Norman George
7th Speaker of the Cook Islands Parliament
In office
15 December 2004 – 2006
MonarchElizabeth II
Prime MinisterJim Marurai
RepresentativeSir Frederick Tutu Goodwin
Preceded byPupuke Robati
Succeeded byMapu Taia
8th Deputy Prime Minister of the Cook Islands
In office
1 December 1999 – 30 July 2001
Prime MinisterTerepai Maoate
RepresentativeSir Apenera Short
Laurence Greig (Acting)
Preceded byTupou Faireka
Succeeded byRobert Woonton
In office
29 June 1999 – 15 October 1999
Prime MinisterGeoffrey Henry
Joe Williams
RepresentativeSir Apenera Short
Preceded byInatio Akaruru
Succeeded byTupou Faireka
Minister of Foreign Affairs
In office
1984–1989
Prime MinisterTom Davis
Pupuke Robati
Succeeded byInatio Akaruru
Member of the Cook Islands Parliament
for Teenui–Mapumai
In office
8 June 2006 – 9 July 2014
Preceded byUpokomaki Simpson
Succeeded byRose Toki-Brown
Member of the Cook Islands Parliament
for Tengatangi–Areora–Ngatiarua
In office
30 March 1983 – 7 September 2004
Succeeded byEugene Tatuava
Personal details
Born (1946-07-02) 2 July 1946
Atiu, Cook Islands
Political partyCook Islands Democratic Party
New Alliance Party
Cook Islands Party

Norman George (born 2 July 1946) is a Cook Islands politician and former Speaker of the Cook Islands Parliament, Deputy Prime Minister, and Cabinet Minister.

George was first elected to the Parliament of the Cook Islands in 1983. He represented the electorate of Tengatangi–Areora–Ngatiarua for 21 years. Repeated conflicts over leadership and cabinet posts saw him quit, found, and rejoin parties, moving from the Cook Islands Democratic Party to the Alliance and back, then to the New Alliance Party before returning to the Democrats. After losing his seat in the 2004 election and serving as Speaker, he represented the seat of Teenui–Mapumai for eight years, initially as an independent, then as a member of the Cook Islands Party, then as an independent again.

George lost his seat at the 2014 Cook Islands general election.

Early life

George was born in Atiu in the Cook Islands. He worked as a police officer, first for the Cook Islands Police Service and then for the New Zealand Police.[1] In 1977 he won an apology and a settlement for damages and costs from then-Broadcasting Minister Tupui Henry over allegations that he and another man were "agitators" and "disturbing elements in a public place".[2] In 1979 he was appointed as the Cook Islands' first Consul-General to New Zealand.[3] He returned to Rarotonga in 1982 where he worked as a lawyer.[1]

Democrats and Alliance

George was first elected to the Cook Islands Parliament in the March 1983 Cook Islands general election as a candidate for the Cook Islands Democratic Party. An electoral petition against his election was unsuccessful.[4] Following the victory of Tom Davis in the November 1983 election he was appointed to Cabinet as Minister of Foreign Affairs, Corrective Services, and the Crown Law Office.[5] He later organised the toppling of Davis and his replacement by Pupuke Robati.[6]

In 1991 George contested the Democratic Party leadership, losing by a single vote to Terepai Maoate.[7] A subsequent dispute over spending saw him removed as party whip and then expelled from the party.[7] He established the Alliance Party, which subsequently won two seats in the 1994 elections. The Alliance rejoined the Democrats, but a further struggle over the leadership between George and Terepai Maoate saw George split off again in 1997 to form the New Alliance Party. At the 1999 elections the party won four seats.[8] George announced that he was forming a coalition with Prime Minister Geoffrey Henry, and was appointed Deputy Prime Minister.[9] He retained the position when Henry resigned in favour of Joe Williams,[10] but was sacked in October 1999 after he defected to the opposition.[11] He subsequently supported Terepai Maoate as Prime Minister and was reappointed as Deputy Prime Minister.[12][13]

As Deputy Prime Minister, George made controversial statements that businessmen were involved in drug-smuggling,[14] proposed removing customary land-rights from expatriate Cook Islanders,[15] and demanded that newspapers be licensed.[16] He was sacked by Maoate in July 2001 following disagreements over the budget and portfolio allocations.[17] Initially the coalition remained intact,[18] but by December 2001 George reportedly planned to put forward a motion of no confidence in Maoate.[19] In February 2002 he supported Maoate's ousting by Robert Woonton, and was appointed to Woonton's Cabinet.[20] While Geoffrey Henry became Deputy Prime Minister, George was rewarded with a long list of Ministerial portfolios, including Justice, Attorney-General, Energy, Environment, and Outer Islands Development.[21]

The New Alliance Party subsequently merged with the Democratic Alliance Party,[22] but George was sacked from Cabinet again in November 2002.[23] A series of scandals over conflicts of interest,[24] the apparent sale of a residency permit to New Zealand developer Mark Lyon,[25] and a court case over "double dipping"[26] saw George decline in popularity. When the Democratic Party did not select him as a candidate for the 2004 elections,[27] he split from the party and established the Tumu Enua Party, but failed to win reelection.[28]

Cook Islands Party

Following his election defeat George was appointed Speaker of the Cook Islands Parliament.[29] He subsequently returned to Parliament in the 2006 Teenui-Mapumai by-election as an independent aligned with the Cook Islands Party.[30] He was re-elected in the 2006 elections as a CIP candidate.

George was re-elected at the 2010 election and was one of four candidates for the post of Deputy Prime Minister.[31] He did not gain that position, and after he failed to gain a Cabinet post he refused to attend the swearing-in ceremony at Parliament.[32] He subsequently resigned from the Cook Islands Party and became an independent again.[33] In February 2012 he attempted to rejoin the Democratic Party to contest the leadership,[34] but his application to rejoin was refused.[35] He was eventually allowed to rejoin in November 2013.[36] He ran for re-election at the 2014 election, but lost his seat to his niece, Rose Toki-Brown.

Disbarment and decline

In April 2015 he contested the leadership of the Democratic Party after the departure of Wilkie Rasmussen,[37] but lost to William (Smiley) Heather.

In September 2013 following repeated complaints over his conduct as a lawyer George was barred from taking on land cases before the Cook Islands Court for three years, and barred from appearing before the Cook Islands Court of Appeal for 18 months.[38] In October 2015 he was permanently barred from the land court after failing to obey the suspension.[39]

George stood for the seat of Tengatangi–Areora–Ngatiarua at the 2018 election for the Alternative Must Ravenga Openga party on a platform of making Atiu great again.[40] He received only 7 votes and lost to Te-Hani Brown.[41]

In December 2019 George launched a private prosecution for fraud against Prime Minister Henry Puna and Deputy Prime Minister Mark Brown, alleging that a government-chartered aircraft had been misused. The case is still unresolved.[42]

References

  1. 1 2 "Norman George". Cook Islands Parliament. Archived from the original on 1 October 2010. Retrieved 27 March 2009.
  2. ↑ "'Sorry, sergeant', says the minister". Pacific Islands Monthly. Vol. 48, no. 1. 1 January 1977. p. 27. Retrieved 24 July 2020 – via National Library of Australia.
  3. ↑ "People". Pacific Islands Monthly. Vol. 50, no. 5. 1 May 1979. p. 50. Retrieved 24 July 2020 – via National Library of Australia.
  4. ↑ "Tangled tale of electoral petitions in the Cooks". Pacific Islands Monthly. Vol. 54, no. 8. 1 August 1983. p. 14. Retrieved 24 July 2020 – via National Library of Australia.
  5. ↑ ""Strongest" cabinet in the Cooks". Pacific Islands Monthly. Vol. 55, no. 10. 1 October 1984. p. 61. Retrieved 24 July 2020 – via National Library of Australia.
  6. ↑ "Exit Sir Tom..." Pacific Islands Monthly. Vol. 58, no. 9. 1 September 1987. p. 37. Retrieved 24 July 2020 – via National Library of Australia.
  7. 1 2 "Bad Boy George". Pacific Islands Monthly. Vol. 63, no. 3. 1 March 1993. p. 17-19. Retrieved 24 July 2020 – via National Library of Australia.
  8. ↑ Florence Syme-Buchanan (1 July 1999). "Cook Islands king maker crows". Pacific Islands Monthly. Vol. 69, no. 7. p. 50-51. Retrieved 24 July 2020 – via National Library of Australia.
  9. ↑ "SIR GEOFFREY HENRY REMAINS COOKS ISLANDS PRIME MINISTER, NEW CABINET MINISTERS". Pacific Islands Report. 30 June 1999. Retrieved 24 July 2020.
  10. ↑ "COOK ISLANDS MINISTERIAL PORTFOLIOS". Pacific Islands Report. 6 August 1999. Retrieved 24 July 2020.
  11. ↑ "COOK ISLANDS OPPOSITION WAITING TO INTRODUCE NO CONFIDENCE MOTION IN". Pacific Islands Report. 15 October 1999. Retrieved 24 July 2020.
  12. ↑ "NEW COOK ISLANDS GOVERNMENT TAKES OFFICE". Pacific Islands Report. 18 November 1999. Retrieved 24 July 2020.
  13. ↑ "Portfolio Allocations". Pacific Islands Report. 1 December 1999. Retrieved 30 June 2020.
  14. ↑ "COOK ISLAND'S GOVERNMENT RESPONDS TO DRUG CLAIMS". Pacific Islands Report. 31 January 2000. Retrieved 24 July 2020.
  15. ↑ "ACTING COOK ISLANDS PM GEORGE SUGGESTS LAND RIGHTS CHANGE". Pacific Islands Report. 10 March 2000. Retrieved 24 July 2020.
  16. ↑ "COOK ISLANDS DEPUTY PM GEORGE CALLS FOR NEWSPAPER LICENSING". Pacific Islands Report. 23 April 2001. Retrieved 24 July 2020.
  17. ↑ "NORMAN GEORGE SACKED AS COOK ISLANDS DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER". Pacific Islands Report. 30 July 2001. Retrieved 24 July 2020.
  18. ↑ "COOK ISLANDS COALITION GOVERNMENT IS STILL INTACT". Pacific Islands Report. 10 August 2001. Retrieved 24 July 2020.
  19. ↑ "COOK ISLANDS FACES COALITION CRISIS". Pacific Islands Report. 7 December 2001. Retrieved 24 July 2020.
  20. ↑ "COOK ISLANDS GOVERNMENT FALLS". Pacific Islands Report. 13 February 2002. Retrieved 30 June 2020.
  21. ↑ "COOK ISLANDS PRIME MINISTER WOONTON'S AND NORMAN GEORGE'S LONG PORTFOLIO". Pacific Islands Report. 18 February 2002. Retrieved 24 July 2020.
  22. ↑ "Cook Islands prime minister's party merges with New Alliance". RNZ. 10 May 2002. Retrieved 24 July 2020.
  23. ↑ "Cook Islands justice minister sacked from cabinet". RNZ. 8 November 2002. Retrieved 24 July 2020.
  24. ↑ "Cooks MP Norman George not concerned about conflict of interest claims". RNZ. 11 November 2003. Retrieved 25 July 2020.
  25. ↑ "Cook Islands MP defends Lyon permit decision". RNZ. 12 December 2003. Retrieved 25 July 2020.
  26. ↑ "Cook Islands court clears MP Norman George of double-dipping allegation". RNZ. 19 January 2004. Retrieved 25 July 2020.
  27. ↑ "Cook Islands Democratic Party appears to confirm nomination". RNZ. 6 May 2004. Retrieved 25 July 2020.
  28. ↑ "Senior Cook Islands politician appears to lose seat in General Elections". RNZ. 13 September 2004. Retrieved 25 July 2020.
  29. ↑ "New speaker elected in the Cook Islands". RNZ. 15 December 2004. Retrieved 24 July 2020.
  30. ↑ "Cook Islands politician, Norman George, wins Atiu by- election". RNZ. 12 June 2006. Retrieved 24 July 2020.
  31. ↑ "Race begins for position of Cook Islands Deputy PM". RNZ. 21 November 2010. Retrieved 7 July 2020.
  32. ↑ "Cook Islands MP Norman George to face Parliamentary Privileges Committee". RNZ. 12 May 2011. Retrieved 25 July 2020.
  33. ↑ "Cook Islands Party MP resigns from party". RNZ. 9 March 2011. Retrieved 25 July 2020.
  34. ↑ "Cook Islands veteran politician swapping parties again". RNZ. 20 February 2012. Retrieved 25 July 2020.
  35. ↑ "Cooks opposition says George still CIP member". RNZ. 10 September 2013. Retrieved 25 July 2020.
  36. ↑ "George returns to Cook Islands Democratic Party". RNZ. 6 November 2013. Retrieved 25 July 2020.
  37. ↑ "Cooks Democratic Party looks for fresh start". RNZ. 15 April 2015. Retrieved 25 July 2020.
  38. ↑ "Cooks MP George constrained as lawyer". RNZ. 28 September 2013. Retrieved 25 July 2020.
  39. ↑ "High profile lawyer banned in Cook Islands". RNZ. 7 October 2015. Retrieved 25 July 2020.
  40. ↑ "Cooks candidate wants to make 'Atiu great again'". RNZ. 6 June 2018. Retrieved 25 July 2020.
  41. ↑ "Cook Islands Parliamentary Elections 2018 Public Notice No.8". MFRM. 28 June 2018. Archived from the original on 13 November 2018.
  42. ↑ "Cook Islands PM, deputy PM accused of fraud". RNZ. 11 December 2019. Retrieved 17 June 2020.
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