Elections in the Cook Islands

The Cook Islands elects a legislature on a national level. The Parliament of the Cook Islands has 24 members, elected for a four-year term in single-seat constituencies.

The most recent general election was held on 12 August 2026. The Cook Islands Party gained a seat to win an overall majority, with 13 of 24 seats, with Prime Minister Mark Brown continuing in office.^[1]

There are also local elections held every four years in which mayors and councillors of the country's island governments are elected. The country's main population centre, the island of Rarotonga, has no local government so no local elections are held.

[1]


Party		Votes	%	Seats	+/–
	Cook Islands Party	4,175	45.32	13	+1
	Cook Islands United Party	2,866	31.11	4	+1
	Democratic Party	1,116	12.11	0	–5
	Progressive Party of the Cook Islands	53	0.58	0	0
	Independents	1,003	10.89	7	+4
Total		9,213	100.00	24	0

Source: ^[6]^[7]

Constituency		Candidate		Votes	%
Rarotonga	Akaoa	Robert Stanley Heather^†	Cook Islands United	324	82.7
	Akaoa	Teakaau Tex Tangimetua	Cook Islands	68	17.3

	Avatiu–Ruatonga–Palmerston	Albert Nicholas^†	Cook Islands	376	62.5
	Avatiu–Ruatonga–Palmerston	Teina Rongo	Cook Islands United	226	37.5

	Matavera	Taneao Ngamata	Cook Islands United	240	37.7
		Vaitoti Tupa^†	Democratic	231	36.3
		Aneru Andrew Tautu	Cook Islands	166	26.1

	Murienua	Teariki Heather^†	Cook Islands United	344	64.9
		Nooroa Baker	Cook Islands	169	31.9
		Samuel Mataroa	Democratic	17	3.2

	Ngatangiia	Tukaka Ama^†	Cook Islands	272	45.6
		Mapi Ioteva	Cook Islands United	241	40.4
		Itinga Maoate	Democratic	65	10.9
		Christopher Robert Denny	Progressive	18	3.0

	Nikao–Panama	Vaine Mokoroa^†	Cook Islands	497	59.0
		Ngamau Mere Munokoa	Cook Islands United	211	36.9
		Te Tuhi Tauratumaru Kelly	Progressive	35	4.2

	Ruaau	Tim Tunui Varu^†	Cook Islands United	370	51.7
		Arama Wichman	Cook Islands	301	42.1
		William (Smiley) Heather	Democratic	44	6.2

	Takuvaine–Tutakimoa	Mark Brown^†	Cook Islands	312	60.2
		Davina Hosking-Ashford	Democratic	115	22.2
		Venetia Mere Jacqueline Tuara	Cook Islands United	91	17.6

	Titikaveka	Sonny Williams^†	Cook Islands	363	45.9
		Elizabeth Iro	Cook Islands United	238	30.1
		Sholan Ivaiti	Democratic	189	23.9

	Tupapa–Maraerenga	Tamaiti Maru Willie	Cook Islands	617	64.2
		Rota Tama Williams	Cook Islands United	227	23.6
		Edward Victor Drollett	Democratic	117	12.2

Aitutaki	Amuri–Ureia	Toanui Isamaela^†	Cook Islands	165	41.9
		Nicholas Royle Henry	Independent	98	24.9
		Terepai Maoate	Democratic	106	26.9
		Tumutoa Teariki Nicholls	Cook Islands United	25	6.3

	Arutanga–Reureu–Nikaupara	Tereapii Maki-Kavana^†	Cook Islands	179	46.7
		Maitoe Henry	Cook Islands United	113	29.5
		Tekura Moeroa Bishop	Independent	91	23.8

	Vaipae–Tautu	Teokotai Herman^†	Cook Islands	241	52.3
		Teariki Reva George	Democratic	139	30.2
		Teariki Kureta Tangua	Cook Islands United	81	17.6

Mangaia	Ivirua	Agnes Armstrong^†	Independent	Uncontested

	Oneroa	Rimmel Poila-Mokoroa	Independent	77	37.2
		Wesley Kareroa^†	Democratic	64	30.9
		Teina Tearii	Cook Islands	66	31.9

	Tamarua	Tetangi Matapo^†	Independent	34	59.6
	Tamarua	Ngatamaroa Ngatokorua	Cook Islands	23	40.4

Atiu	Teenui–Mapumai	Rose Toki-Brown^†	Independent-Enuamanu	81	77.9
	Teenui–Mapumai	Charles Amaru Koronui	Independent	23	22.1

	Tengatangi–Areora–Ngatiarua	Te-Hani Brown^†	Independent-Enuamanu	95	66.9
	Tengatangi–Areora–Ngatiarua	Puai Tane Wichman	Independent	47	33.1

Outer Islands	Manihiki	George Maggie Angene^†^[a]	Independent	56	45.9
		Akaiti Puna^†	Cook Islands	51	41.8
		Puapii William	Independent	15	12.3

	Mauke	Stephen Matapo^†	Independence Party	175	89.3
	Mauke	James Vini Beer	Independent	21	10.7

	Mitiaro	Tuakeu Tangatapoto^†	Cook Islands	60	61.9
		Makara Murare	Cook Islands United	35	36.1
		Paul Raui Pokoati Allsworth	Democratic	2	2.1

	Penrhyn	Vaine Wichman	Cook Islands	71	58.7
	Penrhyn	Sarakura Tapaitau^†	Independent	50	41.3

	Pukapuka–Nassau	Tingika Elikana^†	Cook Islands	146	51.0
	Pukapuka–Nassau	Kirianu Nio	Independent	140	49.0

	Rakahanga	Levi Hitarahera Teinaki	Cook Islands	32	54.2
	Rakahanga	Tina Pupuke-Browne^†	Democratic	27	45.8
^† – indicates an incumbent candidate

Election	Date	Reason
1963 European by-election			Dick Rapley
1963 Mauke by-election			Julian Dashwood
1963 Rarotonga by-election		Teupoko'ina Morgan moved to New Zealand	David Marama Hosking
1965 Te-Ao-O-Tonga by-election	9 July 1965	Resignation of Marguerite Story	Albert Henry (CIP)
1966 Mauke by-election		Resignation of Julian Dashwood	Tupui Henry (CIP)
1977 Takitumu by-election	22 December 1977	Death of Tiakana Numanga	Iaveta Short (DP)
1978 Mitiaro by-election	5 October 1978	Annulment of the general election result	Tiki Tetava
1991 Murienua by-election			Tom Marsters (CIP)
1994 Ivirua by-election	December 1994		Jim Marurai (DAP)
1996 Nikao–Panama by-election	July 1996		Ngamau Munokoa (DP)
1999 Pukapuka-Nassau by-election	29 September 1999	Invalidation of election results	None
2000 Pukapuka-Nassau by-election	28 September 2000	Invalidation of 1999 Pukapuka-Nassau by-election.	Tiaki Wuatai (NAP)
2002 Penrhyn by-election	27 June 2002	Disqualification of Tepure Tapaitau	Wilkie Rasmussen (CIP)
2003 Rua’au by-election	14 August 2003	Death of Maria Heather	Geoffrey Heather (DP)
2003 Arutanga by-election	20 November 2003	Resignation of Teina Bishop	Teina Bishop (Independent)
2005 Manihiki by-election	8 February 2005	Resignation of Robert Woonton	Henry Puna (CIP)
2006 Teenui-Mapumai by-election	8 June 2006	Retirement of Upoko Simpson	Norman George (Independent)
2006 Matavera by-election	19 July 2006	Conviction of Vaevae Pare for fraud	Kiriau Turepu (CIP)
2006 Akaoa by-election	29 November 2006	Previous election produced tied result	Teariki Heather (CIP)
2007 Titikaveka by-election	7 February 2007	Election of Robert Wigmore declared invalid	Robert Wigmore (DP)
2009 Tamarua by-election	3 February 2009	Death of Mii Parima	Pukeiti Pukeiti (CIP)
2011 Pukapuka by-election	7 June 2011	Election of Tekii Lazaro declared invalid	Tekii Lazaro (CIP)
2012 Titikaveka by-election	21 June 2012	Death of Robert Wigmore	Selina Napa (DP)
2013 Tamarua by-election	29 January 2013	Death of Pukeiti Pukeiti	Tetangi Matapo (DP)
2013 Murienua by-election	19 September 2013	Resignation of Tom Marsters	Kaota Tuariki (CIP)
2014 Murienua by-election	19 February 2014	Resignation of Kaota Tuariki	James Beer (DP)
2014 Mitiaro by-election	11 November 2014	Draw in the 2014 general election	Results not counted due to court order.
2015 Vaipae-Tautu by-election	31 March 2015	2014 election result voided	Moana Ioane (CIP)
2016 Arutanga-Reureu-Nikaupara by-election	13 October 2016	Teina Bishop convicted of corruption	Pumati Israela (OCI)
2017 Avatiu–Ruatonga–Palmerston by-election	17 May 2017	Resignation of Albert Nicholas	Albert Nicholas (CIP)
2017 Ivirua by-election	17 August 2017	Resignation of Jim Marurai	Tony Armstrong
2019 Ivirua by-election	21 January 2019	Death of Tony Armstrong	Agnes Armstrong
March 2019 Tengatangi-Areora-Ngatiarua by-election	18 March 2019	Defection of Te-Hani Brown from the Democratic Party	Te-Hani Brown
November 2019 Tengatangi-Areora-Ngatiarua by-election	14 November 2019	Resignation of Te-Hani Brown	Te-Hani Brown
2021 Manihiki by-election	5 May 2021	Resignation of Henry Puna	Akaiti Puna (CIP)
2024 Penrhyn by-election	12 March 2024	Conviction of Robert Tapaitau for fraud	Sarakura Tapaitau

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