Norman George (born 2 July 1946) 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 former

Speaker of the Cook Islands Parliament The Speaker of the Cook Islands Parliament is the presiding officer of the Cook Islands Parliament. The manage the House in accordance with its Standing Orders and according to the traditions of the Westminster system. The current Speaker is ...

Deputy Prime Minister A deputy prime minister or vice prime minister is, in some countries, a government minister who can take the position of acting prime minister when the prime minister is temporarily absent. The position is often likened to that of a vice president, ...

, and Cabinet Minister. George was first elected to the

Parliament of the Cook Islands The Parliament of the Cook Islands ( rar, Pāremeta te Kuku Airani) is the legislature of the Cook Islands. Originally established under New Zealand’s United Nations mandate it became the national legislature on independence in 1965. The Par ...

in 1983. He represented the electorate of

Tengatangi–Areora–Ngatiarua Tengatangi–Areora–Ngatiarua is a Cook Islands electoral division returning one member to the Cook Islands Parliament. Its current representative is the Hon Te Hani Brown, who has held the seat since 2018. The electorate was created in 1981, ...

for 21 years. Repeated conflicts over leadership and cabinet posts saw him quit, found, and rejoin parties, moving from the Cook Islands Democratic Party to the Alliance and back, then to the

New Alliance Party The New Alliance Party (NAP) was an American political party formed in New York City in 1979. Its immediate precursor was an umbrella organization known as the Labor Community Alliance for Change, whose member groups included the Coalition of G ...

before returning to the Democrats. After losing his seat in the 2004 election and serving as Speaker, he represented the seat of

Teenui–Mapumai Teenui–Mapumai is a Cook Islands electoral division returning one member to the Cook Islands Parliament. The electorate was created in 1981, when the ''Constitution Amendment (No. 9) Act 1980'' adjusted electorate boundaries and split the mul ...

for eight years, initially as an independent, then as 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 ...

, then as an independent again. George lost his seat at the 2014 Cook Islands general election.

Early life

George was born in

Atiu Atiu, also known as Enuamanu (meaning ''land of the birds''), is an island of the Cook Islands archipelago, lying in the central-southern Pacific Ocean. Part of the Nga-pu-Toru, it is northeast of Rarotonga. The island's population has dropped b ...

in the Cook Islands. He worked as a police officer, first for the

Cook Islands Police Service The Cook Islands Police Service (CIPS) is the police force of the Cook Islands. The current Commissioner of Police is Maara Tetava who was first appointed in 2009 and in 2011 was reappointed. Operations On 19 October 2016, an escaped prisoner C ...

and then for the

New Zealand Police The New Zealand Police ( mi, Ngā Pirihimana o Aotearoa) is the national police service and principal law enforcement agency of New Zealand, responsible for preventing crime, enhancing public safety, bringing offenders to justice, and maintai ...

. In 1977 he won an apology and a settlement for damages and costs from then-Broadcasting Minister Tupui Henry over allegations that he and another man were "agitators" and "disturbing elements in a public place". In 1979 he was appointed as the Cook Islands' first Consul-General to New Zealand. He returned to

Rarotonga Rarotonga is the largest and most populous of the Cook Islands. The island is volcanic, with an area of , and is home to almost 75% of the country's population, with 13,007 of a total population of 17,434. The Cook Islands' Parliament buildings a ...

in 1982 where he worked as a lawyer.

Democrats and Alliance

George was first elected to the Cook Islands Parliament in the

March 1983 Cook Islands general election General elections were held in the Cook Islands on 30 March 1983. The result was a victory for the Cook Islands Party (CIP) of Geoffrey Henry, who became Prime Minister. However, the CIP lost their majority by the end of July, eventually resultin ...

as a candidate for the Cook Islands Democratic Party. An electoral petition against his election was unsuccessful. Following the victory of Tom Davis in the November 1983 election he was appointed to Cabinet as Minister of Foreign Affairs, Corrective Services, and the Crown Law Office. He later organised the toppling of Davis and his replacement by

Pupuke Robati Sir Pupuke Robati, KBE (9 April 1925 – 26 April 2009) was a Cook Island politician. He served as Prime Minister of the Cook Islands from 29 July 1987 to 1 February 1989. Robati was from the island of Rakahanga. He completed his primary an ...

. In 1991 George contested the

Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to: *Democratic Party (United States) Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to: Active parties Africa *Botswana Democratic Party *Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea *Gabonese Democratic Party *Demo ...

leadership, losing by a single vote to

Terepai Maoate Sir Terepai Tuamure Maoate (1 September 1934 – 9 July 2012) was Prime Minister of the Cook Islands from 18 November 1999 to 11 February 2002. He was a member of the Cook Islands Democratic Party. Maoate was born in Rarotonga on 1 September ...

. A subsequent dispute over spending saw him removed as party whip and then expelled from the party. He established the Alliance Party, which subsequently won two seats in the 1994 elections. The Alliance rejoined the Democrats, but a further struggle over the leadership between George and

saw George split off again in 1997 to form the

. At the

1999 elections The following elections occurred in the year 1999. * 1999 electoral calendar Africa * 1999 Algerian presidential election * 1999 Botswana general election * 1999 Beninese parliamentary election * 1999 Central African Republic presidential elect ...

the party won four seats. George announced that he was forming a coalition with Prime Minister

Geoffrey Henry Sir Geoffrey Arama Henry (16 November 1940 – 9 May 2012) was a Cook Island politician who was twice the Prime Minister of the Cook Islands. He was leader of the Cook Islands Party (CIP) from 1979 to 2006. Early life Henry was a native of A ...

, and was appointed Deputy Prime Minister. He retained the position when Henry resigned in favour of Joe Williams, but was sacked in October 1999 after he defected to the opposition. He subsequently supported

as Prime Minister and was reappointed as Deputy Prime Minister. As Deputy Prime Minister, George made controversial statements that businessmen were involved in drug-smuggling, proposed removing customary land-rights from expatriate Cook Islanders, and demanded that newspapers be licensed. He was sacked by Maoate in July 2001 following disagreements over the budget and portfolio allocations. Initially the coalition remained intact, but by December 2001 George reportedly planned to put forward a motion of no confidence in Maoate. In February 2002 he supported Maoate's ousting by

Robert Woonton Robert Woonton (born 1949) is a Cook Islands politician and diplomat. He served as Prime Minister of the Cook Islands from 11 February 2002 until 11 December 2004, and later as High Commissioner to New Zealand. He was a member of the centrist D ...

, and was appointed to Woonton's Cabinet. While Geoffrey Henry became Deputy Prime Minister, George was rewarded with a long list of Ministerial portfolios, including Justice, Attorney-General, Energy, Environment, and Outer Islands Development. The New Alliance Party subsequently merged with the Democratic Alliance Party, but George was sacked from Cabinet again in November 2002. A series of scandals over conflicts of interest, the apparent sale of a residency permit to New Zealand developer Mark Lyon, and a court case over "double dipping" saw George decline in popularity. When the Democratic Party did not select him as a candidate for the 2004 elections, he split from the party and established the Tumu Enua Party, but failed to win reelection.

Cook Islands Party

Following his election defeat George was appointed

. He subsequently returned to Parliament in the 2006 Teenui-Mapumai by-election as an independent aligned with the

. He was re-elected in the 2006 elections as a CIP candidate. George was re-elected at the 2010 election and was one of four candidates for the post of Deputy Prime Minister. He did not gain that position, and after he failed to gain a Cabinet post he refused to attend the swearing-in ceremony at Parliament. He subsequently resigned from the Cook Islands Party and became an independent again. In February 2012 he attempted to rejoin the Democratic Party to contest the leadership, but his application to rejoin was refused. He was eventually allowed to rejoin in November 2013. He ran for re-election at the 2014 election, but lost his seat to his niece,

Rose Toki-Brown Vainetutai Rose Toki-Brown (born 7 December 1976) is a Cook Islands politician, and Cabinet Minister. In July 2016 she became the Cook Islands' first female Leader of the Opposition. Career Toki-Brown was born in Areora on Atiu. She was a busi ...

Disbarment and decline

In April 2015 he contested the leadership of the Democratic Party after the departure of

Wilkie Rasmussen Wilkie Olaf Patua Rasmussen (born 21 March 1958) is a Cook Islands politician and former Cabinet Minister. From 2013 to 2015 he was leader of the Cook Islands Democratic Party. Early life Rasmussen was born in Omoka on Penrhyn Island. He att ...

, but lost to

William (Smiley) Heather William Kati (Smiley) Heather (born 7 July 1958) is a Cook Islands politician and former Cabinet Minister. He represented the seat of Ruaau in the Cook Islands Parliament from 2006 to 2022 and is Deputy Leader of the Cook Islands Democratic Pa ...

. In September 2013 following repeated complaints over his conduct as a lawyer George was barred from taking on land cases before the Cook Islands Court for three years, and barred from appearing before the

Cook Islands Court of Appeal The Court of Appeal of the Cook Islands is the superior court of record for the Cook Islands. It hears appeals from the High Court of the Cook Islands and was established by Article 56 of the Constitution of the Cook Islands. Composition and ...

for 18 months. In October 2015 he was permanently barred from the land court after failing to obey the suspension. George stood for the seat of

at the 2018 election for the Alternative Must Ravenga Openga party on a platform of making Atiu great again. He received only 7 votes and lost to

Te-Hani Brown Te-Hani Rose Alexandra Brown (born 16 March 1996) is a Cook Islands politician and member of the Cook Islands Parliament. She is an independent. Career Te-Hani Brown was born in 1996 in Rarotonga, Cook Islands. Brown is the daughter of MP Rose ...

. In December 2019 George launched a private prosecution for fraud against Prime Minister

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 ...

and Deputy Prime Minister Mark Brown, alleging that a government-chartered aircraft had been misused. The case is still unresolved.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:George, Norman 1946 births Living people Deputy Prime Ministers of the Cook Islands Foreign Ministers of the Cook Islands Members of the Parliament of the Cook Islands Speakers of the Cook Islands Parliament People from Atiu New Zealand police officers Cook Island lawyers Tumu Enua politicians Cook Island police officers Democratic Party (Cook Islands) politicians New Alliance Party (Cook Islands) politicians Cook Islands Party politicians Independent politicians in the Cook Islands