Akaiti Puna Explained
Akaitiiti O Te Rangi Puna (born 5 September 1952)[1] is a Cook Islands politician and member of the Cook Islands Parliament. She is a member of the Cook Islands Party. She is married to the former Cook Islands Prime Minister Henry Puna and the sister of MP Tukaka Ama.[2]
Puna was born on Rarotonga and educated at Tereora College[1] and at Auckland Girls' Grammar School in New Zealand.[3] She began playing netball at school in New Zealand, and continued on her return to the Cook Islands, playing for Ngatangiia.[3] She served as manager for Netball Cook Islands at the 1981 South Pacific Mini Games,[3] and later served on its board.[4] From 1972 she worked for Air New Zealand.[5]
Following her husband's election as Prime Minister in the 2010 election Puna managed their pearl farm on Manihiki.[6] When he retired in 2021 in order to take up the job of Secretary General of the Pacific Islands Forum[7] she stood in his former seat of Manihiki in the resulting by-election,[8] and was elected.[9] She was sworn in as an MP on 31 May 2021.[10]
She was re-elected at the 2022 Cook Islands general election.[11]
Notes and References
- Web site: Akaitiiti-o-te-Rangi PUNA . Cook Islands Parliament . 14 August 2022.
- Web site: Brother-sister duo fulfil parents dream . Cook Islands News . Melina Etches . 24 March 2023 . 25 March 2023.
- Web site: For the love of the game- Akaiti Puna . Cook Islands Sports National Olympic Commission . 24 May 2020 . 6 May 2021.
- Web site: It’s all about commitment: netball . Cook Islands News . 20 July 2013 . 6 May 2021.
- Web site: PUNA GETS COOK ISLANDS’ HIGH COMMISSIONER’S JOB IN NEW ZEALAND . Pacific Islands Report . 28 September 1999 . 6 May 2021 . 20 July 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200720145519/http://www.pireport.org/articles/1999/09/28/puna-gets-cook-islands%E2%80%99-high-commissioner%E2%80%99s-job-new-zealand . dead .
- Web site: Thrust into the limelight . Cook Islands News . 11 December 2010 . 6 May 2021.
- Web site: Puna bids farewell with some words of advice . Losirene Lacanivalu . Cook Islands News . 24 March 2021 . 8 April 2021.
- Web site: Akaiti Puna named CIP candidate . Rashneel Kumar . Cook Islands News . 13 April 2021 . 14 April 2021.
- Web site: Akaiti Puna wins Manihiki by-election, CIP majority intact . Cook Islands News . Rashneel Kumar . 6 May 2021 . 6 May 2021.
- Web site: Puna a Manihikian at heart . Caleb Fotheringham . Cook Islands News . 1 June 2021 . 2 June 2021.
- Web site: WARRANT DECLARING THE SUCCESSFUL CANDIDATES AND THE NUMBER OF VOTES RECEIVED BY EACH CANDIDATE . Cook Islands Gazette . 11 August 2022 . 13 August 2022.