Sir Terepai Tuamure Maoate (1 September 1934 – 9 July 2012) was

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 Associated state, free association with New Zealand. The office was established in 1965, when Hi ...

from 18 November 1999 to 11 February 2002. He was a member of the Cook Islands Democratic Party. Maoate was born in

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 ...

on 1 September 1934, and educated at Ngatangiia Primary School,

Fiji School of Medicine The Fiji School of Medicine is a tertiary institution based in Suva, Fiji. Originally established in 1885 as the ''Suva Medical School''. FSM became the College of Medicine, Nursing & Health Sciences as part of Fiji National University in 2010. ...

, and the

University of Auckland , mottoeng = By natural ability and hard work , established = 1883; years ago , endowment = NZD $293 million (31 December 2021) , budget = NZD $1.281 billion (31 December 2021) , chancellor = Cecilia Tarrant , vice_chancellor = Dawn F ...

(New Zealand). He worked as a medical doctor before becoming Director of Clinical Services for the Ministry of Health in 1976. Maoate was elected to the Cook Islands Parliament as MP for Ngatangiia in the March 1983 general election. He subsequently served as Minister of Health and Agriculture in the Democratic cabinet of Tom Davis, and between 1985 and 1989 was also

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, ...

. In 1998, Maoate became Leader of the Democratic party and Leader of the Opposition. The 1999 election produced a

hung Parliament A hung parliament is a term used in legislatures primarily under the Westminster system to describe a situation in which no single political party or pre-existing coalition (also known as an alliance or bloc) has an absolute majority of legisl ...

, and following several coalition realignments, Maoate became Prime Minister. He was ousted by his former Deputy Prime Minister

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 ...

on 11 February 2002, and subsequently became Leader of the Opposition. In early 2003 the Democratic Party re-merged, and Maoate was reappointed to cabinet, replacing

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 ...

leader Geoffrey Henry as Deputy Prime Minister. However the arrangement did not last, with Maoate resigning and tabling a motion of no-confidence in the government in November. Continued factional infighting saw Maoate fail to become Prime Minister after the 2004 elections, when a group of Democratic Party MPs split to back

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 an ...

. However, a coalition realignment in 2005 saw Maoate reappointed as Deputy Prime Minister again. In July 2009, he was given the additional position of Foreign Minister. In December 2009 Maoate was sacked as Deputy Prime Minister in favour of

Robert Wigmore Robert George Wigmore (8 September 1949 – 13 April 2012) was leader of the Cook Islands Democratic Party from 2010 - 2012, and Deputy Prime Minister of the Cook Islands from 2009 - 2010. He served as a Minister in the Cabinets of Robert W ...

, sparking a mass-resignation of Democratic Party cabinet members and the withdrawal of support for the government. He was subsequently replaced as Democratic Party leader by Wigmore in June 2010. In September 2010 he failed to be reselected for his Ngatangiia seat after losing a run-off. He subsequently decided to run as an independent, but was unsuccessful. Maoate was knighted in 2007. Maoate died on 9 July 2012 aged 77.

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at Cook Islands Parliament. {{DEFAULTSORT:Maoate, Terepai 1934 births 2012 deaths Prime Ministers of the Cook Islands Deputy Prime Ministers of the Cook Islands Agriculture ministers of the Cook Islands Foreign Ministers of the Cook Islands Health ministers of the Cook Islands Members of the Parliament of the Cook Islands University of Auckland alumni People from Rarotonga Knights Commander of the Order of the British Empire Democratic Party (Cook Islands) politicians Fiji School of Medicine alumni Cook Island medical doctors Cook Island knights Independent politicians in the Cook Islands