Cook Islands

The Cook Islands, named in 1888 in honor of Captain James Cook, who “discovered” them during his second voyage (1772–1775), are 15 islands in the southwest Pacific Ocean, grouped in two archipelagos: The northern group comprises coral atolls, and the southern group includes Rarotonga, the main island where 68% of the population is concentrated. The Cook Islands became a British protectorate in 1888 and were transferred to New Zealand in 1901. In 1964, Cook Islanders obtained self-governance, which gives them a political autonomy and New Zealand citizenship while certain domains (money and defense) remain within New Zealand's competence. Christianity was brought to these islands between 1821 (Aitutaki Island) and 1857 (Pukapuka Island) jointly by British missionaries of the London Missionary Society (Williams, Pitman, and Buzacott) and Tahitian evangelists or teachers—Papehia being the most famous. From the opening in 1839 of the Takamoa College in Rarotonga, Cook Islanders have been trained and in their turn became pastors and missionaries in Samoa, New Caledonia, and Loyalty Islands, in New Hebrides and, after 1872, in Papua New Guinea.

In the 2001 census, the distribution of religious membership was as follows: The Cook Islands Christian Church (CICC), which is the heir of the London Missionary Society, included 55.9% of [Page 257]the population; the Roman Catholic Church, established in 1894, 16.8%; the Seventh-Day Adventists, 7.8%; Pentecostal churches, 4.1%; the Mormon Church (LDS), 3.8%; and Jehovah's Witnesses, 1.7% (Others, 4.1%; No religion or objection to the question, 5.6%).

Since the 1970s, strong migratory movements toward New Zealand and Australia has led to a population decrease and aging in the Cook Islands, with a direct impact on religious practices. In 2006, 19,569 people lived on the Cook Islands, while 58,008 Cook Islanders lived in New Zealand and approximately 30,000 in Australia.

In this context, the CICC exemplifies a threefold dynamic of transnationalization, cultural reaffirmation, and internal diversification. In 2005, the church had 26 parishes on Cook Islands, 20 in New Zealand (established since the 1980s), and 12 in Australia. These parishes are under the direct supervision of the Mother Church and led by pastors trained at the Takamoa College in Rarotonga. The majority of the college applications come from New Zealand and Australia. This trend throws light on the link between pastoral calling and reappropriation of culture and language and shows how the church can be a place of identity reaffirmation in migratory and multicultural contexts.

In 2005, a debate raised within the church about the recognition of baptism by immersion—which was eventually refused—underlined the influence of an evangelical stream in the church and a functioning inspired by congregationalism that copes with internal diversity.

These three features of the church—transnationalization, cultural reaffirmation, and internal diversification—explain, along with its strong historical legitimacy, the relative dynamism of the CICC, which has demonstrated an ability to face both religious globalization and individualization.