Bill Marsters
Encyclopedia
William "Bill" Marsters (1923–2004) was the first president of the Cook Islands Christian Church
(CICC), the largest religious denomination in the Cook Islands
.
Marsters was born on Palmerston Island
. He is one of the 134 grandchildren of William Marsters
, the English explorer who settled on the then-uninhabited Palmerston in 1863 with his three Polynesian
wives. Bill Marsters was often referred to as "Reverend Bill" in order to distinguish him from the many other Marsters family members named after William Marsters.
Bill Marsters became the president of the CICC in 1968, when it was granted autonomy by an Act of the Parliament of the Cook Islands
. He was a popular figure throughout the Cook Islands
and administered the church from Rarotonga
. Marsters was forced to resign from the church presidency in the late 1970s when he became involved in a scandal involving missing church funds. After his resignation, he returned to live in Palmerston Island, where he acted as the CICC pastor and the de facto head of the small island community of Marsters descendants.
Marsters' actions as head of the CICC and his subsequent behaviour on Palmerston Island were the subject of severe criticism in a 1994 book in which an American journalist visited Palmerston Island and reported on conversations he had had with many of the residents of the island.
Marsters and his wife were the parents of 12 children. Marsters died in 2004 in Auckland
, New Zealand
.
Cook Islands Christian Church
The Cook Islands Christian Church is the largest religious denomination in the Cook Islands. The CICC is a Christian Congregationalist church and has approximately 18,000 members, including 56% of the residents of the Cook Islands...
(CICC), the largest religious denomination in the Cook Islands
Cook Islands
The Cook Islands is a self-governing parliamentary democracy in the South Pacific Ocean in free association with New Zealand...
.
Marsters was born on Palmerston Island
Palmerston Island
Palmerston Island is a coral atoll in the Cook Islands in the Pacific Ocean about 500 km northwest of Rarotonga. It was discovered by James Cook on 16 June 1774.-Overview:...
. He is one of the 134 grandchildren of William Marsters
William Marsters
William Marsters born 6 November 1831 - died 22 May 1899, was an English adventurer from Walcote, Leicestershire who settled on Palmerston Island in the Cook Islands on 8 July 1863, with his Polynesian wife and two Polynesian mistresses. He had 23 children on the island and 134 grandchildren...
, the English explorer who settled on the then-uninhabited Palmerston in 1863 with his three Polynesian
Polynesians
The Polynesian peoples is a grouping of various ethnic groups that speak Polynesian languages, a branch of the Oceanic languages within the Austronesian languages, and inhabit Polynesia. They number approximately 1,500,000 people...
wives. Bill Marsters was often referred to as "Reverend Bill" in order to distinguish him from the many other Marsters family members named after William Marsters.
Bill Marsters became the president of the CICC in 1968, when it was granted autonomy by an Act of the Parliament of the Cook Islands
Parliament of the Cook Islands
The Parliament of the Cook Islands is the legislature of the Cook Islands. Originally established under New Zealand colonial rule, it became the national legislature on independence in 1965....
. He was a popular figure throughout the Cook Islands
Cook Islands
The Cook Islands is a self-governing parliamentary democracy in the South Pacific Ocean in free association with New Zealand...
and administered the church from Rarotonga
Rarotonga
Rarotonga is the most populous island of the Cook Islands, with a population of 14,153 , out of the country's total population of 19,569.The Cook Islands' Parliament buildings and international airport are on Rarotonga...
. Marsters was forced to resign from the church presidency in the late 1970s when he became involved in a scandal involving missing church funds. After his resignation, he returned to live in Palmerston Island, where he acted as the CICC pastor and the de facto head of the small island community of Marsters descendants.
Marsters' actions as head of the CICC and his subsequent behaviour on Palmerston Island were the subject of severe criticism in a 1994 book in which an American journalist visited Palmerston Island and reported on conversations he had had with many of the residents of the island.
Marsters and his wife were the parents of 12 children. Marsters died in 2004 in Auckland
Auckland
The Auckland metropolitan area , in the North Island of New Zealand, is the largest and most populous urban area in the country with residents, percent of the country's population. Auckland also has the largest Polynesian population of any city in the world...
, New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
.