COOK ISLANDS
Social Protection in the Cook Islands
The Cook Islands is an archipelago comprised of 15 islands. While 2016 population estimates found more than 17,000 people living across the islands, 2018 censuses found more than 80,000 Cook Islands people living in New Zealand, and more than 28,000 living in Australia. The Cook Islands has a comprehensive social protection system.
Hover over the icons below to see which of these life-cycle risks the Cook Islands is addressing and how.
- Poor access to antenatal and post natal care
- Unsafe birth
- Poor access to immunisation
- Stunting, malnutrition and hunger
- Reduced cognitive development
- New-Born Child Allowance (one-off benefit)
- Child Benefit (0-16 years)
- Malnutrition
- Unable to access or stay in school
- Child labour
- Commercial and sexual exploitation and abuse
- Loss of parents or carers
- Child Benefit (0-16 years)
- Inadequate skills
- Inability to access training
- Unemployment and underemployment
- Gender discrimination
- Commercial and sexual exploitation and abuse
- Domestic violence
- Alienation
- Unemployment and underemployment
- Cost of children
- Lack of childcare
- Care of parents
- Debt
- Gender discrimination
- Commercial and sexual exploitation and abuse
- Domestic violence
- Maternity Leave (funded by the Government)
- Increasing frailty and disability
- Inability to work
- Lack of family care
- Elder abuse
- Universal Old Age Pension (60 years and older)
- Superannuation Pension benefit for workers
- Poor access to antenatal and post natal care
- Unsafe birth
- Poor access to immunisation
- Stunting, malnutrition and hunger
- Reduced cognitive development
- Malnutrition
- Unable to access or stay in school
- Child labour
- Commercial and sexual exploitation and abuse
- Loss of parents or carers
- Inadequate skills
- Inability to access training
- Unemployment and underemployment
- Gender discrimination
- Commercial and sexual exploitation and abuse
- Domestic violence
- Alienation
- Unemployment and underemployment
- Cost of children
- Lack of childcare
- Care of parents
- Debt
- Gender discrimination
- Commercial and sexual exploitation and abuse
- Domestic violence
- Increasing frailty and disability
- Inability to work
- Lack of family care
- Elder abuse
- New-Born Child Allowance (one-off benefit)
- Child Benefit (0-16 years)
- Child Benefit (0-16 years)
- Maternity Leave (funded by the Government)
- Universal Old Age Pension (60 years and older)
- Superannuation Pension benefit for workers
Cook Islands has an Infirm Benefit for people with disability or chronic illness, a Care-Giver Allowance, and a superannuation disability benefit for workers that can be accessed by people with disability, their families and/or support workers. Similarly, for people who experience vulnerable times in their lives they can access the Destitute Benefit for adults unable to generate income, the Power Subsidy for recipients of social benefits, and the Funeral Allowance.