Piho Rua (born 15 November 1954) 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 = , langu ...

politician and former member of the Cook Islands Parliament. Rua was born on

Rakahanga Rakahanga is part of the Cook Islands, situated in the central-southern Pacific Ocean. The unspoilt atoll is from the Cook Islands' Capital city, capital, Rarotonga, and lies south of the equator. Its nearest neighbour is Manihiki which is jus ...

and educated at

Aitutaki Junior High School Aitutaki, also traditionally known as Araura and Utataki, is the second most-populated island in the Cook Islands, after Rarotonga. It is an "almost atoll", with fifteen islets in a lagoon adjacent to the main island. Total land area is , and the ...

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 ...

. He had a twenty-year career as a police officer before becoming a public servant and serving as Chief Executive of the Prime Minister's Office. While serving in that role, Rua advocated for tight control of the media to prevent stories critical of the government. He also attracted controversy after being promoted to the rank of police superintendent, despite having left the police force. He was first elected to Parliament at the 2004 election, winning the seat of

from

Speaker of the House The speaker of a deliberative assembly, especially a legislative body, is its presiding officer, or the chair. The title was first used in 1377 in England. Usage The title was first recorded in 1377 to describe the role of Thomas de Hunger ...

and former

Prime Minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is ...

Pupuke Robati. The election was later subject to an unsuccessful electoral petition. During the post-election period he was courted by Prime Minister

Robert Woonton Robert Woonton (born 1949) is a Cook Islands politician and diplomat. He served as Prime Minister of the Cook Islands from 11 February 2002 until 11 December 2004, and later as High Commissioner to New Zealand. He was a member of the centrist Dem ...

, but declined to join his new party. When Woonton resigned his seat, he supported Jim Marurai as Prime Minister, and was appointed to Cabinet as Minister of Culture, Tourism, and the Public Service Commission. Rua was forced to resign from Cabinet in May 2005 after concerns over his handling of his ministries. A subsequent audit of ministerial expenses revealed that Rua had spent $US4,500 on personal phone calls in just six months in office; he agreed to repay the money. In December 2005, Rua was accused of selling unauthorized DVDs of Peter jackson's

King Kong King Kong is a fictional giant monster resembling a gorilla, who has appeared in various media since 1933. He has been dubbed The Eighth Wonder of the World, a phrase commonly used within the franchise. His first appearance was in the novelizat ...

through his retail store. In 2006, Rua aligned himself with the opposition

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 ...

in an unsuccessful attempt to overthrow the governing coalition in a confidence vote. In September 2010 Rua announced that he was retiring from politics and would not contest the 2010 election.

References

External links

Profile
at Cook Islands Parliament. {{DEFAULTSORT:Rua, Piho 1954 births Living people Members of the Parliament of the Cook Islands People from Rakahanga Culture ministers of the Cook Islands Tourism ministers of the Cook Islands Cook Island police officers Independent politicians in the Cook Islands