Prime Minister of the Cook Islands facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Prime Minister of the Cook Islands
Flag of the Cook Islands
Coat of arms of the Cook Islands
Incumbent Mark Brown since 1 October 2020
Abbreviation	PM
Member of	Cabinet of the Cook Islands, Parliament
Seat	Avarua
Appointer	King's Representative to the Cook Islands
Term length	At His Majesty's pleasure
Constituting instrument	Constitution of the Cook Islands
Precursor	Leader of Government Business
Formation	4 August 1965
First holder	Albert Henry (As Premier)
Deputy	Deputy Prime Minister of the Cook Islands

The prime minister of the Cook Islands is the most important political leader in the Cook Islands. This person is the head of government, meaning they lead the country's daily operations. The Cook Islands is a self-governing territory. This means they manage their own affairs. However, they have a special partnership called "free association" with New Zealand.

The job of prime minister started in 1965. This was when the islands first gained the right to govern themselves. At first, the leader was called the "Premier." But in 1981, the title changed to "Prime Minister."

Who Are the Prime Ministers of the Cook Islands?

This section lists all the people who have served as the top leader of the Cook Islands. It shows when they started and ended their time in office. It also shows which political party they belonged to.

Key

      Cook Islands Party       Democratic Party

No.	Portrait	Name (birth–death)	Time in Office			Political Party		Elected	Ref.
			Started	Ended	Length of Time
1		Albert Henry (1907–1981)	4 August 1965	25 July 1978	12 years, 355 days		Cook Islands Party	1965 1968 1972 1974
2		Thomas Davis (1917–2007)	25 July 1978	13 April 1983	4 years, 262 days		Democratic Party	1978
3		Geoffrey Henry (1940–2012)	13 April 1983	16 November 1983	217 days		Cook Islands Party	1983 (Mar.)
(2)		Thomas Davis (1917–2007)	16 November 1983	29 July 1987	3 years, 255 days		Democratic Party	1983 (Nov.)
4		Pupuke Robati (1925–2009)	29 July 1987	1 February 1989	1 year, 187 days		Democratic Party	–
(3)		Geoffrey Henry (1940–2012)	1 February 1989	29 July 1999	10 years, 178 days		Cook Islands Party	1989 1994 1999
5		Joe Williams (1934–2020)	29 July 1999	18 November 1999	112 days		Cook Islands Party	–
6		Terepai Maoate (1934–2012)	18 November 1999	11 February 2002	2 years, 85 days		Democratic Alliance Party	–
7		Robert Woonton (born 1949)	11 February 2002	11 December 2004	2 years, 304 days		Democratic Alliance Party	2004
8		Jim Marurai (1947–2020)	14 December 2004	29 November 2010	5 years, 350 days		Democratic Alliance Party (2004–05)	–
							Cook Islands First Party (2005–06)	–
							Democratic Party (2006–2010)	2006
9		Henry Puna (born 1949)	30 November 2010	1 October 2020	9 years, 306 days		Cook Islands Party	2010 2014 2018
10		Mark Brown (born 1963)	1 October 2020	Incumbent	4 years, 277 days		Cook Islands Party	2022

Learn More About the Cook Islands

In Spanish: Primer ministro de las Islas Cook para niños

• Politics of the Cook Islands
• Monarchy in the Cook Islands
  • King's Representative