Top Cook Islands' official sparks cop callout

Foreign Affairs Minister Murray McCully's office said the minister had been briefed on the police callout the following day. Photo / NZME.

Foreign Affairs Minister notified despite no charges being laid over ‘minor’ incident at Stamford Plaza.

A senior foreign official at an international conference sparked a police callout at Auckland's Stamford Plaza Hotel which resulted in a briefing being given to New Zealand Foreign Affairs Minister Murray McCully the very next day.

The Cook Islands' Secretary of Marine Resources, Ben Ponia, was the focus of a police callout on the evening of Tuesday, February 3, the Herald has learned.

Even though no charges were laid and the incident was described as "minor", Mr McCully was briefed the next day.

Mr McCully was last year criticised for not monitoring officials' actions over a Malaysian diplomat facing burglary and assault with intent to rape charges.

During this time the diplomat was allowed to travel home.

The incident at the Stamford Hotel came on the second evening of a meeting of a multinational commission to manage the South Pacific fishery.

The commission includes members ranging as far in distance and size as Belize and the Cook Islands through to China and Russia.

New Zealand is also a member of the commission.

Mr Ponia, asked about the incident, said: "I have no comment to make."

He asked for questions to be emailed but made no further response to a written query.

The callout was news to the Cook Islands' High Commissioner, Tekaotiki Matapo.

"First time I've heard of it," he said. "That's unlike Mr Ponia."

A spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade in Wellington said it was told that, "on assessing the situation, police decided no action was necessary".

Mr McCully's office said the minister had been briefed on the police callout the following day.

A spokesman said the minister was told the "incident was minor and the police had decided no further action was required".

Mr Ponia, as head of the ministry, answers to Cook Islands Prime Minister Henry Puna, who holds the fisheries portfolio.

Ben Ponia
*Secretary of Marine Resources.
*Educated at Waikato University, earning a degree in chemistry then a masters through research on pearl culture.
*Worked for the Secratariat of the Pacific Community setting up aquaculture programmes and sourcing donor funding.
*Previously held a research role at the Ministry of Marine Resources, which he now heads.