The Speaker of the Cook Islands Parliament is the presiding officer of the Cook Islands Parliament

Parliament of the Cook Islands

The Parliament of the Cook Islands is the legislature of the Cook Islands. Originally established under New Zealand colonial rule, it became the national legislature on independence in 1965....

. The manage the House in accordance with its Standing Orders and according to the traditions of the Westminster system.

The current Speaker is Geoffrey Henry

Geoffrey Henry

Sir Geoffrey Arama Henry KBE is a Cook Island politician who was twice the Prime Minister of the Cook Islands. He was leader of the Cook Islands Party from 1979 to 2006.-Early life:...

, a member of the Cook Islands Party

Cook Islands Party

The Cook Islands Party is a nationalist political party in the Cook Islands. It was the first political party founded in the Cook Islands, and one of the two major parties of the Islands' politics since 1965....

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Election

The Speaker is elected by the House at the beginning of a parliamentary term according to the provisions of the Cook Islands Constitution and the Standing Orders. Unlike other Westminster systems the Speaker does not have to be a Member of Parliament, though they must be qualified to be one. By law they may not be a Cabinet Minister

Cook Islands Cabinet

The Cabinet of the Cook Islands is the policy and decision-making body of the executive branch of the Cook Islands Government. It consists of the Prime Minister and a number of other Ministers, who are collectively responsible to Parliament....

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The Constitution requires that Parliament elect the person nominated by the Prime Minister, however the parliament's Standing Orders include a process for contested elections.

Following their election the Speaker must present themselves to the Queen's Representative

Queen's Representative

The Queen's Representative is the formal title given to the representative of Queen Elizabeth II, as Queen of New Zealand, in the Cook Islands....

 to swear an oath of allegiance and lay claim to the privileges of the House

Parliamentary privilege

Parliamentary privilege is a legal immunity enjoyed by members of certain legislatures, in which legislators are granted protection against civil or criminal liability for actions done or statements made related to one's duties as a legislator. It is common in countries whose constitutions are...

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The Speaker holds office until they cease to be an MP (or, in the case of a Speaker who is not an MP, cease to be qualified to be one), become a Minister, are removed by a vote of the House, or Parliament is dissolved.

Deputy Speaker

The Speaker is assisted by a Deputy Speaker, elected by Parliament. The current Deputy Speaker is John Henry

John Henry (Cook Islands)

John Henry is a Cook Islands politician and member of the Cook Islands Parliament. He is a member of the Cook Islands Party.Henry is a nephew of former Prime Minister of the Cook Islands Sir Geoffrey Henry. He has previously worked as a civil servant in the Ministry of Internal Affairs...

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Holders of the office

Eight people have held the office of Speaker since the creation of Parliament. A full list of Speakers is below.

	Name	Took Office	Left Office	Speaker's Party	Governing Party
1	Marguerite Story Marguerite Story Marguerite Henry Story was the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of the Cook Islands from 1965 to 1979. Story was the first woman elected to the Cook Islands Parliament and was also the first woman in the Commonwealth to become speaker of a national parliament.Marguerite Henry was born in...	1965	1979	Unknown	Cook Islands Party Cook Islands Party The Cook Islands Party is a nationalist political party in the Cook Islands. It was the first political party founded in the Cook Islands, and one of the two major parties of the Islands' politics since 1965....
2	David Marama Hosking	1979	1988	Unknown	Mixed
3	Raututi Taringa	1989	1999	Unknown	Cook Islands Party Cook Islands Party The Cook Islands Party is a nationalist political party in the Cook Islands. It was the first political party founded in the Cook Islands, and one of the two major parties of the Islands' politics since 1965....
4	Ngereteina Puna Ngereteina Puna Ngereteina Puna is a former Speaker of the Cook Islands Parliament and Cabinet Minister. He is the older brother of Prime Minister Henry Puna....	1999	2001	Unknown	Democratic Party Democratic Party (Cook Islands) The Democratic Party is a liberal political party in the Cook Islands. It is currently the Opposition party in the Cook Islands Parliament.-Early years:...
5	Harmon Pou	24 July 2001	24 July 2001	Unknown	Democratic Party Democratic Party (Cook Islands) The Democratic Party is a liberal political party in the Cook Islands. It is currently the Opposition party in the Cook Islands Parliament.-Early years:...
6	Sir Pupuke Robati Pupuke Robati Sir Pupuke Robati KBE was a Cook Island politician who was the Prime Minister of the Cook Islands from 29 July 1987 to 1 February 1989....	24 July 2001	2004	Democratic Party Democratic Party (Cook Islands) The Democratic Party is a liberal political party in the Cook Islands. It is currently the Opposition party in the Cook Islands Parliament.-Early years:...	Democratic Party Democratic Party (Cook Islands) The Democratic Party is a liberal political party in the Cook Islands. It is currently the Opposition party in the Cook Islands Parliament.-Early years:...
7	Norman George Norman George Norman George is a Cook Islands politician and former Speaker of the Cook Islands Parliament, Deputy Prime Minister, and Cabinet Minister....	2004	2005	Unelected	Democratic Party Democratic Party (Cook Islands) The Democratic Party is a liberal political party in the Cook Islands. It is currently the Opposition party in the Cook Islands Parliament.-Early years:...
	Norman George Norman George Norman George is a Cook Islands politician and former Speaker of the Cook Islands Parliament, Deputy Prime Minister, and Cabinet Minister.... , continued	2005	2006	Unelected	Cook Islands First Party Cook Islands First Party The Cook Islands First Party was a political party in the Cook Islands. The party was originally a faction within the Cook Islands Democratic Party which supported Prime Minister Robert Woonton over Terepai Maoate...
8	Mapu Taia Mapu Taia Mapu Tangatatutai Taia OBE is a Cook Islands politician and Speaker of the Cook Islands Parliament. He is a member of the Cook Islands Democratic Party....	2006	2010	Democratic Party Democratic Party (Cook Islands) The Democratic Party is a liberal political party in the Cook Islands. It is currently the Opposition party in the Cook Islands Parliament.-Early years:...	Democratic Party Democratic Party (Cook Islands) The Democratic Party is a liberal political party in the Cook Islands. It is currently the Opposition party in the Cook Islands Parliament.-Early years:...
9	Geoffrey Henry Geoffrey Henry Sir Geoffrey Arama Henry KBE is a Cook Island politician who was twice the Prime Minister of the Cook Islands. He was leader of the Cook Islands Party from 1979 to 2006.-Early life:...	18 February 2011	Incumbent	Cook Islands Party Cook Islands Party The Cook Islands Party is a nationalist political party in the Cook Islands. It was the first political party founded in the Cook Islands, and one of the two major parties of the Islands' politics since 1965....	Cook Islands Party Cook Islands Party The Cook Islands Party is a nationalist political party in the Cook Islands. It was the first political party founded in the Cook Islands, and one of the two major parties of the Islands' politics since 1965....

External links

• Constitution of the Cook Islands
• Standing Orders of the Cook Islands Parliament
• Cook Islands Parliament