10 Jul 2017

Cooks government's church funding decried

3:58 pm on 10 July 2017

The Cook Islands opposition has described the government decision to give funds to the biggest church as disgraceful.

Cook Islands Democratic Party member James Beer.

Cook Islands Democratic Party member James Beer. Photo: RNZI/Sally Round

The opposition's finance spokesperson James Beer said gifting more than half a million dollars to the Cook Islands Christian Church is wasteful spending of tax payer dollars.

He said this also raised the question of which church should get money and which one shouldn't.

Mr Beer said refurbishing the Cook Islands Christian Church's training centre was not a priority when police recruits have a starting annual salary of $US10,000 and most of the outer islands have neither a doctor nor a dentist.

The budget provided for the Cook Islands Christian Church and the Catholic Church to get nearly $US1 million.