Terry Donald Coe is a Niuean politician and former cabinet minister.

Terry Coe
Member of the Niuean Parliament
for Common Roll
In office
27 February 1993 – 29 April 2023

He was first elected to the Niue Assembly as a common roll member in the 1993 Niuean general election, and immediately made a Minister in the Cabinet of Premier Frank Lui.[1]

Coe served as a minister in the Cabinet of Premier Frank Lui between 1993 and 1999, serving as Minister of Finance, Telecommunications, and Public Works, as well as other portfolios.[1][2] He lost his place in Cabinet after Lui was defeated in the 1999 election[3] and has since become a key member of the country's opposition.[4]

After the 1999 election, Coe supported O'Love Jacobsen for premier.[3]

In 2002, he was unsuccessfully prosecuted for criminal libel by the government. The charges were dismissed after police failed to produce any evidence.[5]

In 2011, he criticised his fellow MPs for voting themselves a sizeable increase in salary. He said the pay rises for politicians were a waste of public money that “would be better spent on development”.[6]

He was re-elected in the 2020 election.[7] During the COVID-19 pandemic he opposed moves by the Niuean government to relax covid protections.[8]

He lost his seat in the 2023 election.[1]

References

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  1. ^ a b c Esther Pavihi (1 May 2023). "Two long serving MPs Terry Coe and Opili Talafasi will not be returning to the next Niue Legislative Assembly". TV Niue. Retrieved 2 May 2023.
  2. ^ "Small is dutiful". UNEP. 1998. Retrieved 20 December 2009.
  3. ^ a b Stephen Levine (2000). "Political Review: Niue". The Contemporary Pacific. 12 (1): 231–236. doi:10.1353/cp.2000.0020.
  4. ^ "Niue premier survives no confidence vote". Radio New Zealand International. 11 February 2009. Retrieved 2 May 2023.
  5. ^ "Niue MP may pursue police over "malicious prosecution"". RNZ. 12 June 2002. Retrieved 2 May 2023.
  6. ^ "Concerns raised after Niue MPs vote themselves big salary increases". RNZ. 8 December 2011. Retrieved 2 May 2023.
  7. ^ "Two new MPs top voting in Niue election". RNZ. 1 June 2020. Retrieved 2 May 2023.
  8. ^ "Niue Covid protection rules slammed". RNZ. 12 November 2020. Retrieved 2 May 2023.