Office3: | Minister of Telecommunications |
Primeminister3: | Mark Brown |
Term Start3: | 2 June 2021 |
Term End3: | 1 August 2022 |
Predecessor3: | Mark Brown |
Office4: | Minister of Tourism |
Primeminister4: | Mark Brown |
Term Start4: | 8 October 2020 |
Term End4: | 1 August 2022 |
Predecessor4: | Henry Puna |
Constituency Mp5: | Murienua |
Parliament5: | Cook Islands |
Term Start5: | 14 June 2018 |
Term End5: | 1 August 2022 |
Predecessor5: | James Beer |
Successor5: | Teariki Heather |
Birth Date: | 24 July 1971 |
Party: | Cook Islands Party |
Patrick Arioka (born 24 July 1971)[1] is a Cook Islands politician and former Cabinet Minister. He is a former member of the Cook Islands Parliament, representing the seat of Murienua. He is a member of the Cook Islands Party.
Arioka was born on Rarotonga and educated at Avatea School, Avarua School, and Atiu College.[1] He studied tropical agriculture at the University of the South Pacific campus in Alafua, followed by a Master in Business Administration.[1] He worked as a forestry officer for the government, and then as a policy advisor.[1] He served on the board of the Cook Islands Red Cross Society from 2006 to 2018, and from 2016 to 2018 was its president.[1] [2]
Arioka served as campaign manager for unsuccessful CIP candidate Kaota Tuariki in the 2014 Murienua by-election.[3] He contested the seat himself at the 2014, losing to the Democratic party's James Beer.[4] He entered parliament after winning the seat at the 2018 election.[5] Following the election he was appointed associate agriculture minister.[6]
On 8 October 2020 Arioka was appointed to the Cabinet of Prime Minister Mark Brown as Minister of Tourism and the Business Trade and Investment Board.[7] A further reshuffle on 2 June 2021 saw him gain the Telecommunications portfolio.[8]
He lost his seat in the 2022 Cook Islands general election.[9] In January 2023 he was appointed to the board of the Cook Islands Investment Corporation.[10]