Akaiti Puna | |
---|---|
Member of the Cook Islands Parliament for Manihiki | |
Assumed office 5 May 2021 | |
Preceded by | Henry Puna |
Personal details | |
Born | 5 September 1952 |
Political party | Cook Islands Party |
Akaitiiti O Te Rangi Puna (born 5 September 1952)[1] is a Cook Islands politician and member of the Cook Islands Parliament. She is a member of the Cook Islands Party. She is married to the former Cook Islands Prime Minister Henry Puna and the sister of MP Tukaka Ama.[2]
Puna was born on Rarotonga and educated at Tereora College[1] and at Auckland Girls' Grammar School in New Zealand.[3] She began playing netball at school in New Zealand, and continued on her return to the Cook Islands, playing for Ngatangiia.[3] She served as manager for Netball Cook Islands at the 1981 South Pacific Mini Games,[3] and later served on its board.[4] From 1972 she worked for Air New Zealand.[5]
Following her husband's election as Prime Minister in the 2010 election Puna managed their pearl farm on Manihiki.[6] When he retired in 2021 in order to take up the job of Secretary General of the Pacific Islands Forum[7] she stood in his former seat of Manihiki in the resulting by-election,[8] and was elected.[9] She was sworn in as an MP on 31 May 2021.[10]
She was re-elected at the 2022 Cook Islands general election.[11]