Mark Stephen Brown (born 28 February 1963) is a

Cook Islands ) , image_map = Cook Islands on the globe (small islands magnified) (Polynesia centered).svg , capital = Avarua , coordinates = , largest_city = Avarua , official_languages = , lan ...

politician and

Prime Minister of the Cook Islands The prime minister of the Cook Islands is the head of government of the Cook Islands, a self-governing territory in free association with New Zealand. The office was established in 1965, when self-government was ...

. He had previously served as Deputy Prime Minister under

Henry Puna Henry Tuakeu Puna (born 29 July 1949) is a Cook Islands politician, and the current secretary-general of the Pacific Islands Forum. He was Prime Minister of the Cook Islands from November 2010 to October 2020. Since 2006 he has been leader of th ...

. He is a member of the

Cook Islands Party The Cook Islands Party is a nationalist political party in the Cook Islands. It was the first political party founded in the Cook Islands, and one of the two major parties of the islands' politics since 1965. From 1999 until 2005 it sometimes ...

Early life

Brown was born in 1963 in Avarua on Rarotonga, and educated at Nikao Maori School, Nikao Side School, Tereora College and Gisborne Boys' High School in

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

. He holds a Diploma in Public Sector Management from Massey University in New Zealand and a Masters in Business Administration from the

University of the South Pacific The University of the South Pacific (USP) is a public research university with locations spread throughout a dozen countries in Oceania. Established in 1968, the university is organised as an intergovernmental organisation and is owned by the go ...

. He has worked as a public servant, including as a policy advisor for the Prime Minister's Office and as head of the Ministry of Agriculture, and as a property developer. He has served as Vice-President of the Cook Islands Chamber of Commerce, and President of the Cook Islands Touch Association.

Political career

Brown is currently vice-president of the CIP. He unsuccessfully contested the electorate of Takuvaine–Tutakimoa in the

2006 elections The following elections occurred in the year 2006. * Elections in 2006 * Electoral calendar 2006 * 2006 Acehnese regional election * 2006 American Samoan legislative election * 2006 Bahraini parliamentary election * 2006 Costa Rican president ...

, but was elected at the 2010 election. Brown was appointed to Cabinet in December 2010 as finance minister. He was re-elected at the 2014 election, and again in 2018. Following the 2018 election he was appointed Deputy Prime Minister, replacing

Teariki Heather Teariki William Heather (born 30 July 1959) is a Cook Islands politician and former Cabinet minister who served as Deputy Prime Minister of the Cook Islands from 2013 to 2018. Previously a member of the Cook Islands Party, he is now the leader o ...

. In December 2019 a private prosecution for fraud was lodged against Brown and Prime Minister

, alleging that a government-chartered aircraft had been misused. In March 2021 the charges were dismissed by the High Court. In June 2020 Prime Minister

announced his intention to stand down in September in order to compete for the role of Secretary-General of the Pacific Islands Forum. He nominated Brown as his replacement. On 1 October, following the retirement of

, he was elected Prime Minister. He retained almost all of his and Puna's portfolios in his initial Cabinet, surrendering only Education and Tourism to other Ministers. He plans to re-allocate major portfolios such as Finance and Foreign Affairs to other Ministers in 2021. In mid-December 2020, Prime Minister Brown and his New Zealand counterpart

Jacinda Ardern Jacinda Kate Laurell Ardern ( ; born 26 July 1980) is a New Zealand politician who has been serving as the 40th prime minister of New Zealand and leader of the Labour Party since 2017. A member of the Labour Party, she has been the member of ...

announced that a travel bubble between New Zealand and the Cook Islands would be established next year, facilitating two-way quarantine-free travel between the two countries. A cabinet reshuffle on 2 June 2021 saw him distribute half his portfolios to other Ministers. He was re-elected at the 2022 election and reappointed Prime Minister after securing the support of two independents.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Brown, Mark 1963 births Living people Members of the Parliament of the Cook Islands Cook Islands Party politicians Finance ministers of the Cook Islands Sports ministers of the Cook Islands Deputy Prime Ministers of the Cook Islands Prime Ministers of the Cook Islands People from Rarotonga University of the South Pacific alumni Massey University alumni