Recent attention on one international science fellowship has raised a fair question: how should a small island State like the Cook Islands work with international partners while protecting its own decision-making authority?

As Seabed Minerals Commissioner, my answer is simple: we build capability, not dependence.

Cook Islands scientists have completed a major review of more than 11,000 deep-sea observations, working with research partners in Hawai‘i to improve how seabed habitats are classified and analysed for future environmental management. 

The work was advanced during meetings at the Deep-sea Animal Research Centre at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa in September 2026, where Seabed Minerals Authority (SBMA) Knowledge Management staff Chloe-Ane Wragg and Dr John Parianos presented a revised Cook Islands approach to classifying deep-sea substrates and geological features. 

More than 52,000 square kilometres of seafloor mapping, almost 500 scientific samples and extensive deep-sea imagery collected during the 2026 Cook Islands ROV Exploration are now supporting continuing research involving Cook Islands scientists and international partners. 

EX2605, the 26-day expedition aboard NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer from 19 July to 13 August 2026, was a partnership between the Seabed Minerals Authority (SBMA), NOAA Ocean Exploration and scientific partners. Cook Islands scientists contributed directly to ROV operations, mapping, sample collection and processing, and science planning. 

For SBMA, the value of the expedition did not end when the vessel left Cook Islands waters.

The Seabed Minerals Authority (SBMA) welcomed the Honourable Ribanataake Tiwau, Minister for Fisheries and Ocean Resources of the Republic of Kiribati, and his delegation to the Cook Islands for a study tour focused on seabed minerals governance, regulation, institutional development and knowledge exchange. 

Twenty-three Cook Islanders have returned from China with new knowledge and perspectives on deep-sea resource management after a 10-day training programme designed to strengthen local knowledge and capacity in this area. 

The China–Cook Islands Training Programme on Deep-Sea Resource Management took place in Hangzhou and Changsha from 24 August to 2 September 2026. 

The programme brought together Cook Islanders from different backgrounds, including government officials, professionals, and students from local colleges and universities in New Zealand. Participants also represented communities from both the Northern and Southern Group islands.

The Seabed Minerals Authority (SBMA) has contributed to a joint deep-sea biodiversity research project with the Second Institute of Oceanography (SIO), supporting work to strengthen scientific knowledge of deep-sea habitats and biodiversity data. 

SBMA participated in the Synthesis and Analysis of Biodiversity Data in Deep-Sea Habitats of the Northwest Pacific project, known as SADiNP, a collaboration with the Second Institute of Oceanography.