View source for Monarchy in the Cook Islands

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{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2020}}

{{Monarchy of New Zealand}}
{{Politics of the Cook Islands}}

The [[Cook Islands]] are a [[constitutional monarchy]] within the [[Realm of New Zealand]]. Under the Cook Islands Constitution, the [[Monarchy in New Zealand|Sovereign in Right of New Zealand]] (currently {{Monarch of New Zealand, current|nameonly=*}}) has been [[Head of State]] of the [[Cook Islands]] since 4 August 1965.  The Sovereign is represented by the [[{{Monarch of New Zealand, current|title=*}}'s Representative]]; as such, the {{Monarch of New Zealand, current|title=*}} is the ''[[de jure]]'' [[head of state]], holding several powers that are {{Monarch of New Zealand, current|genderp=*}} alone, while the {{Monarch of New Zealand, current|title=*}}'s Representative is sometimes referred to as the ''[[de facto]]'' head of state.  The [[viceroy|viceregal]] position is currently held by [[Tom Marsters]].

==History==
In 1965 Queen Elizabeth II became Head of State of the Cook Islands when the country obtained a position of [[Associated state|free-association]] with New Zealand.

Article 2 of the Cook Islands Constitution states that "Her Majesty the Queen in Right of New Zealand shall be the Head of State of the Cook Islands."<ref name="CC">[http://www.paclii.org/cgi-paclii/disp.pl/ck/legis/num_act/cotci327/cotci327.html?query=cotci327 ''Constitution of the Cook Islands'']</ref> The expression "in Right of New Zealand" refers directly to the constitutional concept of the "Realm of New Zealand," as described in the 1983 [[Letters Patent Constituting the Office of Governor-General of New Zealand]], approved by the Cook Islands after consultation with New Zealand. In clause 1, the Realm of New Zealand is defined as including [[New Zealand]], the self-governing state of the Cook Islands, the self-governing state of [[Niue]], Tokelau and the [[Ross Dependency]].

Thus, Elizabeth II, by virtue of being Head of State of her entire Realm of New Zealand, as described in the Letters Patent, was also Head of State of that part of her Realm of New Zealand referred to in the Letters Patent as "the self-governing state of the Cook Islands."

The New Zealand - Cook Islands Joint Centenary Declaration states that:{{blockquote|Her Majesty the Queen as Head of State of the Cook Islands is advised exclusively by Her Cook Islands Ministers in matters relating to the Cook Islands...  In all matters affecting the Realm of New Zealand, of which the Cook Islands and New Zealand are part, there will be close consultation between the Signatories.<ref>[http://www.mfat.govt.nz/foreign/regions/pacific/cookislandseclaration/cooksdec.html Joint Centenary Declaration of the Principles of the Relationship Between New Zealand and the Cook Islands]</ref>}}

On the passing of Elizabeth II on 8 September 2022, her son King Charles III immediately succeeded her to become Head of State of the Cook Islands via its free-association with New Zealand.

==Title==

The King's official title is: ''King [[Charles III|Charles the Third]], [[By the Grace of God]] King of New Zealand and of His Other Realms and Territories, [[Head of the Commonwealth]], [[Fidei Defensor|Defender of the Faith]]''.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Kiro|first1=Cindy|title=Proclamation of Accession|url=https://gazette.govt.nz/notice/id/2022-vr3873|work=New Zealand Gazette|access-date=11 September 2022}}</ref>

==Succession==

[[File:World Leaders - Book of Condolence for HM The Queen (52363684251).jpg|thumb|Prime Minister [[Mark Brown (Cook Islands)|Mark Brown]] signing the book of condolences in memory of Queen Elizabeth II at Lancaster House, 17 September 2022]]

Royal succession is governed by the [[Royal Succession Act 2013]].<ref>[http://legislation.govt.nz/act/public/2013/0149/latest/whole.html#DLM5025814 Royal Succession Act 2013 as at 26 March 2015]</ref> This legislation lays out the rules that the Monarch cannot be a [[Roman Catholic]], and must be in communion with the [[Church of England]] upon ascending the throne.

The [[heir apparent]] is Charles III's eldest son, [[William, Prince of Wales]].

==Sovereign's Representative==
<!--the Cook Islands, a British protectorate from 1888 and a New Zealand colony from 1901, achieved self-government in 1965. In accordance with the Cook Islands Constitution Act 1964 (an Act of the New Zealand Parliament), it is a state in free association with New Zealand, with a common head of State and New Zealand citizenship.-->

{{quote box| width=260px| border=1px| align=left|fontsize=88%| quote=The Queen's Representative is the representative of the Queen of New Zealand. There is a separate representative of the New Zealand Government, and of the Cook Islands in New Zealand.<ref>{{citation|page=75|title=The Future of the Falkland Islands and Its People|year=2003|author=Ljubomir Lalov Ivanov|isbn=9789549150315}}</ref>| salign=right| source=Professor Noel Cox}}

The Monarch's constitutional roles in the Cook Islands have been almost entirely delegated to the [[King's Representative|Sovereign's Representative]]. [[Royal assent]] and proclamation are required for all acts of Parliament; usually granted by the Sovereign's Representative.

Originally the viceregal representative was titled as High Commissioner and was appointed by the [[Governor-General of New Zealand]] on the recommendation of the [[minister in the New Zealand Government]] who was deemed responsible for matters relating to the Cook Islands, and after consultation with the Premier of the Cook Islands.  In the early 1980s, the Cook Island Constitution was amended so that the words "Queen's Representative" were substituted for the word "High Commissioner,"<ref>Constitution Amendment (No 10) Act 1981–82</ref> and the words "Prime Minister" were substituted for the word "Premier."<ref>Constitution Amendment (No 9) Act 1980–81</ref> Further, the 1981 Constitution Amendment decreed that the King's representative was appointed directly by the Monarch; not the Governor-General of New Zealand.  The text states that "[there] shall be a representative of Her Majesty the Queen in the Cook Islands, to be known as the Queen's Representative [to be appointed] by Her Majesty the Queen..."<ref name="CC" />

[[File:Flag of the Queen's Representative.svg|thumb|left|Flag of the [[King's Representative|Sovereign's Representative]] featuring the Crown]]

Article 5 of the Constitution states that the Queen's Representative is to act on the advice of her Cook Islands Ministers: "The Queen's Representative in the performance of his functions as the representative of Her Majesty the Queen shall act on the advice of Cabinet, the Prime Minister, or the appropriate Minister as the case may be..."<ref name="CC" />

{{quote box| width=260px| border=1px| align=right|fontsize=88%| quote=It is indeed my honour to be here today to exercise the prerogative of His Majesty King Charles III, Head of State of the Cook Islands to open this Eighteenth Parliament of the Cook Islands.<ref>{{citation|url=https://parliament.gov.ck/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Speech-fron-the-Throne-compressed-1.pdf|work=Parliament of the Cook Islands|title=Speech From The Throne|date=22 March 2023}}</ref>| salign=right| source=King's Representative [[Tom Marsters]], 2023}}

Over the Realm of New Zealand, the Letters Patent established the office of the [[Governor-General of New Zealand|Governor-General]], and provide that the Governor-General is "[the Queen's] representative in [the] Realm of New Zealand" who may exercise his or her powers and authorities "without prejudice to the office, powers, or authorities of any other person who has been or may be appointed to represent [Her Majesty] in any part of [her] Realm of New Zealand and to exercise powers and authorities on [her] behalf."<ref>''Letters Patent Constituting the Office of Governor-General of New Zealand''</ref> However, the relationship between the Governor-General of New Zealand and the Queen's Representative is quite different. Under the Cook Islands' Constitution, executive power is "vested in Her Majesty the Queen in right of New Zealand... the executive authority of the Cook Islands may be exercised on behalf of Her Majesty by the Queen's Representative either directly or through officers subordinate to him.<ref name="CC" /> This leaves the Governor-General with only an indirect constitutional role in the form of the defence and external affairs prerogatives, arising from the Governor-General's constitutional position in terms of the Realm as a whole. Any viceregal powers and responsibilities in the Cook Islands are vested in the Sovereign's Representative, leaving the Governor-General with no substantive role in relation to the territory.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Townend |first=Andrew |year=2003 |title=The strange death of the Realm of New Zealand: The implications of a New Zealand republic for the Cook Islands and Niue |url= http://www.nzlii.org/nz/journals/VUWLawRw/2003/34.html |journal=Victoria University of Wellington Law Review |volume=34 |issue=3 |pages=571–607 |doi=10.26686/vuwlr.v34i3.5768 |access-date=3 August 2020|hdl=10063/5877 |hdl-access=free }}</ref>

==Royal symbols==
[[File:2009 1 oz Cook Islands Platinum-01.png|thumb|left|Elizabeth II on a 2009 coin of the Cook Islands]]
References to the monarch are commonplace in public life in the Cook Islands. There are references to the Crown in legal documents, Oaths of office taken by the King's Representative, Members of Parliament and Judges of the High Court, and prescriptions in the Constitution require allegiance to be sworn to the reigning Sovereign as the Head of State of the Cook Islands.

Unlike in the [[United Kingdom]], the [[King's Official Birthday]] is a public holiday on the first Monday in June. Elizabeth II's portrait continues to appear on the obverse of coins, and all banknotes feature the portrait of Elizabeth II as the watermark until new currency is issued with Charles III's portrait. However, only the $20 banknote bears her image as the main feature (Cook Islands use the [[New Zealand dollar]]).

Elizabeth II undertook a royal tour of the Cook Islands between 28 January and 29 January 1974.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.royal.gov.uk/MonarchUK/RoyalVisits/Commonwealthvisitssince1952.aspx|title=Commonwealth visits since 1952|website=royal.gov.uk|access-date=20 June 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120215175041/http://www.royal.gov.uk/MonarchUK/RoyalVisits/Commonwealthvisitssince1952.aspx|archive-date=15 February 2012}}</ref>

==List of monarchs==
The following table lists the monarchs who have reigned over the Cook Islands since it was annexed by [[British Empire|Britain]] on 9 October 1900, through its incorporation into the boundaries of the [[colony of New Zealand]] on 11 June 1901, and since achieving [[Self-governance|self-government]] on 4 August 1965.<ref>{{cite web |title=Countries Ci-Co |url=http://rulers.org/rulc3.html#cook_islands |website=rulers.org |access-date=26 December 2023}}</ref>
{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%;"
! rowspan="2" style="width:8%;" |Portrait
! rowspan="2" style="width:15%;" |{{nowrap|[[Regnal name]]}}<br/><small>(Birth–Death)</small>
! style="width:30%;" colspan=2 |Reign
! rowspan="2" style="width:20%;" |Full name
! rowspan="2" style="width:20%;" |Consort
! rowspan="2" |House
|-
!Start
!End
|-
! colspan="7" |As a British colony
|-
| align="center" |[[File:Queen Victoria by Bassano.jpg|120px]]
| align="center" |'''[[Queen Victoria|Victoria]]'''<br/><small>(1819–1901)</small>
|9 October 1900{{efn|The date the Cook Islands were annexed as a [[British Empire|British territory]].}}
|22 January 1901
|Alexandrina Victoria
|''Widowed''
|[[House of Hanover|Hanover]]
|-
| align="center" |[[File:Eduard VII.jpg|120px]]
| align="center" |'''[[Edward VII]]'''<br/><small>(1841–1910)</small>
|22 January 1901
|11 June 1901
|Albert Edward
|[[Alexandra of Denmark]]
|[[House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha|Saxe-Coburg and Gotha]]
|-
! colspan="7" |As a New Zealand colony
|-
| align="center" |[[File:Eduard VII.jpg|120px]]
| align="center" |'''[[Edward VII]]'''<br/><small>(1841–1910)</small>
|11 June 1901
|6 May 1910
|Albert Edward
|[[Alexandra of Denmark]]
|[[House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha|Saxe-Coburg and Gotha]]
|-
| align="center" |[[File:King George 1923 LCCN2014715558 (cropped).jpg|120px]]
| align="center" |'''[[George V]]'''<br/><small>(1865–1936)</small>
|6 May 1910
|20 January 1936
|George Frederick Ernest Albert
|[[Mary of Teck]]
|[[House of Windsor|Windsor]]{{efn|[[House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha|Saxe-Coburg and Gotha]] until 1917, and [[House of Windsor|Windsor]] thereafter.}}
|-
| align="center" |[[File:HRH The Prince of Wales No 4 (HS85-10-36416).jpg|120px]]
| align="center" |'''[[Edward&nbsp;VIII]]'''<br/><small>(1894–1972)</small>
|20 January 1936
|11 December 1936
|Edward Albert Christian George Andrew Patrick David
|''None''
|Windsor
|-
| align="center" |[[File:King George VI LOC matpc.14736 A (cropped).jpg|120px]]
| align="center" |'''[[George VI]]'''<br/><small>(1895–1952)</small>
|11 December 1936
|6 February 1952
|Albert Frederick Arthur George
|[[Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother|Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon]]
|Windsor
|-
| align="center"|[[File:Elizabeth II, Queen of New Zealand.jpeg|120px]]
| align="center"|'''[[Elizabeth II]]'''<br/><small>(1926–2022)</small>
|6 February 1952
|4 August 1965
|Elizabeth Alexandra Mary
|[[Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh|Philip Mountbatten]]
|Windsor
|-
! colspan="7" |As a self-governing country
|-
|rowspan=3 align="center"|[[File:Elizabeth II, Queen of New Zealand.jpeg|120px]]
|rowspan=3 align="center"|'''[[Elizabeth II]]'''<br/><small>(1926–2022)</small>
|4 August 1965
|8 September 2022
|Elizabeth Alexandra Mary
|[[Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh|Philip Mountbatten]]
|Windsor
|-
| colspan="5" |'''[[King's Representative|Queen's Representatives]]''' (from 1975): [[Gaven Donne|Sir Gaven Donne]], [[Graham Speight|Sir Graham Speight]] (acting), [[Tangaroa Tangaroa|Sir Tangaroa Tangaroa]], [[Apenera Short|Sir Apenera Short]], [[Laurence Greig]] (acting), [[Frederick Tutu Goodwin|Sir Frederick Tutu Goodwin]], [[Tom Marsters|Sir Tom Marsters]]
|-
| colspan="5" |'''[[Prime Minister of the Cook Islands|Premiers]]''' (1965-1981) / '''[[Prime Minister of the Cook Islands|Prime Ministers]]''' (from 1981): [[Albert Henry (politician)|Albert Henry]], [[Thomas Davis (Cook Islands politician)|Sir Thomas Davis]], [[Pupuke Robati|Sir Pupuke Robati]], [[Geoffrey Henry|Sir Geoffrey Henry]], [[Joe Williams (Cook Islands politician)|Joe Williams]], [[Terepai Maoate|Sir Terepai Maoate]], [[Robert Woonton]], [[Jim Marurai]], [[Henry Puna]], [[Mark Brown (Cook Islands)|Mark Brown]]
|-
|rowspan=3 align="center"|[[File:King Charles III (July 2023).jpg|120px]]
|rowspan=3 align="center"|'''[[Charles III]]'''<br/><small>(born 1948)</small>
|8 September 2022
|''present''
|Charles Philip Arthur George
|[[Queen Camilla|Camilla Shand]]
|Windsor
|-
| colspan="5" |'''[[King's Representative]]s:''' Sir Tom Marsters
|-
| colspan="5" |'''Prime ministers:''' Mark Brown
|}

===Timeline of kings and queens regnant===

{{#tag:timeline|
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PlotArea  = top:10 bottom:60 right:160 left:20
AlignBars = late

DateFormat = dd/mm/yyyy
Period     = from:01/01/1900 till:01/01/2030
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Define $now	= {{CURRENTDAY2}}/{{CURRENTMONTH2}}/{{CURRENTYEAR}}

Colors     =
  id:MS	value:darkblue legend:King
  id:FS	value:red legend:Queen
  id:time value:rgb(0.9,0.9,0.9)	

Legend     = orientation:horizontal position:bottom

BarData =
 barset:PM
 bar:Victoria
 bar:Edward_VII
 bar:George_V
 bar:Edward_VIII
 bar:George_VI
 bar:Elizabeth_II
 bar:Charles_III

PlotData=
  width:6 align:left fontsize:S shift:(5,-4) anchor:till
  barset:PM

 bar:Victoria		from:09/10/1900 till:22/01/1901	color:FS	text:[[Queen Victoria|Victoria]]
 bar:Edward_VII 	from:22/01/1901 till:06/05/1910	color:MS	text:[[Edward VII]] 
 bar:George_V		from:06/05/1910 till:20/01/1936	color:MS	text:[[George V]] 
 bar:Edward_VIII	from:20/01/1936 till:11/12/1936	color:MS	text:[[Edward VIII]]
 bar:George_VI  	from:11/12/1936 till:06/02/1952	color:MS	text:[[George VI]]
 bar:Elizabeth_II	from:06/02/1952 till:08/09/2022 color:FS	text:[[Elizabeth II]]
 bar:Charles_III    from:08/09/2022 till:$now       color:MS	text:[[Charles III]]
}}

==Notes==
{{notelist}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

==See also==
* [[Kingdom of Rarotonga]]
* [[Monarchy in New Zealand]]
* [[Monarchy of the United Kingdom]]

{{Cook Islands topics}}
{{Commonwealth realms}}
{{Monarchies}}

[[Category:British Empire]]
[[Category:Politics of the Cook Islands]]
[[Category:Political organisations based in the Cook Islands]]
[[Category:Politics of New Zealand]]
[[Category:Government of the Cook Islands]]
[[Category:Cook Islands and the Commonwealth of Nations]]