The United Cook Islanders was a political party

Political party

A political party is a political organization that typically seeks to influence government policy, usually by nominating their own candidates and trying to seat them in political office. Parties participate in electoral campaigns, educational outreach or protest actions...

 in the Cook Islands

Cook Islands

The Cook Islands is a self-governing parliamentary democracy in the South Pacific Ocean in free association with New Zealand...

. It was established on 16 February 1968 in order to challenge the then-dominant 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....

 and provide a more organised opposition. The party was organised by David Hosking and Taira Rere. Prominent members included former CIP cabinet ministers Manea Tamarua and Mana Strickland

Mana Strickland

Te Ariki Terau Mana Strickland was a Cook Island educator and politician. He was the Minister of Education in the first Cook Islands government after self-government was obtained in 1965....

. The party did not initially have a formal leader, though Hosking served as "campaign leader"

At the 1968 election

Cook Islands general election, 1968

General elections were held in the Cook Islands on 1 May 1968 to elect 22 MPs to the Cook Islands Legislative Assembly. The Cook Islands Party increased its number of seats from 14 to 16, while the newly formed United Cook Islanders won six seats to become the parliamentary opposition.Summary of...

, the party ran on a platform of economic development, increased pensions, and good governance. It promised to end the autocratic style of government practiced by the CIP's Albert Henry

Albert Henry

Albert Royle Henry was the first Premier of the Cook Islands. He was forced to resign from that post in a 1978 voting scandal for which he was later convicted of fraud...

, end family and party appointments to the public service, and ensure public service neutrality. The party won six seats, becoming the parliamentary opposition

Opposition (parliamentary)

Parliamentary opposition is a form of political opposition to a designated government, particularly in a Westminster-based parliamentary system. Note that this article uses the term government as it is used in Parliamentary systems, i.e. meaning the administration or the cabinet rather than the state...

.

Leaders

1. Ngatupuna Matepi (1968 - 1969)
2. Tangaroa Tangaroa
   Tangaroa Tangaroa
   Sir Tangaroa Tangaroa MBE, , was a Cook Islands politician.He started his professional life as a government radio operator...
   
    (1969 - 1970)
3. Vainerere Poto (1970 - 1971)