Toka Hagai

Toka Hagai is a Cook Islands politician and former member of the Cook Islands Parliament. He is a member of the Cook Islands Party.

Toka Hagai
In office 19 September 2018 – 7 November 2018
Deputy	Deputy Speaker of the Parliament of the Cook Islands
Preceded by	Mona Ioane
Succeeded by	Tai Tura
Member of the Cook Islands Parliament for Rakahanga
In office 9 July 2014 – 14 June 2018
Preceded by	Taunga Toka
Succeeded by	Tina Browne
Personal details
Political party	Cook Islands Party

Hagai stood unsuccessfully for Rakahanga at the 2010 Cook Islands general election. He was first elected to Parliament at the 2014 Cook Islands general election,^[1] and was appointed Government Whip.^[2] In 2016 he was part of the Cook Islands' delegation to the 2016 United Nations Climate Change Conference in Marrakech, Morocco.^[3]

He was re-elected on the night at the 2018 election, but subsequently resigned following allegations of treating.^[4] His election was later declared void by the Court of Appeal, and his rival Tina Browne declared elected. Hagai was referred to the Police for bribery.^[5] while awaiting the outcome of the electoral petition against him Hagai had been elected Deputy speaker; he was replaced by Tai Tupa.^[6]

In early 2019 Prime Minister Henry Puna planned to install Hagai as a seventh, unelected, Cabinet Minister,^[7] but the appointment was delayed due to the police investigation into his electoral bribery.^[8]

In June 2019 it was reported that Hagai was occupying a government house in Rarotonga earmarked for low-income families and outer-island MPs.^[9]

References

1. "Cook Island Party leads election count". RNZ. 18 July 2014. Retrieved 4 July 2020.
2. "PM announces key appointments". Cook Islands News. 16 October 2014. Retrieved 4 July 2020.
3. "Talks continue at climate conference". Cook Islands News. 7 November 2016. Retrieved 4 July 2020.
4. "Cook Islands MP resigns amid legal action". RNZI. 7 November 2018. Retrieved 7 November 2018.
5. "Browne wins Cook Islands election petition on appeal". Radio New Zealand International. 17 December 2018. Retrieved 9 January 2019.
6. Rashneel Kumar (20 September 2018). "Rattle reappointed as Speaker of Parliament". Cook Islands News. Retrieved 4 July 2020.
7. "Cooks Opposition 'appalled' by govt plans to install cabinet minister". RNZ. 18 February 2019. Retrieved 4 July 2020.
8. "Cooks' Hagai appointment awaiting police investigation outcome". RNZ. 26 February 2019. Retrieved 4 July 2020.
9. "Cook Islands govt questioned over provision of housing for MPs". RNZ. 14 June 2019. Retrieved 4 July 2020.