4 Jul 2014

Hopes 4 years of stability leads to 2nd term in Cook Islands

2:30 pm on 4 July 2014

The caretaker finance minister in the Cook Islands, Mark Brown, says he is confident the Cook Islands Party will hold onto power in next week's election because it has given the country nearly four years of strong and stable government.

He says the snap poll was called after the government lost two members, leaving it exposed in the House, but he thinks voters will recognise their solid achievements.

Mr Brown says this legacy is the basis of the CIP's campaign.

"Solid and stable government have enabled us to put in place some very strong changes in our taxation reforms to increase money into people's pockets through reductions in income tax and at the same time providing corresponding relief to income earners and also pensioners. And on top of that the government's achievements in infrastructure projects, particularly for the outer islands, where infrastructure had been neglected for some many years."

The Cook Islands Party's Mark Brown.

He says a lot more needs to be done in the outer islands to ensure their economic viability, and assistance is being sought from aid donors