The New Zealand Governor-General, Lieutenant General Sir Jerry Mateparae is to visit Niue and the Cook Islands later this week to reaffirm New Zealand's close ties with the two South Pacific nations.
The Cook Islands and Niue are self-governing in free association with New Zealand, and along with Tokelau and the Ross Dependency, form part of the wider Realm of New Zealand.
Next year, Niue will mark 40 years of self-government in free association with New Zealand while the Cook Islands will celebrate its 50th anniversary in 2015.
Sir Jerry Mateparae says what gives New Zealand's relationships with Niue and the Cook Islands their fundamental strengths are the cultural, economic, family and people-to-people links.
