Inatio Akaruru (31 March 1937 – 31 January 2014) was a

Cook Islands ) , image_map = Cook Islands on the globe (small islands magnified) (Polynesia centered).svg , capital = Avarua , coordinates = , largest_city = Avarua , official_languages = , langu ...

politician, cabinet minister and

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, ...

. He was a member of the

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 ...

. Akaruru was born on

Pukapuka Pukapuka, formerly Danger Island, is a coral atoll in the northern group of the Cook Islands in the Pacific Ocean. It is one of most remote islands of the Cook Islands, situated about northwest of Rarotonga. On this small island, an ancient ...

. He worked as a public servant before being elected as MP for

at the 1968 election. He served as a Cabinet Minister in the government of Albert Henry and as Deputy Prime Minister to

Geoffrey Henry Sir Geoffrey Arama Henry (16 November 1940 – 9 May 2012) was a Cook Island politician who was twice the Prime Minister of the Cook Islands. He was leader of the Cook Islands Party (CIP) from 1979 to 2006. Early life Henry was a native of ...

. At the 1999 election Akaruru held the Pukapuka-Nassau seat by a single vote. The result was challenged by the Democratic Alliance Party and declared invalid. A by-election in September 1999 was also subsequently invalidated. Akaruru contested the resulting

2000 Pukapuka-Nassau by-election The 2000 Pukapuka-Nassau by-election was a by-election in the Cook Islands electorate of Pukapuka-Nassau. It took place on 28 September 2000. The by-election was caused by the invalidation of the 1999 Pukapuka-Nassau by-election. The Cook Isla ...

and was defeated. In 1977, Akaruru was awarded the

Queen Elizabeth II Silver Jubilee Medal The Queen Elizabeth II Silver Jubilee Medal (french: link=no, Médaille du jubilé d'argent de la reine Elizabeth II) is a commemorative medal created in 1977 to mark the 25th anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II's accession in 1952. The medal is p ...

. He was appointed a

Commander of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established ...

in the

1992 New Year Honours The New Year Honours 1992 were appointments by most of the Commonwealth realms of Queen Elizabeth II to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of those countries, and honorary ones to citizens of other countrie ...

. Akaruru was interested in

bowls Bowls, also known as lawn bowls or lawn bowling, is a sport in which the objective is to roll biased balls so that they stop close to a smaller ball called a "jack" or "kitty". It is played on a bowling green, which may be flat (for "flat-g ...

and was President of the Cook Islands Bowling Association from 1984 to 2006. He represented the Cook Islands in Bowls at the 1990 Auckland and 2002 Manchester Commonwealth Games.

References

1937 births 2014 deaths Deputy Prime Ministers of the Cook Islands Members of the Parliament of the Cook Islands Cook Islands Party politicians Cook Island male bowls players People from Pukapuka Cook Island Commanders of the Order of the British Empire Bowls players at the 1990 Commonwealth Games Bowls players at the 2002 Commonwealth Games Commonwealth Games competitors for the Cook Islands {{CookIslands-politician-stub