Coat of arms of the Cook Islands Coat of arms of the Cook Islands The coat of arms of the Cook Islands has a shield as its focal point. The shield is blue with fifteen white stars arranged in a circle, as found on the national flag, and is supported by a flying fish ("maroro") and a white tern ("kakaia"). The helmet is an ariki head-dress ("pare kura") of red feathers, symbolising the importance of the traditional rank system, and the name of the nation is on a scroll below the shield. The achievement is augmented by a cross and a Rarotongan club ("momore taringavaru") used by
Cook Islands National Party contested the 2003 Rua'au by-election as a National Party candidate, but was unsuccessful. The party was disbanded in February 2004 when Heather joined the Cook Islands Party. Cook Islands National Party The Cook Islands National Party was a political party in the Cook Islands. The party was launched on 24 March 2003 by Teariki Heather, a Rarotonga businessman. Its policies included a shorter parliamentary term. In July 2003 the party sought a declaratory judgement from the High Court that the seats of MPs Norman George and Paora Teiti were vacant after it was learned that the two were being paid