John French "Tony" Teariki (died 5 October 1983) was a
French Polynesia
)Territorial motto: ( en, "Great Tahiti of the Golden Haze")
, anthem =
, song_type = Regional anthem
, song = " Ia Ora 'O Tahiti Nui"
, image_map = French Polynesia on the globe (French Polynesia centered).svg
, map_alt = Location of Frenc ...
n politician. He served as a member of the
French National Assembly
The National Assembly (french: link=no, italics=set, Assemblée nationale; ) is the lower house of the bicameral French Parliament under the Fifth Republic, the upper house being the Senate (). The National Assembly's legislators are known a ...
from 1961 to 1967, and as a member of the Territorial Assembly from 1957 until 1983.
Biography
Teariki was born in
Afareaitu
Āfareaitu is an associated commune on the island of Moorea, in French Polynesia. It is part of the commune Moorea-Maiao
Moorea-Maiao is a commune of French Polynesia, an overseas territory of France in the Pacific Ocean. The commune is in the a ...
in 1914. He grew up in the
Cook Islands
)
, image_map = Cook Islands on the globe (small islands magnified) (Polynesia centered).svg
, capital = Avarua
, coordinates =
, largest_city = Avarua
, official_languages =
, lan ...
, but attended the Protestant School in
Papeete
Papeete (Tahitian language, Tahitian: ''Papeete'', pronounced ) is the capital city of French Polynesia, an overseas collectivity of the France, French Republic in the Pacific Ocean. The Communes of France, commune of Papeete is located on the isl ...
until being called home at the age of 14 to look after the family farm, his father having died in 1918.John Teariki (1914-1983) Assembly of French Polynesia He also became a skipjack fisherman, losing an eye while fishing aged 20 and started a sea transport business linking
Moorea
Moorea ( or ; Tahitian: ), also spelled Moorea, is a volcanic island in French Polynesia. It is one of the Windward Islands, a group that is part of the Society Islands, northwest of Tahiti. The name comes from the Tahitian word , meaning " ...
and
Tahiti
Tahiti (; Tahitian ; ; previously also known as Otaheite) is the largest island of the Windward group of the Society Islands in French Polynesia. It is located in the central part of the Pacific Ocean and the nearest major landmass is Austr ...
.
In 1949 Teariki was a founder member of the
Democratic Rally of the Tahitian People
The Democratic Rally of the Tahitian People (french: Rassemblement démocratique des populations tahitiennes, abbreviated RDPT) was a political party in French Oceania/French Polynesia. The party was led by Pouvanaa a Oopa.
Political profile
Pouv ...
(RDPT). He was elected president of Afareaitu district in 1952,John Teariki National Assembly of France and was elected to the Territorial Assembly from the Peninsula, Moorea, Maiao and Makatea constituency the following year. He was re-elected to the Territorial Assembly from the Windwards Islands constituency in
1957
1957 ( MCMLVII) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar, the 1957th year of the Common Era (CE) and ''Anno Domini'' (AD) designations, the 957th year of the 2nd millennium, the 57th year of the 20th century, and the 8th y ...
French National Assembly
The National Assembly (french: link=no, italics=set, Assemblée nationale; ) is the lower house of the bicameral French Parliament under the Fifth Republic, the upper house being the Senate (). The National Assembly's legislators are known a ...
, he was the substitute for
Marcel Oopa
Marcel Pouvanaa Oopa (21 April 1917 — 14 July 1961) was a Tahitian politician, the son of the Tahitian leader Pouvanaa a Oopa.Denoon, Donald. The Cambridge History of the Pacific Islanders'. Cambridge ngland Cambridge University Press, 2004. p ...
. Oopa was elected, but died the following year, resulting in Teariki becoming a member of the National Assembly. He was re-elected to both the
National Assembly
In politics, a national assembly is either a unicameral legislature, the lower house of a bicameral legislature, or both houses of a bicameral legislature together. In the English language it generally means "an assembly composed of the repre ...
and Territorial Assembly in 1962, but rarely attended sittings of the National Assembly. After the RDPT was banned in 1963, he founded
Here Ai'a
Here Ai’a ( en, Love of the Land), also known as Te Pupu Here Ai'a Te Nunaa ia Ora ( en, Patriotic Group for an Autonomous Polity), is a pro-independence political party in French Polynesia. It was founded by John Teariki and Henri Bouvier in 1 ...
, and was re-elected to the Territorial Assembly in
1967
Events
January
* January 1 – Canada begins a year-long celebration of the 100th anniversary of Confederation, featuring the Expo 67 World's Fair.
* January 5
** Spain and Romania sign an agreement in Paris, establishing full consular and ...
, although he lost his National Assembly seat the same year when he was defeated by Francis Sanford. In 1968 he bought a farm at Taravao, where he raised dairy cows and chickens.
Tearik continued to be re-elected to the Territory Assembly in
1972
Within the context of Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) it was the longest year ever, as two leap seconds were added during this 366-day year, an event which has not since been repeated. (If its start and end are defined using Solar time, me ...
,
1977
Events January
* January 8 – Three bombs explode in Moscow within 37 minutes, killing seven. The bombings are attributed to an Armenian separatist group.
* January 10 – Mount Nyiragongo erupts in eastern Zaire (now the Democratic R ...
and
1982
Events January
* January 1 – In Malaysia and Singapore, clocks are adjusted to the same time zone, UTC+8 (GMT+8.00).
* January 13 – Air Florida Flight 90 crashes shortly after takeoff into the 14th Street bridges, 14th Street Bridge in ...
, and served as its president in 1969–1970, 1971–1972, 1978–1979 and 1980–1981.Les présidents de l’assemblée 1977–1984 Assembly of French Polynesia He was also mayor of
Moorea-Maiao
Moorea-Maiao is a commune of French Polynesia, an overseas territory of France in the Pacific Ocean. The commune is in the administrative subdivision of the Windward Islands.John French Teariki ''Pacific Islands Monthly'', December 1983, p65