Eileen Story has been nominated and confirmed to stand as the Cook Islands Party candidate for Mauke in the upcoming general election.

Having lived on Mauke since 2018, Eileen is thrilled to step into the political arena and is proud of her Maori heritage.

It has always been her dream to represent the Cook Islands Party.

“It is an absolute honour to be nominated and to represent the Cook Islands Party, this means a lot to me and my family.”

Story says there are many things she will work on to accomplish if she is successful in winning the seat for Mauke.

One of these goals is to have the airport tar sealed to make way for the Saab to fly into Mauke.

“A bigger plane means we can increase the number of people per flight as well as carry extra cargo, and having the Saab fly to Mauke should also lower the cost of airfares,” said Story.

Funding for Mauke, to benefit the island whether it be for agriculture, youth, fishing, crafts or community projects is also at the top of her list.

“Empowering our people by ensuring our children are educated on par with the children on Rarotonga, as well as providing training opportunities for our people to upskill and to progress with job opportunities available on the island,” is also one of her goals.

Current Member of Parliament for Mauke and Speaker of the House, Tai Tura has announced he will not be contesting in the 2022 elections. The Mauke CIP committee then nominated Story as their candidate.

Forty-year-old Eileen is a mother to two and was raised in Rangiura, Nikao.

Her paternal grandmother, the late Mama Marguerite Story (nee Henry) was the first Member of Parliament for Te Au O Tonga and the first female Speaker of the Cook Islands Parliament and of the Commonwealth Parliament.