Agnes Helen Armstrong (born 10 June 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 and member of the Cook Islands Parliament. She is a member of the Cook Islands Democratic Party. Armstrong is from

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 ...

and was educated at Nikao Side School and

Tereora College Tereora College is a secondary school in Nikao, Rarotonga, Cook Islands. It is the oldest secondary school in the Cook Islands and the national college of the Cook Islands for Year 9-13 students. The school was first established in 1895 by the ...

. She worked as a seafood retailer, shipping agent, and for Air New Zealand. She moved to

Mangaia Mangaia (traditionally known as A'ua'u Enua, which means ''terraced'') is the most southerly of the Cook Islands and the second largest, after Rarotonga. It is a roughly circular island, with an area of , from Rarotonga. Originally heavily popula ...

in 2016 to start an orchard. Her husband contested the 2017 Ivirua by-election following the retirement of Jim Marurai and was elected to Parliament. Following his death in 2018 she contested the resulting 2019 Ivirua by-election and was elected in his place. Shortly after the election, she attended the UNDP's Pacific Women in Power Forum with other female Cook Island's MP's. In December 2019 she was part of a protest by women MPs to permit the wearing of ei katu (floral crowns) in Parliament. In February 2020 she was appointed spokesperson for Internal Affairs, and Outer Islands Special Projects. In April 2020 Armstrong voluntarily took a 15% pay cut to help her constituents during the COVID-19 pandemic. In June of that year she advocated for tariffs on imported fruit and vegetables to encourage local production. She was re-elected at the

2022 Cook Islands general election General elections were held in the Cook Islands on 1 August 2022. A referendum on legalising medical cannabis was held on the same day. Background In the 2018 general election, the Democratic Party won a plurality with 11 seats but fell shor ...

References

Living people 1959 births People from Rarotonga Members of the Parliament of the Cook Islands Democratic Party (Cook Islands) politicians Cook Island women in politics {{CookIslands-politician-stub