Inatio Akaruru

Inatio Akaruru in 1969

Inatio Akaruru CBE (31 March 1937 – 31 January 2014)[1][2] was a Cook Islands politician, cabinet minister and Deputy Prime Minister. He was a member of the Cook Islands Party.

Akaruru was born on Pukapuka.[3] He worked as a public servant before being elected as MP for Pukapuka at the 1968 election.[3] He served as a Cabinet Minister in the government of Albert Henry and as Deputy Prime Minister to Geoffrey Henry.

At the 1999 election Akaruru held the Pukapuka-Nassau seat by a single vote.[4] The result was challenged by the Democratic Alliance Party and declared invalid. A by-election in September 1999 was also subsequently invalidated.[5] Akaruru contested the resulting 2000 Pukapuka-Nassau by-election and was defeated.[6]

In 1977, Akaruru was awarded the Queen Elizabeth II Silver Jubilee Medal.[7] He was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire in the 1992 New Year Honours.

Akaruru was interested in bowls and was President of the Cook Islands Bowling Association from 1984 to 2006.[8] He represented the Cook Islands in Bowls at the 1990 Auckland and 2002 Manchester Commonwealth Games.[8]

  1. ^ PM Puna honours former politicians
  2. ^ John Akarur (31 January 2014). "Shattered to hear the news that my Dad Inatio Akaruru passed away in his sleep this morning back in the Cook Islands. Hard to believe that he is gone before i got to see him in June. RIP DAD". Facebook.
  3. ^ a b Ben Chapman-Smith (4 February 2014). "PM Puna honours former politicians". Cook Islands News. Archived from the original on 22 February 2014. Retrieved 9 February 2014.
  4. ^ Europa World Year Book 2004. Vol. II. London: Europa Publications. 2004. p. 3137. ISBN 1-85743-255-X.
  5. ^ "Another by-election for Cook Islands Pukapuka-Nassau seat". Pacific Islands Development Program/East-West Center. 8 December 1999. Archived from the original on 21 February 2014. Retrieved 9 February 2014.
  6. ^ Alex Sword (29 November 2000). "PUKAPUKA/NASSAU PETITION HEARING DECEMBER 15". Pacific Islands Development Program/East-West Center. Archived from the original on 21 February 2014. Retrieved 9 February 2014.
  7. ^ Taylor, Alister; Coddington, Deborah (1994). "Recipients of the Queen's Silver Jubilee Medal 1977: nominal roll of New Zealand recipients including Cook Islands, Niue and Tokelau". Honoured by the Queen – New Zealand. Auckland: New Zealand Who's Who Aotearoa. p. 425. ISBN 0-908578-34-2.
  8. ^ a b "Inatio AKARURU C.B.E." Fox Sports Pulse. Retrieved 9 February 2014.