{{Short description|Cook Islands politician}} {{Use dmy dates|date=February 2023}} {{Infobox officeholder |honorific_prefix = |name = Tina Pupuke-Browne |honorific_suffix = |image = |caption = |office = |prime_minister = |term_start = |term_end = |predecessor = |successor = |office2 = |term_start2 = |term_end2 = |prime_minister2 = |predecessor2 = |successor2 = |office3 = |deputy3 = |term_start3 = |term_end3 = |predecessor3 = |successor3 = |office4 = |leader4 = |term_start4 = |term_end4 = |predecessor4 = |successor4 = |constituency_MP5 = Rakahanga |parliament5 = Cook Islands |term_start5 = 14 June 2018 |term_end5 = |predecessor5 = Toka Hagai |successor5 = |majority5 = |constituency_MP6 = |parliament6 = |term_start6 = |term_end6 = |predecessor6 = |successor6 = |birth_date = {{birth date and age|1955|4|4|df=y}} |birth_place = Aitutaki, Cook Islands |death_date = |death_place = |party = Democratic Party |alma_mater = University of Canterbury |website = }} '''Tina Pupuke-Browne''' (born 4 April 1955) is a Cook Islands politician and a member of the Cook Islands Parliament. She is the leader of the Democratic Party.
==Career== Brown was born in 1955<ref name="parlbio">{{cite web |url=https://parliament.gov.ck/team/tina-browne-leader-of-the-opposition/ |title=Hon. Tina PUPUKE BROWNE |publisher=Parliament of the Cook Islands |date= |access-date=13 August 2022}}</ref> and is from the island of Rakahanga and is the daughter of former Cook Islands Prime Minister Pupuke Robati.<ref name="cinprofile1">{{cite web |url=http://www.cookislandsnews.com/features/weekend/item/76130-i-was-shocked-and-i-was-terrified |title='I was shocked and I was terrified' |author=Katrina Tanirau |publisher=Cook Islands News |date=29 February 2020 |access-date=5 June 2020}}</ref> She was educated at Tereora College and then attended the University of Canterbury in Christchurch, New Zealand, graduating with a Bachelor of Laws in 1979<ref name="cinprofile1"/><ref name="bha1">{{cite web |url=http://www.browneharvey.co.ck/people.html |title=Our Principals & Associates |publisher=Browne Harvey & Associates P.C. |date= |access-date=5 June 2020}}</ref> – the first woman from Rarotonga to do so.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-339035381/view?sectionId=nla.obj-356600581&partId=nla.obj-339057464#page/n64/mode/1up |title=People |work=Pacific Islands Monthly |volume=51 |issue=3 |date=1 March 1980 |page=65 |access-date=10 July 2020 |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref> She subsequently worked for New Zealand law firm Russell McVeagh. She returned to the Cook Islands in 1981 to work for the Crown Law Office before entering private practice.<ref name="bha1"/> She served as president of the Cook Islands Netball Association.<ref name="cc97">{{cite web |last1=Crocombe |first1=R G |last2=Crocombe |first2=M T |title=The Cook Islands in Review: Issues and Events, 1 July 1995 to 30 June 1996 |volume=9 |number=1| year=1997| url=http://scholarspace.manoa.hawaii.edu/bitstream/10125/13144/2/v9n1-218-227-politicalrev.pdf.txt |access-date=6 March 2011 }}</ref>
Browne first entered politics in 1996, when she contested the Nikao-Panama by-election as a candidate for the Cook Islands Party. She was defeated by Ngamau Munokoa.<ref name="cc97"/>
She was elected as leader of the Democratic Party in April 2017, replacing William (Smiley) Heather.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.cookislandsnews.com/item/63985-browne-new-leader-of-the-demo-party/63985-browne-new-leader-of-the-demo-party |title=Browne new leader of the Demo Party |publisher=Cook Islands News |date=13 April 2017 |access-date=9 January 2019}}</ref> In the 2018 election she contested the seat of Rakahanga, losing to the Cook Islands Party's Toka Hagai. Hagai subsequently resigned the seat following allegations of treating,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.radionz.co.nz/international/pacific-news/375334/cook-islands-mp-resigns-amid-legal-action |title=Cook Islands MP resigns amid legal action |publisher=RNZI |date=7 November 2018 |access-date=7 November 2018}}</ref> and Browne won it following an electoral petition.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.radionz.co.nz/international/pacific-news/378387/browne-wins-cook-islands-election-petition-on-appeal |title=Browne wins Cook Islands election petition on appeal |publisher=Radio New Zealand International |date=17 December 2018 |access-date=9 January 2019}}</ref>
In December 2019 she was part of a protest by women MPs to permit the wearing of ei katu (floral crowns) in Parliament.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.cookislandsnews.com/national/local/item/75279-positively-blooming-in-parliament |title=Positively blooming in parliament |publisher=Cook Islands News |date=13 December 2019 |access-date=5 July 2020}}</ref>
In April 2020, she led several MPs in taking a pay cut during the COVID-19 pandemic.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.rnz.co.nz/international/pacific-news/414612/cook-islands-opposition-calls-for-govt-to-take-a-pay-cut |title=Cook Islands opposition calls for govt to take a pay cut |publisher=RNZ |date=20 April 2020 |access-date=18 June 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.rnz.co.nz/international/pacific-news/414795/two-more-cooks-mps-take-voluntary-pay-cuts |title=Two more Cooks MPs take voluntary pay cuts |publisher=RNZ |date=21 April 2020 |access-date=18 June 2022}}</ref> During 2020 she supported the government's efforts to prevent the spread of covid to the Cook Islands,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.rnz.co.nz/international/pacific-news/415356/cooks-opposition-backs-govt-s-double-quarantine |title=Cooks opposition backs govt's 'double quarantine' |publisher=RNZ |date=29 April 2020 |access-date=18 June 2022}}</ref> and later opposed the government's lifting of quarantine.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.rnz.co.nz/international/pacific-news/430989/cooks-opposition-says-people-quarantine-re-instated |title=Cooks opposition says people quarantine re-instated |publisher=RNZ |date=19 November 2020 |access-date=18 June 2022}}</ref>
In March 2021, she joined the government in opposing a 10-year moratorium on seabed mining.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.rnz.co.nz/international/pacific-news/438866/cook-islands-democrats-change-view-on-mining-moratorium |title=Cook Islands Democrats change view on mining moratorium |publisher=RNZ |date=22 March 2021 |access-date=18 June 2022}}</ref>
She was re-elected at the 2022 Cook Islands general election.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.mfem.gov.ck/images/documents/Statistics_Docs/Elections/Gaz_Public_Notice_9_Declaration_of_Result_of_Poll.pdf |title=WARRANT DECLARING THE SUCCESSFUL CANDIDATES AND THE NUMBER OF VOTES RECEIVED BY EACH CANDIDATE |publisher=Cook Islands Gazette |date=11 August 2022 |access-date=13 August 2022}}</ref>
==References== {{reflist}}
{{Cook Islands Democratic Party |state=autocollapse}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Browne, Tina}} Category:1955 births Category:Living people Category:People from Aitutaki Category:University of Canterbury alumni Category:Members of the Parliament of the Cook Islands Category:Democratic Party (Cook Islands) politicians Category:Cook Island women in politics Category:21st-century New Zealand women politicians Category:21st-century New Zealand politicians Category:Cook Island lawyers Category:Women lawyers Category:University of Canterbury Faculty of Law alumni