Politics of the Pitcairn Islands

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The Pitcairn Islands are a British Overseas Territory in the South Pacific Ocean, with a population of about 50. The politics of the islands takes place in a framework of a parliamentary representative democratic dependency, whereby the Mayor is the head of government. The territory's constitution is the Local Government Ordinance of 1964. In terms of population, the Pitcairn Islands is the smallest democracy in the world. [2]

Contents

The government's administrative offices are in Auckland, New Zealand. [3]

Executive branch

Main office-holders
OfficeNamePartySince
King Charles III (None)8 September 2022
Governor (non-res.) Iona Thomas (None)9 August 2022
Administrator Lindsy Thompson [4] (None)August 2018
Mayor Simon Young (None)1 January 2023

The King is represented by the Governor of the Pitcairn Islands, who is the British High Commissioner to New Zealand. [5] A non-resident Commissioner, appointed by the Governor, serves as the Governor's Representative to the territory. The Commissioner is responsible for the day-to-day administration of the island as well as for its economic regeneration, and also serves as the liaison between the Governor and the Island Council. As both the Governor and the Commissioner do not live on the island, its daily affairs have since 1999 been taken care of by the mayor of Pitcairn. The Island Magistrate is appointed by the Governor. The Chairman of the Internal Committee is an elected official.

Until 30 October 2004, the mayor was Steve Christian; after his rape conviction on 24 October 2004, Christian was dismissed (after refusing to resign). His sister Brenda Christian was selected by the Island Council to be mayor for November and December 2004, until an election was held. Jay Warren was elected on 15 December 2004. The island Mayor is elected by popular vote for a three-year term. The first elected female mayor was Charlene Warren-Peu in 2020. [6]

Attorney General of the Pitcairn Islands

The Attorney General of the Pitcairn Islands is appointed under Section 35 of the Pitcairn Islands Constitution and serves as the principal legal adviser to the government of Pitcairn for a set term. Initially, the Attorney General was referred to as the Legal Adviser. [7] The Attorney General's powers and responsibilities include handling criminal matters, drafting Pitcairn ordinances, and revising and publishing any laws that pertain to the country. [8]

Attorney General – Pitcairn Islands (Complete Table)
NameTerm
Donald A. McLoughlin [7] c. 1958–1979
Paul Treadwell [7] c. 1979–2007
Paul Rishworth [9] c. 2007–2015
Simon Mount [10] c. 2015–

Legislative branch

The Pitcairn Islands have a unicameral Island Council (10 seats: the Mayor and the Chairman of the Island Council both hold membership ex officio; 4 elected by popular vote; 1 co-opted by the Chairman and the 4 other elected members; 2 appointed by the Governor including the Island Secretary (ex officio); the tenth seat is reserved for a Commissioner (non-resident) who liaises between the Council and the Governor. Except for the Mayor, who has a three-year term, and the Island Secretary, whose term is indefinite, members serve one-year terms.

Elections are held every two years for councillors and deputy mayor and every three years for the mayor. Before a change in the Constitution, elections were held every year on 24 December. There are no political parties on the islands.

Judicial branch

The members of the Pitcairn judiciary are all New Zealanders – as are almost all of the lawyers admitted to the Pitcairn Bar – and are all either current or former members of the judiciary or legal profession (in the case of the magistrates) in that country.

Currently, the members of the judiciary are:

Additionally, several magistrates have been appointed from amongst the ranks of the senior members of the legal profession in New Zealand. The Pitcairn Public Prosecutor – Simon Moore (also the Crown Solicitor at Auckland) and Public DefenderPaul Dacre – were also appointed.

According to a 2012 report, there are no lawyers in the Pitcairn Islands. [11] There has been a Public Defender serving the islands since 2003.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Island Council (Pitcairn)</span> Legislature of the Pitcairn Islands

The Island Council is the legislature of the Pitcairn Islands.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Governor of Pitcairn</span> UK governor of the Pitcairn Islands

The Governor of Pitcairn is the representative of the British monarch in the Pitcairn Islands, the last remaining British Overseas Territory in the Pacific Ocean. Despite technically being under the authority of the colonial governor, Pitcairn has local autonomy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2004 Pitcairnese general election</span> Islands council elections

General elections were held in the Pitcairn Islands on 15 December 2004. Voters elected a mayor, a council chairman, and four councillors to sit on the island council.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pitcairn Supreme Court</span> Supreme court of the British Overseas Territory of Pitcairn Islands

The Pitcairn Supreme Court is the supreme court of the Pitcairn Islands, a British Overseas Territory. It is a superior court of record. Provisions for a supreme court were set out in amendments to the Old Constitution Order in the 1990s. The court first sat for the Pitcairn sexual assault trial of 2004, and its powers were further elaborated on in the Constitution Order 2010.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2007 Pitcairnese general election</span>

General elections were held in the Pitcairn Islands on 9 December 2007. Mike Warren was elected mayor, replacing the incumbent Jay Warren, who came in second place in a three-way contest. The Island Council was also renewed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chairman of the Island Council (Pitcairn)</span> Position on the legislature of the Pitcairn Islands

The Chairman of the Island Council is a position on the Island Council, which is the legislature of the Pitcairn Islands. Although the position is directly elected, the holder only sits on the Council ex officio.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1981 Pitcairnese airfield referendum</span>

A referendum on building an airfield was held in the Pitcairn Islands in March 1981. With the island only accessible by boat, around 90% voted in favour of constructing an airfield. The Island Council supported the construction of an airfield. However, construction was too expensive for the British Authorities.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2011 Pitcairnese general election</span> General elections in Pitcairn Islands

General elections were held in the Pitcairn Islands on 12 December 2011.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2009 Pitcairnese general election</span>

General elections were held in the Pitcairn Islands on 11 December 2009. As there are no political parties on Pitcairn, the Deputy Mayor and all four candidates elected to the Island Council were independents. Simon Young became the first person not born on Pitcairn to be elected Deputy Mayor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2010 Pitcairnese mayoral election</span>

Mayoral elections were held in the Pitcairn Islands in December 2010. Incumbent Mike Warren was re-elected.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2008 Pitcairnese general election</span>

General elections were held in the Pitcairn Islands on 8 December 2008.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2001 Pitcairnese tourism referendum</span>

A referendum on tourism development was held in the Pitcairn Islands in March 2001. The proposals put forward by Wellesley Pacific were approved by 78% of voters.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charles Blackie</span> New Zealand judge and chief justice of the Pitcairn Supreme Court

Charles Stuart Blackie is a New Zealand judge who is currently the Chief Justice of the Pitcairn Supreme Court and is also a judge of the District Courts of New Zealand. He is a former Commander in the Royal New Zealand Naval Volunteer Reserve.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Administrator of the Pitcairn Islands</span>

The Administrator of the Pitcairn Islands is the de facto Chair of the Island Council. The officeholder represents the interests of the Governor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1971 Pitcairnese general election</span>

General elections were held in the Pitcairn Islands on 26 December 1971 to elect members of the Island Council. Of the island's 91 residents, 61 were registered to vote. Voting was compulsory, with a $1 fine for failing to cast a ballot.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2016 Pitcairnese mayoral election</span>

Mayoral elections were held in the Pitcairn Islands on 9 November 2016. Shawn Christian was re-elected as mayor, defeating Simon Young.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2019 Pitcairnese general election</span>

General elections were held in the Pitcairn Islands on 6 November 2019. Charlene Warren-Peu was elected as mayor, becoming the first woman to hold the position. The contest for Deputy Mayor was won by Kevin Young, whilst Lea Brown, Michele Christian, Shawn Christian, Ariel Harding and Leslie Jaques were elected to the Island Council.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1973 Pitcairnese general election</span>

General elections were held on Pitcairn Island on 25 December 1973. Ivan Christian was elected as chair of the Internal Committee, with Thelma Brown and Carol Christian elected to the Island Council, becoming its first two female members. All three were elected unopposed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2022 Pitcairnese mayoral election</span>

Mayoral elections were held on Pitcairn Island on 9 November 2022. The result was a victory for Simon Young, who became the island's first non-native leader. He won with 19 votes to 16.

References

  1. https://static1.squarespace.com/static/6526ff6fef608a3828c13d05/t/664ed8e6674ec54c1518dfd1/1716443378661/Regular_Council_Minutes_24_April_2024_20240521_0001.pdf
  2. "Pitcairn's Bounty". The Economist. 26 October 2013. Retrieved 2 July 2017.
  3. "Home." Government of the Pitcairn Islands. Retrieved on 31 October 2011.
  4. https://static1.squarespace.com/static/6526ff6fef608a3828c13d05/t/664ed8e6674ec54c1518dfd1/1716443378661/Regular_Council_Minutes_24_April_2024_20240521_0001.pdf [ bare URL PDF ]
  5. "Pitcairn Islands Government 2020". 27 January 2020. Retrieved 29 November 2020.
  6. Vance, Andrea (7 November 2019). "Charlene Warren-Peu, Pitcairn Island's first female mayor" . Retrieved 29 November 2020.
  7. 1 2 3 Eshleman, Michael O. (Winter 2012). "The New Pitcairn Islands Constitution: Strong, Empty Words for Britain's Smallest Colony". Pace International Law Review. 24 (1): 21. doi:10.58948/2331-3536.1319.
  8. "PITCAIRN, HENDERSON, DUCIE AND OENO ISLANDS: COUNTRY REPORT FOR PILON 2012" (PDF).
  9. "New Zealand Law Society". www.lawsociety.org.nz. Archived from the original on 15 March 2018. Retrieved 15 March 2018.
  10. "Alumni appointed Queen's Counsel – The University of Auckland". www.law.auckland.ac.nz. Archived from the original on 15 March 2018. Retrieved 15 March 2018.
  11. Rishworth, Paul (2012). "COUNTRY REPORT FOR PILON 2012: PITCAIRN, HENDERSON, DUCIE AND OENO ISLANDS" (PDF).