Henry Puna

Henry Puna Tuakeu ( born July 29, 1949) is a politician of the Cook Islands.

Childhood and education

Puna was born in 1949 and grew up with seven brothers and five sisters in Aitutaki on. He studied law at the University of Auckland and the University of Tasmania and then returned to the Cook Islands back to work as a lawyer.

Political career

Puna was elected to the Parliament of the Cook Islands for the first time in 2005. Following the resignation of Geoffrey Henry in September 2006, he became chairman of the Cook Islands Party. In the same year he lost his seat in Parliament, but remained chairman of the party. In the elections of November 2010, the Cook Islands Party 16 of the 24 seats won in parliament. Puna was sworn in on 30 November 2010 as Prime Minister of the Cook Islands.