Tingika Elikana
Tingika Elikana | |
---|---|
Minister of Foreign Affairs | |
Assumed office 8 February 2024 | |
Preceded by | Mark Brown |
Minister of Marine Resources | |
Assumed office 8 February 2024 | |
Preceded by | Robert Tapaitau |
Deputy Speaker of the Parliament of the Cook Islands | |
Assumed office 22 March 2021 | |
Preceded by | Tai Tura |
Member of the Cook Islands Parliament for Pukapuka–Nassau | |
Assumed office 14 June 2018 | |
Preceded by | Tekii Lazaro |
Personal details | |
Born | 5 November 1961 |
Political party | Cook Islands Party |
Tingika Elikana (born 5 November 1961)[1] is a Cook Islands civil servant, politician and Cabinet Minister. He is a member of the Cook Islands Party.
Elikana was born on Pukapuka and educated at Pukapuka School and Tereora College.[1] He studied law at Victoria University of Wellington in New Zealand and then a Masters of Business Administration at the University of the South Pacific as well as public sector management at Massey University.[1] He worked as a police officer,[1] and then as a crown prosecutor,[2] Deputy Solicitor General,[3] and Solicitor General.[4] From 2011 to 2018 he was Secretary for Justice.[5]
He was elected to the Cook Islands Parliament at the 2018 Cook Islands general election. After his election, the government charted a special flight at a cost of $32,000 to collect him from the outer islands.[6] The flight was later the subject of a private prosecution launched against Prime Minister Henry Puna by former MP Norman George.[7] As an MP, Elikana chaired the select committee which decided that homosexuality should remain a criminal offence in the Cook Islands.[8] In February 2020 he was accused of orchestrating the sacking of six public servants who belonged to the opposition Democratic Party.[9] Following the election of Mark Brown as Prime Minister he was appointed Associate Minister of Justice, Finance and Economic Management, Foreign Affairs and Immigration.[10] On 22 March 2021 he was elected Deputy Speaker, replacing Tai Tura.[11]
He was re-elected at the 2022 Cook Islands general election.[12]
In February 2024 following the conviction of Cabinet Minister Robert Tapaitau for corruption he was appointed to Cabinet as Minister of Foreign Affairs, Immigration, and Marine Resources.[13][14] His first action in the position was to travel to Suva to co-chair the Pacific Alliance Leaders Meeting Ministerial Interim Meeting.[15]
References
- ^ a b c d "Tingika ELIKANA". Cook Islands Parliament. Retrieved 14 August 2022.
- ^ "Document theft convict in Cooks government escapes jail". RNZ. 2 December 2005. Retrieved 27 June 2020.
- ^ "Pago Pago longliner allowed to leave Cooks". RNZ. 18 December 2006. Retrieved 27 June 2020.
- ^ "Cook Islands Government official says House of Ariki needs a revamp". RNZ. 23 December 2008. Retrieved 27 June 2020.
- ^ "NEW HEAD OF MINISTRY OF JUSTICE". Public Service Commissioner. 23 November 2018. Retrieved 27 June 2020.
- ^ "Govt charters flight for election winners in the Cook Islands". RNZ. 3 July 2018. Retrieved 27 June 2020.
- ^ Losirene Lacanivalu (20 March 2020). "Prosecution of PM dropped". Cook Islands News. Retrieved 27 June 2020.
- ^ "Most Cook Islanders support same-sex relations ban – committee". RNZ. 28 November 2019. Retrieved 27 June 2020.
- ^ Melina Etches (15 February 2020). "Furore over 'island politics'". Cook Islands News. Retrieved 27 June 2020.
- ^ Emmanuel Samoglou and Rashneel Kumar (8 October 2020). "PM takes on 17 portfolios". Cook Islands News. Retrieved 9 October 2020.
- ^ Melina Etches (23 March 2021). "Mauke MP Tura appointed Speaker of Parliament". Cook Islands News. Retrieved 24 March 2021.
- ^ "WARRANT DECLARING THE SUCCESSFUL CANDIDATES AND THE NUMBER OF VOTES RECEIVED BY EACH CANDIDATE" (PDF). Cook Islands Gazette. 11 August 2022. Retrieved 13 August 2022.
- ^ Candice Luke (9 February 2024). "New Minister 'hits the ground running'". Cook Islands News. Retrieved 14 February 2024.
- ^ "Albert Nicholas appointed Deputy Prime Minister". Cook Islands News. 16 February 2024. Retrieved 16 February 2024.
- ^ "Foreign Affairs Minister Elikana co-chairs Pacific-Japan ministerial meet". Cook Islands News. 13 February 2024. Retrieved 14 February 2024.