Sir Terepai Tuamure Maoate, KBE

Order of the British Empire

The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...

 (born 1 September 1934) was Prime Minister of the Cook Islands

Prime Minister of the Cook Islands

The Prime Minister of the Cook Islands is the official rsponsible for heading Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II's government in the Cook Islands, a self-governing territory in free association with New Zealand. The office was established in 1965, when self-government was first granted to the islands...

 from 18 November 1999 to 11 February 2002. He is a member of the Cook Islands 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:...

Maoate was born in Rarotonga

Rarotonga

Rarotonga is the most populous island of the Cook Islands, with a population of 14,153 , out of the country's total population of 19,569.The Cook Islands' Parliament buildings and international airport are on Rarotonga...

 on 1 September 1939, and educated at Ngatangiia Primary School, Fiji School of Medicine

Fiji School of Medicine

The Fiji School of Medicine is a tertiary institution based in Suva, Fiji. Originally established in 1885 as the Suva Medical School. After merger with leading institutions in 2010, FSM is now called called College of Medicine, Nursing & Health Sciences under Fiji National University. It striving...

, and the University of Auckland

University of Auckland

The University of Auckland is a university located in Auckland, New Zealand. It is the largest university in the country and the highest ranked in the 2011 QS World University Rankings, having been ranked worldwide...

. He worked as a medical doctor before becoming Director of Clinical Services for the Ministry of Health in 1976.

Maoate was elected to 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....

 as MP for Ngatangiia in the March, 1983 general election

Cook Islands general election, March 1983

General elections were held in the Cook Islands on 30 March 1983 to elect 24 MPs to the Parliament. The election saw the Cook Islands Party under Geoffrey Henry win power, but the result was overturned within months and Parliament was dissolved, leading to new elections in November 1983.-External...

. He subsequently served as Minister of Health and Agriculture in the Democratic cabinet of Tom Davis, and between 1985 and 1989 was also Deputy Prime Minister

Deputy Prime Minister of the Cook Islands

The Deputy Prime Minister of the Cook Islands is the second most senior officer in the government of the Cook Islands. From 1965 to 1981, the position was called the Deputy Premier. When the office of Premier was renamed to Prime Minister in 1981, the Deputy Premier became the Deputy Prime...

.

In 1998, Maoate became Leader of the Democratic party and Leader of the Opposition. The 1999 election

Cook Islands general election, 1999

General elections were held in the Cook Islands on 16 June 1999 to elect 25 MPs to the Parliament. The Cook Islands Party won 11 seats, the Democratic Alliance Party 10 seats, and the New Alliance Party 4 seats....

 produced a hung Parliament

Hung parliament

In a two-party parliamentary system of government, a hung parliament occurs when neither major political party has an absolute majority of seats in the parliament . It is also less commonly known as a balanced parliament or a legislature under no overall control...

, and following several coalition realignments, Maoate became Prime Minister. He was ousted by his former Deputy Prime Minister Robert Woonton

Robert Woonton

Dr Robert Woonton was the Prime Minister of the Cook Islands from 11 February 2002 until 11 December 2004, and is a member of the centrist Democratic Party. A medical doctor by training, he became a Member of Parliament for the island of Manihiki...

 on 11 February 2002, and subsequently became Leader of the Opposition.

In early 2003 the Democratic Party re-merged, and Maoate was reappointed to cabinet, replacing 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....

 leader Geoffrey Henry as Deputy Prime Minister. However the arrangement did not last, with Maoate resigning and tabling a motion of no-confidence in the government in November. Continued factional infighting saw Maoate fail to become Prime Minister after the 2004 elections

Cook Islands general election, 2004

General elections were held in the Cook Islands on 7 September 2004. Initial results showed the Democratic Party winning by a wide margin, but close results led to 11 electoral petitions being filed, delaying the date Parliament could sit until mid-December...

, when a group of Democratic Party MPs split to back Jim Marurai

Jim Marurai

Jim Marurai is a Cook Islands politician and former Prime Minister of the Cook Islands. He is a member of the Democratic Party.-Personal life:...

. However, a coalition realignment in 2005 saw Maoate reappointed as Deputy Prime Minister again.
In July 2009, he was given the additional position of Foreign Minister.

In December 2009 Maoate was sacked as Deputy Prime Minister in favour of Robert Wigmore

Robert Wigmore

Robert George Wigmore is a Cook Islands politician and former Deputy Prime Minister of the Cook Islands and Cabinet Minister. He is leader of the Cook Islands Democratic Party....

, sparking a mass-resignation of Democratic Party cabinet members and the withdrawal of support for the government. He was subsequently replaced as Democratic Party leader by Wigmore in June 2010.

In September 2010 he failed to be reselected for his Ngatingiia seat after losing a run-off. He subsequently decided to run as an independent, but was unsuccessful.

Maoate was knighted in 2007.

External links

• Profile at Cook Islands Parliament.