New Zealand expressed renewed concern on Monday about the Cook Islands' prime minister travelling to China this week to sign agreements without properly consulting with Wellington despite the two nations' constitutional ties.

The Cook Islands is hugely reliant on New Zealand under a longstanding "free association" agreement that provides it with defence and financial support. China's growing influence

China is insisting that a visit this week by the prime minister of the Cook Islands to Beijing is not meant to conspire against anyone in the South Pacific. But the trip is creating a diplomatic dispute between the tiny nation and its chief financial supporter,

Diplomatic tension between the Cook Islands and New Zealand is growing. Here's what it's about, what China has to do with it, and why it matters.

The New Zealand Government says the Cook Islands has failed to properly consult it on proposed agreements Cook Islands Prime Minister Mark Brown will be signing in China this week. Brown has now left for China without further consultation,