A candidate in Wednesday's Cook Islands general election says his country's economic climate gives young people little choice but to move overseas.
James Beer, who's standing for the governing Democratic Party, says he's talked with almost everyone in his Murienua electorate.
He says people can't understand why the government's wasting huge amounts of money on infrastructure that won't return investment but failing to create an economically dynamic environment for young people.
Mr Beer says those issues also affect him.
"I'm a stakeholder in this country. I have a family. I've got young children. I want them to grow up here, I want them to get good education. I want them to get good health. I don't want to lose them, I don't want them to go overseas. I mean, I could never leave because I could never sell my business to anyone because no one would ever buy it. I would have to stay here for the rest of my life but my children will probably leave."
