Lautafi Fio Selafi Joseph Purcell is a

Samoa Samoa, officially the Independent State of Samoa; sm, Sāmoa, and until 1997 known as Western Samoa, is a Polynesian island country consisting of two main islands ( Savai'i and Upolu); two smaller, inhabited islands ( Manono and Apolima); ...

n politician and former Cabinet Minister. He is a member of the Human Rights Protection Party. Purcell was educated at Chanel College, Moamoa and

St Paul's College, Auckland St Paul's College is a Catholic secondary school for boys owned by the Marist Brothers and located in the central Auckland suburb of Ponsonby on a spacious 7.3 hectare campus. The Marist Brothers first opened a school on the site ( Sacred Heart ...

as well as

Victoria University of Wellington Victoria University of Wellington ( mi, Te Herenga Waka) is a university in Wellington, New Zealand. It was established in 1897 by Act of Parliament, and was a constituent college of the University of New Zealand. The university is well kno ...

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

. He subsequently worked as a prison manager, prison inspector and policy advisor for the New Zealand

Department of Justice A justice ministry, ministry of justice, or department of justice is a ministry or other government agency in charge of the administration of justice. The ministry or department is often headed by a minister of justice (minister for justice in a ...

and

Department of Corrections In criminal justice, particularly in North America, correction, corrections, and correctional, are umbrella terms describing a variety of functions typically carried out by government agencies, and involving the punishment, treatment, and s ...

. Purcell was first elected to the

Legislative Assembly of Samoa The Legislative Assembly ( sm, Fono Aoao Faitulafono a Samoa), also known as the Parliament of Samoa ( sm, Palemene o Samoa), is the national legislature of Samoa, seated at Apia, where the country's central administration is situated. Samoan P ...

in a 2011 by-election, and appointed Associate Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries. Following a Cabinet reshuffle in April 2014 he was appointed as the first Minister of Public Enterprises. He was re-elected unopposed at the 2016 Samoan general election and appointed Minister of Labour, Tourism and Samoa Land Corporation, as well as retaining his Government Enterprises portfolio. Another reshuffle in June 2016 saw him lose the Tourism portfolio to

Sala Fata Pinati Sala Fata Pinati is a Samoan politician and former Cabinet Minister. He is a member of the Human Rights Protection Party. Pinati was previously a member of the board of the Development Bank of Samoa. He was first elected to the Legislative Ass ...

but retain Labour, Commerce, and Government Enterprises. He is married to public servant Lematua Gisa Fuatai Purcell.

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References

Members of the Legislative Assembly of Samoa Living people Government ministers of Samoa Human Rights Protection Party politicians Year of birth missing (living people) Victoria University of Wellington alumni People educated at St Paul's College, Auckland {{Samoa-politician-stub