Ngamau Munokoa | |
|---|---|
| 11th Deputy Prime Minister of the Cook Islands | |
| In office 5 November 2003 –19 November 2004 | |
| Representative | Frederick Tutu Goodwin |
| Prime Minister | Robert Woonton |
| Preceded by | Terepai Maoate |
| Succeeded by | Geoffrey Henry |
| Minister for the Environment | |
| In office 31 July 2009 –23 December 2009 | |
| Prime Minister | Jim Marurai |
| Preceded by | Kete Ioane |
| Succeeded by | Jim Marurai |
| Minister of Internal Affairs | |
| In office 17 October 2008 –23 December 2009 | |
| Succeeded by | Apii Piho |
| In office 1 December 1999 –12 February 2002 | |
| Prime Minister | Terepai Maoate |
| Preceded by | Tupou Faireka |
| Succeeded by | Peri Vaevae Pare |
| Minister of Agriculture | |
| In office 15 September 2005 –31 July 2009 | |
| Preceded by | Tupou Faireka |
| Succeeded by | Robert Wigmore |
| Minister of Justice | |
| In office 15 September 2005 –17 October 2008 | |
| Preceded by | Tupou Faireka |
| Succeeded by | Kete Ioane |
| Minister of Works | |
| In office 1 December 1999 –12 February 2002 | |
| Prime Minister | Terepai Maoate |
| Preceded by | Tupou Faireka |
| Succeeded by | Tom Marsters |
| Member of the Cook Islands Parliament for Nikao–Panama | |
| In office July 1996 –14 June 2018 | |
| Preceded by | Niroa Manuela |
| Succeeded by | Vaine Mokoroa |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 13 August 1944 |
| Political party | Cook Islands Democratic Party |
Ngamau Mere Munokoa OBE (born 13 August 1944),also known as "Aunty Mau",is a Cook Islands politician and former Cabinet Minister. She was the third woman ever elected to the Cook Islands Parliament, [1] the second appointed to Cabinet, [2] and the first to hold the post of Cook Islands Deputy Prime Minister. [3] She is a member of the Cook Islands Democratic Party.
Munokoa was born in Rarotonga and attended Arorangi,Avarua and Nikao Primary schools and Tereora College. [4] She trained for clerical work in Auckland,New Zealand in the hope of becoming a teacher,but returned to the Cook Islands in 1962 to open a shop. [1]
Munokoa first ran for Parliament in 1994,but was unsuccessful. [1] She was elected in the 1996 Nikao–Panama by-election,defeating then-Cook Islands Party candidate Tina Browne. [5] In 1999 she was appointed as Minister of Internal Affairs and Works in the Cabinet of Sir Terepai Maoate. [6] She later served in the Cabinet of Robert Woonton,and in 2003 was appointed Deputy Prime Minister,becoming the first Cook Islands woman to hold the position. [3] She later resigned from Woonton's Cabinet following his decision to form a coalition with the rival Cook Islands Party, [7] but was reappointed in 2005 by Jim Marurai. [8] She continued to serve in Cabinet,holding various portfolios, [9] [10] until December 2009,when she resigned over the sacking of Democratic Party leader Terepai Maoate. [11] [12]
She was re-elected at the 2010 election,and again in 2014. She failed to be re-elected in the 2018 election,losing to Vaine Mokoroa. [13] Her 22-year career made her the longest-serving female MP. [14]
Munokoa was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2010 New Year Honours. [15] [16] In October 2019,she was inducted into the hall of fame at the inaugural Vaine Rangatira awards for Cook Islands women. [17]