The Overseas seat was a Cook Islands electoral division returning one member to the Cook Islands Parliament. It was abolished in 2003.
| Overseas | |
|---|---|
| Former constituency for the Parliament of the Cook Islands | |
| Former constituency | |
| Created | 1981 |
| Abolished | 2003 |
| Number of members | 1 |
The electorate was created in 1981 by the Constitution Amendment (No. 9) Act 1980-1981 and covered "The islands comprising New Zealand and all other areas outside the Cook Islands".[1] It was established to provide representation for the growing number of Cook Islanders temporarily living abroad, especially in New Zealand, who previously had had to fly home to vote.[2] At the time it was created, roughly 24,000 Cook Islanders lived overseas, versus 22,000 in the Cook Islands, and their votes had been crucial in deciding the 1978 election.[2] The creation of a specific seat was seen as a way of both providing for and limiting their influence.[3]
The electorate was always controversial; the first person elected to it, Fanaura Kingstone, had planned to resign from it the day after she was elected. She changed her mind when she was appointed to Cabinet.[4] Cook Islanders voted on its future as part of the 1994 Cook Islands referendum[5] but voted to retain it by 56 to 43 percent. In 2002 2,000 people signed a petition calling for its abolition, along with other reforms;[6] the same year a survey on Rarotonga found strong support for abolition.[7]
In April 2003 the Cook Islands Parliament passed the Constitution Amendment (No. 26) Act 2003[8] abolishing the seat.[9] A savings clause allowed the incumbent, Joe Williams, to retain his seat until the end of the Parliamentary term.[10]
Members of Parliament
edit| Election | Member | Party | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1983 (Mar) | Fanaura Kingstone | Cook Islands Party | |
| 1983 (Nov), 1989 | Iaveta Arthur | Democratic Party | |
| 1994, 1999 | Joe Williams | Cook Islands Party | |
References
edit- ^ "Constitution Amendment (No 9) Act 1980-81". PACLII. Retrieved 14 July 2020.
- ^ a b "Overseas electorate for Cook Islands". Pacific Islands Monthly. Vol. 52, no. 1. 1 January 1981. p. 30. Retrieved 26 July 2020 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "The Cook Islands: Seat for Overseas Voters Abolished". ACE Project. Retrieved 26 July 2020.
It was the result of a move by the Democratic Party (DP) then in power to restrict the future influence of those whom they regarded as mostly loyal to the Cook Islands Party (CIP)
- ^ "Henry the Second's first government". Pacific Islands Monthly. Vol. 54, no. 6. 1 June 1983. pp. 12–14. Retrieved 26 July 2020 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ Barbara Dreaver (16 February 1994). "Big issues cooking up for polling day". The Canberra Times. p. 9. Retrieved 26 July 2020 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "Cook Islanders vote for less or more of the same". New Zealand Herald. 7 September 2004. Retrieved 26 July 2020.
- ^ "FUTURE OF COOK ISLANDS OVERSEAS CONSTITUENCY BEING EXAMINED". Pacific Islands Report. 24 September 2002. Retrieved 26 July 2020.
- ^ "Constitution Amendment (No 26) Act 2003". PACLII. Retrieved 26 July 2020.
- ^ "Cook Islands Parliament drops "Overseas Seat"". RNZ. 17 April 2003. Retrieved 26 July 2020.
- ^ Constitution Amendment (No. 26) Act 2003, section 6.
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