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SMALL PARLIAMENTS: COOK ISLANDS


work. The audits are three years behind, making it ultimately difficult to maintain good governance and good management. I am the only appointed Member


in the Cook Islands. I originally trained to be – and still am – a nurse. I worked for the Red Cross and did lots of community work with women. For almost 20 years carrying out my nursing and Red Cross work, I visited every island in the Cook Islands. I knocked on every Minister’s door in that time looking for help. I came with a purpose for the people who voted them into Parliament; not for myself, not for the Red Cross, but for the people. So they began to know me. In 2011 I was invited to be the chairperson of the international conference of the Red Cross in Geneva. I attended the meeting with our Prime Minister, and he sat in the audience while I sat in the Speaker’s seat as Chair. In April 2012 I was called to


their own airfare. I know it is a shared struggle not only for the Cook Islands but also for my friends in the Pacific and maybe other smaller countries. In governing and managing our


Budget in the Cook Islands, we have the Public Accounts Committee. We failed miserably in the assessment that was just done a few months ago. It is the only committee that works in the Cook Islands Parliament, mainly because everybody is busy doing their own things, and this is a requirement for the committee to do its job. People simply do not have the time to sit. Two things were asked to be


done: review the audited accounts of the year before, and review the budgets that were passed to make sure the ministries were doing their


the Prime Minister’s room, and he asked me if I could take on the role of Speaker of Parliament. Given the current Speaker at the time was ill, the position needed to be filled. After watching me chair the meeting in Geneva, he told me “I figure if you can chair a meeting with 2,000 people, you can chair a meeting with 24 members of Parliament.” Although I told him I knew nothing about politics, he compared the values. He said: “What do you have to do


for Red Cross?”. I said: “Humanitarian, first. Impartiality is a principle of Red Cross. Neutrality is a principle of Red Cross. Independence is a principle of Red Cross. Unity, universality.” He said: “Those three things are all you need to know. The rest you can learn.” That is how I became the Speaker. So I went home. I said: “I cannot


tell you my answer now. I have to go home and talk to my family because this is different. I have never ever lived in this life before.” I went and talked to my children first and talked to my husband. They all said to me: “Mum, with the work you have done in the community—and sometimes we hear you complain about what can be done.” They said: “You do not have to


complain now; you can go and be part of the fixing if you want something done differently.” So I took the job on. I finished a


Red Cross building that cost a million dollars, which was my biggest project, and I was going to retire that May because that was my 20th year. I left Red Cross on 6 June and became the Speaker the next day, and straight into the Budget. It wasn’t easy but I had great support from New Zealand, the Parliament here, and support from Western Australia. I have been discriminated as an appointed Member. I have had a


“However there is a downside, because our population is now so small. Most Cook Islanders live in New Zealand— maybe about 50,000 or 60,000 of them.”


Member of Parliament stand and say: “You cannot tell me what to do because you are not an elected member.” I said: “The Standing Orders are very clear, if you would like to refer to them. There is no difference whether you are elected or not. The role of the Speaker is exactly the same.” Only one thing I cannot do: I cannot have a deliberative vote; I can only do a casting vote. Otherwise, I can do anything, and everything else. There are many benefits, the


salary not being one of them! I was at one point the lowest paid member of staff in the Parliament. Well, I am happy to say that in the last fortnight I was paid a better pay, so a bit more than the staff in Parliament. I guess you can say that is a benefit but the main benefit for me is working in such a way that I can make a difference for many people. This is where I love my job about being a Speaker. I go back to being a Red Cross woman in working with the community.


I know the community of the Cook


Islands. I already know where the vulnerabilities are, but where politics was involved it was a bit different. And gender—I have worked with women groups for a long time and I know how I can do that in Parliament. Our staff turned away the


opportunity to be trained in gender equality a little while ago because they are nervous about it. “There is nothing wrong here, Speaker. We do not need to go down there. We are all right.” I say: “How can we be all right? We are about to celebrate our 50th year and the most women we have had in Parliament is three to four out of 24 members. So how can you say there is no


problem?” We are working on it in the Pacific women in Parliament project with the AusAID programme. We are succeeding. I spoke to the Speaker of the Parliament of Australia, Hon Bronwyn Bishop, MP, who knows the programme really well. We are going to start training with our staff and getting them involved in gender equality.


Women of the Cook Islands say:


“We do not have a problem. You win on your own merit. We do not want any special things happening.” I disagree. I think that our traditional voting system needs to be reviewed because culturally there is a way of thinking. There is a mindset of doing this and women do not feature. I think that is going to happen. The other thing about connecting


with the community is our broadcasting. In the constitution it says all our Acts in Parliament have to be translated into Cook Islands Maori and the sessions are done bilingually. It is great because the people of the far north say “I was listening to Parliament today and this happened and that happened”, and it is really encouraging. However the problem is that it


takes twice as long. Nevertheless, it is a way to connect with the people of the outer islands. I have taken my challenge of


a small Parliament with the big challenges. Thank you, meitaki maata, for your attention.


The Parliamentarian | 2014: Issue One | 31


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