
   It was further decided that :
   1 Avarua would be the Headquarters of the Federal Parliament,
   2 Avarua would also be the official Port of Entry for the Cook Islands, and
   3 That the British currency would be the official currency of the islands to replace the Chilean dollar.
   Later that day the Ariki Council met along with those Ariki who that had travelled from the outer islands to constitute a kind of "Upper House".
   In a matter of one day Frederick Moss was able to establish and formalize a basic Self-Government structure of Government that embraced all the islands he was responsible for with the legislative process being :
   1 The Federal Parliament of the Cook Islands,
   2 The Ariki Council, and
   3 Frederick Moss himself as the British Resident.
...and so began the process of Frederick Moss formulating legislation concerning various aspects of Government in preparation for submission to the Federal Parliament to consolidate his type of Self-Government along the lines as outlined by the Governor and Government of New Zealand.

The Arguments begin
   ...now that was the "easy" part - from this point on things simply got more complicated as arguments and disputes over the following months started to eroded the whole concept of what Moss was trying to achieve.
   To begin with many members of Parliament did not like the idea of Makea being the "Head of Government" and therefore superior to...them. This became more apparent when they realised that Makea now had the authority to issue regulations and make various public service appointments, not only within her district of Te-au-o-Tonga, but she also had the same authority right throughout the Cook Islands as well...many people did not like that - and especially the other Ariki.
   Others did not like various Mataiapo having a say in Government and in the two years that followed there was constant bickering among the Ariki, their District Judges and various Mataiapo that in the end the whole Federal concept was on the verge of self-destruction.
   As a way to try and maintain stability, Frederick Moss introduced the concept of Island Councils and District Councils for Rarotonga but that also got "bogged-down" in controversy with Aitutaki being the only island to get an Island Council up and running. On the other hand the Missionary on Mangaia Rev. G.A.Harris was totally against all what Moss was trying to achieve - Federal Government and all, and he exercised his influence over the people of Mangaia not to be supportive with regard to all his administrative initiatives.
   As Frederick Moss used the Federal Parliament to put in place various Government Departments and to  create a basic administrative structure along the lines of a Self-Governing political entity, various factions within the Federal Parliament were slowly pulling the whole concept apart through in-fighting and bickering - argument and dispute over all sorts of matters that were not necessarily related to Parliamentary matters.
   One of the biggest problems revolved around the various Ariki. Not only did the three women often conflict with each other, but they also difficulties dealing with members of Parliament from other districts of Rarotonga besides their own. The Federal Parliament was consistently split along tribal lines to the extent it was becoming more and more difficult to get legislation passed.
   In the end Frederick Moss decided to reorganise the whole structure of Government in early 1893.

Cook Islands women get the Vote
   By this time Moss had received news from Wellington that the New Zealand House of Representatives had passed legislation bringing in "Universal Suffrage" and this meant that women would now get the vote at the following General Election that was expected in that country later that year - i.e. 1893.
   In accordance with his instructions to create a "mirror-type" of Self-Government Administration in the Cook Islands, Frederick Moss included similar legislation to give women the vote in the Cook Islands at the time he submitted his overall reorganisation proposals to the Federal Parliament.
  In September 1893 after much discussion and debate a general consensus was reached and so legislation was put into effect to create the following :
   1 "The House of Ariki" - or "Upper House" made up of the five Ariki of Rarotonga only.
       This body had an Executive that consisted of Makea, Pa and Tinomana Ariki, but they could only
       consider matters relating to Rarotonga. They had no influence with regard to the outer islands.
   2 The Federal Parliament was re-organised as the "Lower House" or "The House of the People"
      that was made up as follows :
      i   3 District Judges of Rarotonga,
      ii  3 appointees from each of the three "Supreme" Ariki of Rarotonga - to be reviewed each year,
      iii 2 democratically elected representatives from each of the three Districts of Rarotonga under
            universal suffrage i.e. - Woman to have the vote,
      iv  3 Representatives from Aitutaki and Mangaia, and
      v   1 Representative each from Atiu, Mitiaro and Mauke.
Total membership of the "Lower House" therefore increased to 21.
   It is not known with any certainty the exact date the First General Election of the Cook Islands took place. Further research needs to be done, but it was certainly sometime in 1893 because in the latter part of the year the Reorganised Federal Parliament of the Cook Islands met in the Old Sunday School in Avarua.
   Subsequent to that Frederick Moss managed to put through Parliament a whole raft of legislation concerning some very complicated issues such as Health and the creation of a "Hospital Board" with democratically elected members, A Supreme Court along with various laws and regulations, Import duties and various levies. A Public Works Department was established to build better roads. In fact legislation was eventually passed to set-up a full government administration. Moss helped establish "Te Torea" as the first official newspaper of the Cook Islands in 1894 and in July 1895 he organised the First Census on Rarotonga which gave the population to be 2457 people.
   He got legislation through the Federal Parliament to establish a Government funded Education System and in July 1895 he officially opened Tereora College as place for higher learning. During his opening speech Frederick Moss said :
   "This school...will give the Maori the knowledge of the things of this world which makes the Europeans able to do
      so much that the Maori cannot do for yourself. As a people it will be your salvation."
   In many ways what Frederick Moss did during these years was nothing short of incredible. Even more startling is the fact that he did so with the support and endorsement from both the "House of Ariki" and the Federal Parliament of the Cook Islands. In order for these two institutions to support his plans and proposals, the representatives had to exercise some understanding as to what they were supporting and therefore developed a basic knowledge of some very complicated matters
   ...and all this was done without subsidy from Britain or New Zealand as all finance involved was self-generated from Rarotonga in particular.
   With the Ariki now in the "Upper House" and therefore maintaining their sphere of superiority, much of the bickering and arguments therefore abated and in many respects the Parliamentary concept of Government began to settle down as those involved came to understand all that Frederick Moss was trying to achieve.

More Problems arise
   However, a whole new set of problems then began to arise which in the end turned most of the people on Rarotonga against Frederick Moss...and led to his final withdrawal to Wellington.
   In 1893, by which time Rev Lawrence had been replaced by Rev J.J.K Hutchin at Takamoa, Representatives from the Seventh Day Adventist and Catholic Churches arrived at Rarotonga and began creating schools and setting up their own congregations. The Mormons arrived the following year. The London Missionary Society made repeated requests for Moss to have them banned from the island. When he refused to do so the Missionaries and many of their congregations went against him.
   In addition to this the Missionaries tried to get Moss to introduce prohibition and therefore ban alcohol from the island. He refused to do so. They even got more upset when Moss brought in legislation to allow the District Judges to grant divorces. From this point on the London Missionary Society became one of Frederick Moss's strongest critics and in the years that followed rarely offered him any support and they did what they could to influence the various Ariki to go against Moss as well.
   There had been total support within the community for a comprehensive Education System with Government run schools in every village on the island. To pay for this initiative, Moss introduced a "Poll-tax" in which every person over the age of five years had to pay 2/- (two shillings) per year to the Rarotonga Treasury. This tax was extremely unpopular and so most people refused to pay it. As a result the schools that had recently been opened could not be funded and so many were forced to close.
   Moss was personally blamed by the local population for the collapse of the Education System and with it went much of his credibility. As time went by many of his other plans and proposals for Self-Government collapsed around him for a wide variety of reasons to the extent most of the people on Rarotonga simply lost all confidence in the man.

A Reorganised Judicial System
   In conjunction with this, the Judicial system Moss tried to put in place failed to work effectively. It was plagued with problems right from the start in that the Supreme Court and the local District Judges had difficulties dealing with many breaches of the "New Laws" that had been passed through the Federal Parliament. In particular there was a lot of inconsistency with the way Europeans were handled when brought before the Courts.
   As a result of a confused and distrusted Judicial System, Moss introduced Legislation to the Federal Parliament in July 1897  to abolish the Supreme Court and replace it with a "High Court of the Cook Islands" that would have a European Magistrate as the Chief Judge - appointed from Wellington.
   However, this legislation proved to be grossly unpopular to both the Europeans and local residents alike. The general perception of the local population, as indirectly promoted by the Missionaries, was that Moss was attempting to create a "Power Position" for himself to gain even greater control and authority over everyone in the Cook Islands. Some Europeans took the view a European Magistrate would bring them all under the Federal Parliament laws once and for all and that Moss was putting in place a Judicial System that would have effective control...over them.
   Because of these two considerations, along with open opposition from the London Missionary Society, the Federal Parliament therefore rejected this legislation...and they also rejected the Annual Financial Appropriation Bill as well because it contained financial provision with regard to the proposed High Court of the Cook Islands.
   Subsequent to that various Petitions from different sectors of the Community were sent to Wellington seeking not only the withdrawal of Frederick Moss, but also a Royal Commission to visit Rarotonga to investigate he and his administrative activities.
   As a result of the Financial Appropriation Bill being rejected by the Federal Parliament, Frederick Moss therefore froze all Government funds that were held by Treasury at the time and so the machinery of Government ground to a complete halt. Moss then proclaimed he was assuming full responsibility in his own right and wrote to the Governor of New Zealand on 16 September 1897 advising him of the situation and stated in his view that the New Zealand Government should step in and assume legislative and taxing authority over the Cook Islands.

Moss Recommends Annexation
   He therefore made the indirect statement that if New Zealand wanted the Cook Islands, then the time was appropriate for Britain to annex them and then pass them over to Wellington for Administration. The Premier of New Zealand Richard John Seddon knew full-well Britain would not even consider such a proposal unless there was a direct Petition from the Ariki for such an action. Given the Petitions of hostility against Moss and after taking into account Moss's own personal Report, Seddon quickly concluded, the Cook Islands were actually drifting further away from New Zealand, rather than being drawn closer as originally planned.
   The New Zealand Premier therefore contacted the Governor of New Zealand, Lord Ranfurly and they agreed to send their Chief Justice, Sir James Prendergast to Rarotonga to undertake an Official Enquiry. The Chief Justice subsequently landed in early December 1897 and was immediately besieged with a number of Petitions...all calling for Moss's withdrawal for a wide variety of reasons.
   In his report to the New Zealand Government dated 7 December 1897 Prendergast wrote that while Moss had made a number of mistakes and errors of judgement, there was no evidence to suggest fraud or corruption. He stated Moss's greatest enemy were the Missionaries and the influence they had over the Ariki and the people of Rarotonga. He also wrote the people of Rarotonga had now lost all confidence in Frederick Moss and all that he had tried to achieve.
   According to Prendergast the only options left were to recall Moss to Wellington and for Britain to decide either to give up the Protectorate or annex the islands and place them under New Zealand or the British High Commissioner for the Western Pacific in Fiji...it was now time for them to make a final decision.

Confidence in New Zealand lost as well
   However, the Ariki and many people on Rarotonga had not only lost confidence in Frederick Moss, they had also lost whatever confidence they had in New Zealand as well. The general thinking was that if Moss was the best New Zealand had to offer, then they were better off not only without Frederick Moss, but they were also better off without New Zealand as well.
   In response to the Prendergast Report, Richard John Seddon told Lord Ranfurly he still held the view the only answer was for British Annexation and for New Zealand Administration, however the Governor later wrote to the British Colonial Office on 7 February 1898 in which he wrote :
   "At the present time the Ariki are much against annexation and should this course be contemplated, I consider that
     it should be the new Residents duty to educate them up to it."
   A short time later Frederick Moss was recalled to Wellington in September 1898 and so the curtain came down on the "First Chapter" of the Cook Islands Colonial experience. Moss therefore left the islands with all his original plans and proposals for a Self-Governing Cook Islands...in tatters. He tried to put in place a Civil Administration that was superior to a Colonial Administration. He had tried to create a fully democratic society with all branches of Government to operate as a Self-Governing political entity.    ...sadly - his vision was decades before its time...his ideals were not understood by the people of the Cook Islands. No matter how noble his intentions, and how noble the intentions of the New Zealand Administration were - the fact of the matter was Frederick Moss failed because he was not appreciated by the people of the Cook Islands and so his plans for Self-Government were not appreciated as well.
   But one could say, and rightfully so, that the people of the Cook Islands, at that time, did not fully understand the whole concept of Self-Government - Frederick Moss style...but the missionaries did - and in the end their influence over the Ariki and the people of Rarotonga to oppose the man and his endeavours...proved to be decisive.
   Frederick Moss therefore departed Rarotonga in September 1898...on the vessel that brought his replacement - Colonel Walter E.Gudgeon...and the next chapter of the Cook Islands Colonial Experience was about to unfold.

Article No 5 (Part 1 of 2)

                               "Colonel Walter E. Gudgeon

   The man New Zealand sent to replace Frederick Moss was Lieutenant-Colonel Walter E. Gudgeon.

   He had been very active as a military officer during the Land Wars of the 1860,s and later had been a Judge in the Native Court of New Zealand. He was an extremely forceful man who had a long history of dealings with the Maori of New Zealand and so was considered to be a "strong" enough person to send to Rarotonga...to convince the people of the Cook Islands they should Petition the British Government for Annexation and then Administration under New Zealand.

   Gudgeon was a man of aloofness. In this regard he was therefore a very good example of an 1890's British Colonial administrator who acted with a presence of power and supreme authority. His elderly stature, coupled with his command of the New Zealand Maori language, which he spoke in loud commanding voice, impressed the Ariki of Rarotonga during the early months of his residence.

  When Gudgeon stepped ashore from a British warship on 12 September 1898, he did so with much pomp and ceremony as the ships navy band and military personal had already gone ahead to form a large Guard of Honour. Proclamations were then read in which Gudgeon said that Queen Victoria was not happy with the way the people of the Cook Islands had treated Frederick Moss and that Queen Victoria herself expected them to seek "his advice" on all matters and for them not too listen to "mischief people" who were trying to "estrange" the people of the Cook Islands from Her Majesty in England.

Gudgeon takes control

   In the days that followed Gudgeon managed to get the High Court Bill passed through the Federal Parliament after sixteen days of debate. He also got the Financial Appropriation Bill passed through as well. With that completed the Judicial System was therefore totally overhauled and reconstituted along the lines originally proposed earlier by Frederick Moss.

   Through skilful discussion and debate Gudgeon then got himself appointed, with the endorsement of the Federal Parliament, as the Chief Justice of the Federal High Court - the position that many thought Moss had been trying to create for himself...but Gudgeon got there because this was apparently the "desired wish of Queen Victoria" - so the Federal Parliament was told.

   Never-the-less Colonel Gudgeon was now in absolute control given his place as the "British Resident" and therefore superior to both the Federal Parliament and the House of Ariki and because he was also the Chief Justice of the Federal High Court. In addition to that, the British Government appointed his as a Deputy to the High Commissioner for the Western Pacific and so Gudgeon had everything in place to assist him in his quest to obtain a Petition from the Ariki seeking British Annexation and then a handing over of the Cook Islands for Colonial Administration to New Zealand.

   ...in other words : Annexation to New Zealand.

   Gudgeon was very much aware of the factions that had led to Moss's downfall. So he went out of his way to to build friendly relations with not only the Ariki, but also the Missionaries led by Rev. J.J.K.Hutchin and the Europeans as well. He became a "friend" to all sectors and brought in various measures such as prohibition of alcohol to the "locals", but not the Europeans, no divorces to the "locals" but not necessarily so to the Europeans and he introduced a new set of taxes and tariffs that were lower to those of Frederick Moss.

   Those issues Gudgeon considered controversial were placed aside as he went about appeasing all sectors on Rarotonga with a view towards drawing everyone closer to New Zealand with his main objective being to get the Ariki Annexation Petition.

Self Government and Annexation...two different things

   Colonel Gudgeon found there was little or no opposition to the concept of British Annexation and the general belief from both "locals" and Europeans, was that the Federal Parliament and general principle of Self-Government would remain in place and continue after Annexation had taken place - very little would actually change...or so they thought.

   However, both Gudgeon and New Zealand Premier Richard John Seddon had different ideas. It was their view that Self-Government and Annexation did not go hand in hand. Seddon had already concluded that once the Cook Islands had been Annexed, then Self-Government would be scrapped and replaced with a Colonial Administration controlled from Wellington...with Gudgeon being the man to under-take the various changes in the islands. For the time being they both tolerated the idea of Self-Government in the Cook Islands, but only as a means to secure Annexation, after which the structures would then be dismantled as a matter of "Colonial Routine".

   Gudgeon had to therefore be very carefull when dealing with the Ariki, as well as the Missionaries and various Europeans when discussing Annexation, without clarifying the implications of what that would mean to the various Government structures...once Annexation had been completed. The "Plan" in New Zealand was to abolish the Federal Parliament and s