Peri Vaevae Pare (died 27 May 2020) was 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

Cabinet Minister A minister is a politician who heads a ministry, making and implementing decisions on policies in conjunction with the other ministers. In some jurisdictions the head of government is also a minister and is designated the ‘prime minister’, � ...

. He was stripped of his seat in Parliament after being convicted of corruption in 2005.

Biography

Pare was the brother of musician Noo Pare and would often host musicians visiting Rarotonga. He previously worked as a Chief Laboratory Officer at Rarotonga Hospital. He was elected to Parliament as a member of the Democratic Alliance Party in the

1999 Cook Islands general election General elections were held in the Cook Islands on 16 June 1999 to elect 25 MPs to the Parliament. The Cook Islands Party won 11 seats, the Democratic Alliance Party 10 seats, and the New Alliance Party 4 seats. Results Aftermath Following th ...

. In August 2001, he was appointed to the Cabinet of

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 ...

as Attorney-General and Minister of Health, but was sacked in December. After

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 Dem ...

replaced Maoate in February 2002 he was appointed Minister of Health, Social Services, and Internal Affairs. Shortly after becoming Health Minister he delayed and then cancelled a proposed

xenotransplantation Xenotransplantation (''xenos-'' from the Greek meaning "foreign" or strange), or heterologous transplant, is the transplantation of living cells, tissues or organs from one species to another. Such cells, tissues or organs are called xenograft ...

trial being promoted by former Prime Minister Joe Williams. The trial involved injecting pig cells into humans as a means of fighting

diabetes Diabetes, also known as diabetes mellitus, is a group of metabolic disorders characterized by a high blood sugar level ( hyperglycemia) over a prolonged period of time. Symptoms often include frequent urination, increased thirst and increased ap ...

and had been moved to the Cook Islands as it could not legally take place 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 ...

. Pare was re-elected at the 2004 election, and supported Woonton in his efforts to form a coalition with 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 ...

. As a result he was expelled from the Democratic Party, and joined Woonton's newly formed Demo Party Tumu (later known as Cook Islands First). After Woonton's resignation as Prime Minister he was appointed to the Cabinet of

Jim Marurai Jim Marurai (9 July 1947 – November 2020) was a Cook Islands politician who served as Prime Minister of the Cook Islands. He was a member of the Democratic Party. Personal life Marurai was born in Ivirua, Mangaia. He attended Ivirua and O ...

as Minister of Health and Police. In October 2006 he was investigated by police for wrongful use of public funds and surrendered his police portfolio. He was subsequently prosecuted and convicted on three charges of using documents to defraud. In January 2006 while he was awaiting an appeal he was asked to resign from Cabinet. In June 2006 his conviction was upheld and he was sentenced to come up for sentencing if called upon within 12 months. As a result of his conviction he lost his seat, precipitating the

2006 Matavera by-election The 2006 Matavera by-election was a by-election in the Cook Islands seat of Matavera. It took place on 19 July 2006, and was precipitated by the conviction of former Police Minister Peri Vaevae Pare for fraud. The by-election was won by Cook Islan ...

, and ultimately, the

2006 Cook Islands general election General elections were held in the Cook Islands on 27 September 2006 in order to elect 24 MPs to the Cook Islands Parliament. The Democratic Party remained in power, winning 15 of 24 seats. A total of 8,497 voters turned out to vote. The elect ...

. Pare died in quarantine in May 2020, while returning to the Cook Islands during the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pare, Peri Vaevae 2020 deaths Members of the Parliament of the Cook Islands Government ministers of the Cook Islands Democratic Party (Cook Islands) politicians Cook Islands First Party politicians