Tingika Elikana

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]