Woman May Be Cook Islands Speaker

Press, Volume CIV, Issue 30819, 3 August 1965, Page 5

Woman May Be Cook Islands Speaker

(N.Z. Press Association) AUCKLAND, Aug. 2 A woman may be appointed Speaker of the Cook Islands Legislative Assembly soon, according to Cook Islands residents in Auckland. She is Mrs Marguerite Story, sister of the Prime Minister designate. Mr A. R. Henry. Mrs Story was elected to the assembly as representative of the Te Au-o-Tonga districa of Rarotonga. She subsequently resigned and in the by-election afterwards Mr Henry was elected. Under the law which governed the first election, Mr Henry, leader of the Cook Islands Party, was not eligible as a candidate as he did not

have the required residential qualification. A change was made in the law before the byelection. Party members felt Mrs Story had made a valuable contribution to the legislature and were loath to lose her services. Under the constitution, the Speaker does not have to be an elected member. Before her election to the assembly, Mrs Story was official interpreter to the Government. She was educated at Hukarere School, Napier. Her husband, Mr Frederick Story, is a European born in Rarotonga and an engineer. They have six children.