Held under the theme “Leading Beyond Boundaries through Collective Action”, the Public Sector Leaders Conference 2026 brought together Heads of Ministries, Crown Agencies, Island Administrations and State-Owned Enterprises at Crown Beach Resort, Arorangi, on Wednesday. OPM/26101514
Prime Minister Mark Brown urged public sector leaders to collaborate across agencies, trim lingering priorities and boost efficiency to fulfill core national commitments and serve all citizens equally.
Brown made the call at the opening of the Public Sector Leaders Conference 2026 at Crown Beach Resort, Arorangi, on Wednesday.
Held under the theme “Leading Beyond Boundaries through Collective Action”, the conference brought together Heads of Ministries, Crown Agencies, Island Administrations and State-Owned Enterprises. It was co-designed and co-hosted by the Office of the Public Service Commissioner, the Office of the Prime Minister and the Ministry of Finance and Economic Management “so that the public service workforce, the national budget and national priorities could be considered together”. Pa Enua executive officers, on Rarotonga for their Intersessional Governance Forum, also took part.
Drawing on the image of the voyaging vaka, the Prime Minister described the leaders in the room as the crew that carries the Cook Islands forward, and challenged them to think about which “we” they use in their work.
“In Cook Islands Māori we have two words for ‘we’. Matou is the ‘we’ that leaves the listener out. Tatou is the ‘we’ that includes everyone, the one who is speaking and the one who is listening,” Brown said.
“The people we serve don’t live inside our lines. A family dealing with immigration issues, health, school fees and income doesn’t experience four ministries. They experience one life, and they come to us hoping that someone will see all of it.”
PM Brown set out three areas of focus for public sector leaders over the next three years: working across boundaries, lifting performance and increasing efficiency.
He linked these directly to five promises to the people: a home for every family, healthcare close to home, a strong start for every child, clean water and renewable energy with resilient communities, and jobs, growth and opportunity, with every island at the centre of national investment.
Prime Minister Mark Brown urged public sector leaders to collaborate across agencies. OPM/26101515
Brown pointed to the strength of the Cook Islands’ recovery, with the economy rebounding, debt halved, the country’s credit rating upgraded this year and a record 187,018 visitor arrivals in 2025.
He noted that the areas still needing attention, including health, education, renewable energy, the Pa Enua and data, sit across many ministries at once and will only be resolved by agencies acting together.
“Every priority needs people to deliver it, so I ask leaders to choose fewer priorities,” the Prime Minister said. “If you have priorities that have been sitting around for four years, consider removing them. We cannot, and should not, lose focus on increasing efficiency across all areas of our work. That means funding what works, bringing activity to a close when it has served its purpose, and sharing systems and skills across agencies.”
Brown confirmed he has directed that the National Sustainable Development Commission be reconvened. Proposals will go to Cabinet to establish the Commission as the place where national priorities are set and delivery is reviewed, with its main output a National Priorities Statement of six to 10 priorities to guide the Budget Policy Statement and Medium-term Fiscal Strategy. Discussions from the conference will be recorded in an Outcomes Statement and will inform that advice.
He also invited leaders to the Destination Workshop at Crown Beach on 25 November 2026, to agree which programmes under the Destination Stewardship Plan to take forward first and how agencies will contribute.
During a question and answer session, leaders asked the Prime Minister about the long-term investments needed in health, education and housing. He spoke about the future fund being established for children, so that “our children start their financial security journey from birth”, and the importance of diversifying the economy “so the country can stand on its own two feet in interdependence with others”.
On water security, with El Niño conditions approaching, he said building resilience was a shared responsibility. “Which ministry is going to be responsible for making sure that we build our water resilience? It can’t be just one. It has to be everyone.”
On the cost of living and housing, Brown pointed to work on more affordable building options for low-income families and the home loan support introduced last year, which is now gaining momentum.
“Our policies are based on the reality of how people live, and on making sure that as the country grows and the economy grows, all of our people benefit from it, not just a few.”
Closing his remarks, Brown returned to the vaka. “Everyone aboard travels together, and everyone in this room has a hand on the steering oar. When you leave today, listen to your own language. Notice how often you say ‘I’, ‘my’ and ‘they’. Then try, deliberately, to say ‘we’.”