The Cook Islands and New Zealand have agreed to talk more about the island country's wish to join the United Nations.
The Cook Islands wants to be a UN member so it can be more properly represented on the world stage, but New Zealand has repeatedly rejected the push.
The Cooks has self-government in free association with New Zealand, with Cook Islanders travelling on New Zealand passports and this is the crux of New Zealand's argument.
But the Cook Islands finance minister, Mark Brown, said the issue was revisited last week during the joint ministerial talks involving New Zealand's foreign minister Murray McCully.
He said the two countries agreed to set up a task force to examine how the Cooks could advance the issue.
Mr Brown said the country needed to be able to negotiate with UN organisations and international bodies like the International Monetary Fund on an even footing.
Photo: AFP
