Tom Marsters

Sir Tom John Marsters, KBE (born 4 August 1945) is the 7th Queen's Representative to the Cook Islands. He is a former Deputy Leader of the Cook Islands Party and Deputy Prime Minister of the Cook Islands.

Marsters was born on Palmerston Island and educated at Nikao and Avarua Primary Schools before attending Avele Agriculture College in Samoa and Grimsby Institute of Technology in the United Kingdom. Before entering politics he worked as a public servant.He was Secretary of the Cook Islands Party from 1968 to 1999.

He was first elected to Parliament for the seat of Murienua in a by-election in 1991.

Marsters served as Minister of Works in the Cabinet of Geoffrey Henry, but resigned his position in 1997 in protest at budget cuts.He later served as a Minister in the first coalition Cabinet of Robert Woonton from 2002, but was sacked in 2003 after a coalition realignment.He rejoined Cabinet after the 2004 election, when Woonton was trying to put together a new coalition; when Woonton resigned to fight a by-election, he served in the Cabinet of Jim Marurai, holding the portfolios of foreign affairs, transport, and youth and sport.

In August 2005, Marurai sacked Cook Islands Party leader Geoffrey Henry from Cabinet, causing the CIP to reconsider its role in government.A month later, Marsters was also sacked, and the coalition formally dissolved.

The retirement of Geoffrey Henry in 2006 led to a leadership election, which saw Marsters replaced as Deputy leader by Tupou Faireka.However, both Faireka and party leader Henry Puna lost their seats at the 2006 election.After a short period in which Puna continued to serve as leader outside parliament, Marsters became leader of the opposition.

Marsters returned to Cabinet in December 2010, after the Cook Islands Party won the 2010 elections, serving as Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs.

On 5 June 2013 Marsters was appointed Queen's Representative, replacing Frederick Tutu Goodwin. He resigned from Parliament on 25 July 2013 to take up the role, precipitating the 2013 Murienua by-election. He was reappointed for a second three-year term in July 2016. In the 2018 Birthday Honours he was appointed a Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire.