Ngamau Munokoa was the third woman ever elected to the Cook Islands Parliament, the second appointed to Cabinet, and the first to hold the post of Cook Islands Deputy Prime Minister.
10 Facts About Ngamau Munokoa
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Ngamau Munokoa is a member of the Cook Islands Democratic Party.
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Ngamau Munokoa trained for clerical work in Auckland, New Zealand in the hope of becoming a teacher, but returned to the Cook Islands in 1962 to open a shop.
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Ngamau Munokoa first ran for Parliament in 1994, but was unsuccessful.
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Ngamau Munokoa later served in the Cabinet of Robert Woonton, and in 2003 was appointed Deputy Prime Minister, becoming the first Cook Islands woman to hold the position.
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Ngamau Munokoa later resigned from Woonton's Cabinet following his decision to form a coalition with the rival Cook Islands Party, but was reappointed in 2005 by Jim Marurai.
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Ngamau Munokoa continued to serve in Cabinet, holding various portfolios, until December 2009, when she resigned over the sacking of Democratic Party leader Terepai Maoate.
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Ngamau Munokoa was re-elected at the 2010 election, and again in 2014.
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Ngamau Munokoa failed to be re-elected in the 2018 election, losing to Vaine Mokoroa.
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Ngamau Munokoa was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire in the 2010 New Year Honours.