Colonel William A. Phillips

The King's Representative is the formal title given to the representative of Charles III, as King of the realm of New Zealand, in the Cook Islands.[2] The office of King's Representative is established by the Constitution of the Cook Islands. They are appointed by the King for a term of three years, and may be reappointed.[3] When the Cook Islands has a queen regnant, the viceroy is titled Queen's Representative.

The King's Representative fills the role normally filled by a Governor-General in the Westminster system of a Commonwealth realm, being both a representative of the monarch and the titular head of executive government. They appoint the Prime Minister and Cabinet[4] and chair the Cook Islands Executive Council.[5] In performing their duties, they must act on advice.[6]

Originally these duties were performed by the High Commissioner of New Zealand to the Cook Islands, but in 1982 these powers were repatriated.[7] The Governor-General of New Zealand still represents the King in matters pertaining to the entire Realm.[8][9]

Following the death of Elizabeth II, the office formally became known as the "King's Representative".[10]

List of Sovereign's Representatives in the Cook Islands

Portrait Name Term of Office Monarch Prime Minister
Took office Left office Length of Office
1 Sir Gaven Donne
(1914–2010)
1982 18 September 1984 2 years, 258 days Elizabeth II Sir Tom Davis
Geoffrey Henry
Sir Tom Davis
2 Sir Graham Speight
(1921–2008)
Acting
18 September 1984 19 December 1984 92 days
3 Sir Tangaroa Tangaroa
(1921–2009)
19 December 1984 19 December 1990 6 years, 1 day
Pupuke Robati
Sir Geoffrey Henry
4 Sir Apenera Pera Short
(1916–2011)
19 December 1990 14 November 2000 9 years, 327 days
Joe Williams
Sir Terepai Maoate
5 Laurence Greig
(born 1929)
Acting
14 November 2000 9 February 2001 88 days
6 Sir Frederick Tutu Goodwin
(born 1940)
9 February 2001 27 July 2013 12 years, 169 days
Robert Woonton
Jim Marurai
Henry Puna
7 Sir Tom Marsters
(born 1945)
27 July 2013 Incumbent 10 years, 275 days
Mark Brown
Charles III

See also

References

  1. ^ "Kauono". Dictionary of Cook Islands languages. Retrieved 1 February 2023.
  2. ^ "About Parliament". parliament.gov.ck. Parliament of the Cook Islands. Retrieved 9 September 2023.
  3. ^ "Constitution of the Cook Islands". PACLII. Retrieved 3 August 2020.
  4. ^ Constitution of the Cook Islands, section 13.
  5. ^ Constitution of the Cook Islands, section 25.
  6. ^ Constitution of the Cook Islands, section 5.
  7. ^ "Constitution Amendment (No 10) Act 1981-82". PACLII. Retrieved 3 August 2020.
  8. ^ "Government of the Cook Islands". Jarvy Web. 11 October 2014.
  9. ^ Townend, Andrew (2003). "The strange death of the Realm of New Zealand: The implications of a New Zealand republic for the Cook Islands and Niue" (PDF). Victoria University of Wellington Law Review. 34 (3): 571–607. doi:10.26686/vuwlr.v34i3.5768. hdl:10063/5877. Retrieved 26 August 2016.
  10. ^ "'QR' effectively becomes 'KR'". Cook Islands News. 10 September 2022. Retrieved 11 September 2022.