Short answers, pulled from the story.
The Cook Islands is self-governing in free association with New Zealand, meaning New Zealand cannot pass laws for the Cook Islands. Cook Islanders hold New Zealand citizenship, but New Zealand citizens are not Cook Islands nationals. Any change to this relationship would require a referendum.
The Cook Islands constitution was promulgated on the 4th of August 1965. The first Monday in August is celebrated each year as Constitution Day.
The name "Cook Islands" first appeared on a Russian naval chart compiled by Admiral Adam Johann von Krusenstern in the 1820s, in honour of British captain and explorer James Cook. The Cook Islands Act 1915 was the first legislation to formally apply that name to all of the islands.
Tourism is the Cook Islands' main industry, generating approximately 67.5 percent of GDP and attracting over 168,000 visitors in 2018. The economy is also supported by foreign aid, offshore banking through asset protection trusts, and, increasingly, seabed minerals exploration.
The Cook Islands is not a UN member state. However, the UN Secretariat has recognised its full treaty-making capacity, and it holds full membership in several UN specialised agencies including the World Health Organization, UNESCO, and the International Maritime Organization.
On the 25th of September 2023, the Cook Islands and the United States established diplomatic relations at a ceremony in Washington, DC, under the leadership of Cook Islands Prime Minister Mark Brown.