Tom Marsters

Tom Marsters
Queen's Representative to the Cook Islands
Incumbent
Assumed office 27 July 2013
Monarch	Elizabeth II
Prime Minister	Henry Puna
Preceded by	Frederick Tutu Goodwin
Deputy Prime Minister of the Cook Islands
In office 10 December 2010 – 10 June 2013
Prime Minister	Henry Puna
Preceded by	Robert Wigmore
Succeeded by	Teariki Heather
Personal details
Born	4 August 1945 (age 69) Palmerston Island, Cook Islands
Political party	Cook Islands Party
Alma mater	Avele College Grimsby Institute

Tom John Marsters (born 4 August 1945) is the 7th Queen's Representative to the Cook Islands. He is a former Deputy Leader of the Cook Islands Party and Deputy Prime Minister of the Cook Islands.

Personal life

Marsters was born on Palmerston Island and educated at Nikao and Avarua Primary Schools before attending Avele Agriculture College in Samoa and Grimsby Institute of Technology in the United Kingdom.^[1] Before entering politics he worked as a public servant. He was Secretary of the Cook Islands Party from 1968 to 1999.

He was first elected to Parliament for the seat of Murienua in a by-election in 1991.

Cabinet

Marsters served as Minister of Works in the Cabinet of Geoffrey Henry, but resigned his position in 1997 in protest at budget cuts.^[2] He later served as a Minister in the first coalition Cabinet of Robert Woonton from 2002, but was sacked in 2003 after a coalition realignment.^[3] He rejoined Cabinet after the 2004 election, when Woonton was trying to put together a new coalition;^[4] when Woonton resigned to fight a by-election, he served in the Cabinet of Jim Marurai, holding the portfolios of foreign affairs, transport, and youth and sport.^[5]

In August 2005, Marurai sacked Cook Islands Party leader Geoffrey Henry from Cabinet,^[6] causing the CIP to reconsider its role in government. A month later, Marsters was also sacked, and the coalition formally dissolved.^[7]

Opposition

The retirement of Geoffrey Henry in 2006 led to a leadership election, which saw Marsters replaced as Deputy leader by Tupou Faireka.^[8] However, both Faireka and party leader Henry Puna lost their seats at the 2006 election. After a short period in which Puna continued to serve as leader outside parliament, Marsters became leader of the opposition.

Deputy Prime Minister

Marsters returned to Cabinet in December 2010, after the Cook Islands Party won the 2010 elections, serving as Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs.^[9][10]

Queen's Representative

On 5 June 2013 Marsters was appointed Queen's Representative, replacing Frederick Tutu Goodwin.^[11] He resigned from Parliament on 25 July 2013 to take up the role,^[12] precipitating the 2013 Murienua by-election.

References

1. "Tom John Marsters". Cook Islands Government. Retrieved 2009-12-27.
2. Wilkie Rasmussen (1999). "Cook Islands in Review: Issues and Events, 1 July 1997 to 30 June 1998". The Contemporary Pacific 11 (1): 207.
3. "Cook Islands deputy PM sacked". Radio New Zealand International. 2003-01-30. Retrieved 2009-12-27.
4. "Former Cooks cabinet minister says PM breaching party rules". Radio New Zealand International. 2004-11-18. Retrieved 2009-12-27.
5. "Cook Islands coalition appoints minister for sport". Radio New Zealand International. 2004-12-17. Retrieved 2009-12-27.
6. "New Cook Islands government after deputy PM dumped". Radio New Zealand International. 2005-08-09. Retrieved 2009-12-27.
7. "Cook Islands PM sacks two more ministers". Radio New Zealand International. 2005-09-12. Retrieved 2009-12-27.
8. "New leader of Cook Islands Party looks forward to challenge". Radio New Zealand International. 2006-09-04. Retrieved 2009-12-27.
9. "Cooks PM announces cabinet line up". Radio New Zealand International. 2010-12-02. Retrieved 2010-12-03.
10. "Who's who in Cabinet". Cook Islands Government. Retrieved 2010-12-15.
11. "Marsters appointed new QR". Cook Islands News. 2013-06-05. Retrieved 2014-01-28.
12. "By-election next month". Cook Islands News. 2013-08-01. Retrieved 2014-01-28.

External links

• Profile at Cook Islands Parliament.