Richard Hipa is a member of the Niue Assembly, and was first elected at the

2020 elections The following elections were scheduled to occur in 2020. The International Foundation for Electoral Systems maintains a comprehensive list of upcoming elections on its E-Guide Platform. The National Democratic Institute also maintains a calend ...

. While he initially planned to run in the constituency of Alofi north, he ultimately ran as a candidate on the common roll. Hipa received 440 votes in the election, which gave him the most votes in the election. This led to speculation that he would put his name forward as a contender for

Premier Premier is a title for the head of government in central governments, state governments and local governments of some countries. A second in command to a premier is designated as a deputy premier. A premier will normally be a head of governm ...

, something Hipa confirmed, but ultimately he did not put his name forward and the election was contested between Dalton Tagelagi and

O'Love Jacobsen Tauveve O’Love Jacobsen is a Niuean politician and diplomat. She served as Niue's High Commissioner to New Zealand from 2011 to 2017. Her predecessor was Sisilia Talagi, Niue's first female diplomat and High Commissioner. She had previously ...

. Prior to his election, Hipa held the role of Secretary of Government, the senior civil servant role on the island. He left the role early and it ended in court action taken by the government against him. The case was eventually settled out of court. In August 2021 he was medevaced to Auckland, New Zealand in a critical condition. He retired due to ill-health at the 2023 election.

References

Members of the Niue Assembly Niuean civil servants People from Alofi Living people Year of birth missing (living people) {{Niue-politician-stub