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The new, wide-ranging deals with Beijing have led to protests on Rarotonga - the largest Cook Island - and a vote of no confidence against Brown in parliament, which he survived earlier this week.

In a nation that is not used to huge displays of protest, several hundred people recently gathered outside parliament in Rarotonga, holding up placards that read: "Stay connected with NZ".

Off the coast of Rarotonga, the largest and most populous of the Cook Islands, a crowd of surfers, kayakers and swimmers gather around a large vaka, a traditional Polynesian catamaran.

"We are asking for more time for robust independent research, more time for our people to be made better aware of what potential risk might look like," says Alanah Matamaru Smith from the Te Ipukarea Society, an environmental organisation based in Rarotonga.

"We're seeing infrastructure being put up here on Rarotonga, accommodation for offshore mining companies to reside here, we've got draft mining regulations already in place. Actions are speaking a lot louder than words at the moment."