Teina Bishop (born 11 April 1959) 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, former

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’, � ...

, and leader of the

One Cook Islands Movement The One Cook Islands Movement, formerly known as "Cook Islands One" is a political party in the Cook Islands. It was established in May 2014. The party was founded by former Cabinet Minister Teina Bishop after his resignation from Cabinet and exp ...

. He was jailed for corruption in 2016. Bishop was born in

Aitutaki Aitutaki, also traditionally known as Araura and Utataki, is the second most-populated island in the Cook Islands, after Rarotonga. It is an "almost atoll", with fifteen islets in a lagoon adjacent to the main island. Total land area is , and the ...

and was educated at Araura Primary school, Aitutaki Junior High School, and the

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

before working as a teacher.

Political career

Bishop was first elected to the

Parliament In modern politics, and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: Representation (politics), representing the Election#Suffrage, electorate, making laws, and overseeing ...

as a

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 ...

candidate in the 1999 election. He briefly served as Minister of Education in the Cabinet of Joe Williams before losing the position when Williams lost a confidence 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 ...

. while in opposition he opposed plans to build a casino in the Cook Islands. In 2003 he resigned from Parliament over budget cuts to his constituency, precipitating a

by-election A by-election, also known as a special election in the United States and the Philippines, a bye-election in Ireland, a bypoll in India, or a Zimni election (Urdu: ضمنی انتخاب, supplementary election) in Pakistan, is an election used to f ...

in which he stood as an independent and was returned unopposed. He was re-elected in the 2004 election, and elected Deputy Speaker, a position he held until 2005. In 2006 he was appointed as Minister for the Environment and Outer Islands in 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 ...

, but resigned in July and rejoined the Cook Islands Party, precipitating the 2006 snap election. Bishop was re-elected, and spent the next four years in opposition.

Cabinet and downfall

The Cook Islands party won the 2010 election and Bishop was appointed to Cabinet as Minister of Education, Tourism, and Marine Resources. In May 2011 he increased the number of exploratory fishing licenses available and redirected licensing revenues to boost domestic fishing. In August 2013 Bishop was stood down from Cabinet following allegations of corruption and fraud in his handling of the marine resources portfolio. He was alleged to have mingled his personal business with his ministerial responsibilities in a complicated business arrangement to sell a fishing license to a Chinese company. He was reinstated to the Education and Tourism portfolios in January 2014. He resigned again in April 2014, the day after the 2014 election was called, after a dispute over whether to dissolve Parliament. He subsequently established the

to contest the elections, and was re-elected. In June 2015 he officially formed an alliance with the Democratic Party. The coalition was dissolved in December after a court ruled that Bishop should stand trial, but in March 2016 he was elected leader of the opposition. On 21 July 2016 Bishop was found guilty of corruption over his granting of fisheries licences while a Minister. He was removed from his seat, sparking the 2016 Arutanga-Reureu-Nikaupara by-election. Bishop served a six-month term of imprisonment and was released in June 2017. He did not contest the 2018 election, but remained as One Cook Islands leader.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bishop, Teina Living people 1959 births People from Aitutaki Cook Islands Party politicians University of the South Pacific alumni Members of the Parliament of the Cook Islands Education ministers of the Cook Islands Environment ministers of the Cook Islands Tourism ministers of the Cook Islands One Cook Islands Movement politicians