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Teina Bishop (born 11 April 1959) is a Cook Islands politician, former Cabinet Minister, and leader of the One Cook Islands Movement. He was jailed for corruption in 2016.

Bishop was born in Aitutaki and was educated at Araura Primary school, Aitutaki Junior High School, and the University of the South Pacific before working as a teacher.

Political career

Bishop was first elected to the Parliament as a Cook Islands Party candidate in the 1999 election. He briefly served as Minister of Education in the Cabinet of Joe Williams before losing the position when Williams lost a confidence vote to Terepai Maoate. while in opposition he opposed plans to build a casino in the Cook Islands.

In 2003 he resigned from Parliament over budget cuts to his constituency, precipitating a by-election in which he stood as an independent and was returned unopposed. He was re-elected in the 2004 election, and elected Deputy Speaker, a position he held until 2005. In 2006 he was appointed as Minister for the Environment and Outer Islands in the cabinet of Jim Marurai, but resigned in July and rejoined the Cook Islands Party, precipitating the 2006 snap election. Bishop was re-elected, and spent the next four years in opposition.

Cabinet and downfall

The Cook Islands party won the 2010 election and Bishop was appointed to Cabinet as Minister of Education, Tourism, and Marine Resources. In May 2011 he increased the number of exploratory fishing licenses available and redirected licensing revenues to boost domestic fishing.

In August 2013 Bishop was stood down from Cabinet following allegations of corruption and fraud in his handling of the marine resources portfolio. He was alleged to have mingled his personal business with his ministerial responsibilities in a complicated business arrangement to sell a fishing license to a Chinese company. He was reinstated to the Education and Tourism portfolios in January 2014. He resigned again in April 2014, the day after the 2014 election was called, after a dispute over whether to dissolve Parliament. He subsequently established the One Cook Islands Movement to contest the elections, and was re-elected. In June 2015 he officially formed an alliance with the Democratic Party. The coalition was dissolved in December after a court ruled that Bishop should stand trial, but in March 2016 he was elected leader of the opposition.

On 21 July 2016 Bishop was found guilty of corruption over his granting of fisheries licences while a Minister. He was removed from his seat, sparking the 2016 Arutanga-Reureu-Nikaupara by-election. Bishop served a six-month term of imprisonment and was released in June 2017. He did not contest the 2018 election, but remained as One Cook Islands leader.

References

1. "Mr. Teina BISHOP". Parliament of the Cook Islands. Archived from the original on 1 October 2010.
2. "NEW COOK ISLANDS DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER, AND SIR GEOFFREY HENRY RETURNS TO". Pacific Islands Report. 12 November 1999. Retrieved 7 July 2020.
3. Jason Brown (7 August 2000). "COOK ISLANDS PARTY SAYS 'NO GO' TO CASINO PROPOSAL". Pacific Islands Report. Retrieved 7 July 2020.
4. "Cooks MP delivers resignation to speaker's office". RNZ. 18 August 2003. Retrieved 7 July 2020.
5. "Teina Bishop returns to Cook Islands Parliament unopposed". RNZ. 5 November 2003. Retrieved 7 July 2020.
6. Jonassen, Jon Tikivanotau M. "Polynesia in Review: Issues and Events, 1 July 2006 to 30 June 2007: Cook Islands" (PDF). The Contemporary Pacific. 20 (1): 216–22. doi:10.1353/cp.2008.0015. Retrieved 7 July 2020.
7. "Cooks PM announces cabinet line up". RNZ. 3 December 2010. Retrieved 8 July 2020.
8. "Who's who in Cabinet". Cook Islands Government. Archived from the original on 25 November 2010. Retrieved 15 December 2010.
9. "Cook Islands govt approves an additional 20 licences for exploratory fishing". RNZ. 26 May 2011. Retrieved 8 July 2020.
10. "Foreign fishing revenues to go to Cooks fishers". RNZ. 12 October 2011. Retrieved 8 July 2020.
11. Barbara Dreaver (5 August 2013). "Cook Islands Govt Minister under police investigation". One News. Archived from the original on 2 February 2014. Retrieved 28 January 2014.
12. Emmanuel Samoglou (16 January 2014). "Bishop back in cabinet fold". Cook Islands News. Retrieved 8 July 2020 – via Issu.
13. "Cooks minister Bishop resigns". RNZ. 18 April 2014. Retrieved 8 July 2020.
14. "Bishop resigns from Cabinet". Cook Islands News. 18 April 2014. Retrieved 8 July 2020.
15. "New group emerges to contest Cooks election". RNZ. 5 May 2014. Retrieved 8 July 2020.
16. "Cooks opposition parties cement coalition". RNZ. 17 June 2015. Retrieved 8 July 2020.
17. "Cooks opposition coalition splits". RNZ. 2 December 2015. Retrieved 8 July 2020.
18. "Bishop named new Cook Islands opposition leader". RNZ. 25 March 2016. Retrieved 8 July 2020.
19. "Cooks MP Teina Bishop found guilty of corruption". RNZ International. 21 July 2016. Retrieved 22 July 2016.
20. Losirene Lacanivalu (21 July 2016). "Teina Bishop found guilty!". Cook Islands News. Retrieved 22 July 2016.
21. "Cook Islands by-election date set". RNZ International. 18 August 2016. Retrieved 20 August 2016.
22. "Homecoming for Cook Islands ex-MP free from jail". RNZ. 9 June 2017. Retrieved 8 July 2020.

• Living people
• 1959 births
• People from Aitutaki
• Cook Islands Party politicians
• University of the South Pacific alumni
• Members of the Parliament of the Cook Islands
• Education ministers of the Cook Islands
• Environment ministers of the Cook Islands
• Tourism ministers of the Cook Islands
• One Cook Islands Movement politicians