Joe Williams (Cook Islands)

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Dr. Joe Williams is a Cook Islands politician. He was briefly Prime Minister of the Cook Islands in 1999. Williams trained as a doctor, and has been primarily resident in Auckland, New Zealand.

Williams was elected to the Cook Islands parliament as an "overseas MP", representing Cook Islanders living abroad (mostly in New Zealand). He was a member of the Cook Islands Party, but opposed the premiership of Geoffrey Henry, the party's leader. Many members of the Cook Islands Party opposed its coalition agreement with the New Alliance Party, and after several defections, Henry lost control to the dissidents and resigned. In July 1999, Williams was narrowly confirmed as the new Prime Minister. This prompted considerable anger in some quarters, primarily because Williams mostly lived outside the islands. In October, the New Alliance Party left the governing coalition, depriving the government of its majority. Williams attempted to form a new government, but the following month, he lost a vote of no confidence to the opposition Democratic Alliance Party and the New Alliance Party. Terepai Maoate became the new Prime Minister.

In 2002, Williams became involved in a controversy regarding a proposed medical trial in the Cook Islands. The trial, which involved injecting pig cells into humans as a means of fighting diabetes, was banned in New Zealand, and therefore moved to the Cook Islands, where regulations were not as strict. Williams was a strong supporter of the proposal, believing that it would bring benefits to the Cook Islands' economy, but the scheme was highly controversial. Later, Williams was nominated by the Cook Islands to head the World Health Organisation, although he was not successful.

Williams later attempted to start a political career in New Zealand, standing as a candidate for the New Zealand First party in the 2005 parliamentary elections. He was unsuccessful.