Tangata Mouauri Vavia (born 8 September 1949) is a

Cook Islands ) , image_map = Cook Islands on the globe (small islands magnified) (Polynesia centered).svg , capital = Avarua , coordinates = , largest_city = Avarua , official_languages = , lan ...

politician and former

Cabinet Minister A minister is a politician who heads a ministry, making and implementing decisions on policies in conjunction with the other ministers. In some jurisdictions the head of government is also a minister and is designated the ‘prime minister’, � ...

. He is a member of the Cook Islands Democratic Party. Vavia was born in

Mitiaro Mitiaro, the fourth island in the Cook Islands group, is of volcanic origin. Standing in water deep it is across at its widest point. Geography Mitiaro, also known as Nukuroa, is part of the Nga-Pu-Toru island group formerly, a volcano that bec ...

in the Cook Islands. He was educated in Mitiaro then at Avarua, Nikao, Nikao Side School and

Tereora College Tereora College is a secondary school in Nikao, Rarotonga, Cook Islands. It is the oldest secondary school in the Cook Islands and the national college of the Cook Islands for Year 9-13 students. The school was first established in 1895 by the ...

. He worked as a postal clerk, then as a police constable before being elected to

Parliament In modern politics, and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: Representation (politics), representing the Election#Suffrage, electorate, making laws, and overseeing ...

as member for

in the 1994 elections. Vavia was elected Deputy Speaker in 1999. He subsequently served in the Cabinet of Sir

Terepai Maoate Sir Terepai Tuamure Maoate (1 September 1934 – 9 July 2012) was Prime Minister of the Cook Islands from 18 November 1999 to 11 February 2002. He was a member of the Cook Islands Democratic Party. Maoate was born in Rarotonga on 1 September ...

as Minister of Justice and Outer Islands. He lost his position when

Robert Woonton Robert Woonton (born 1949) is a Cook Islands politician and diplomat. He served as Prime Minister of the Cook Islands from 11 February 2002 until 11 December 2004, and later as High Commissioner to New Zealand. He was a member of the centrist Dem ...

replaced Maoate, but was reappointed briefly in 2003 when Woonton's coalition with the

Cook Islands Party The Cook Islands Party is a nationalist political party in the Cook Islands. It was the first political party founded in the Cook Islands, and one of the two major parties of the islands' politics since 1965. From 1999 until 2005 it sometimes ...

fell apart. A further coalition realignment in November of that year saw him resign his portfolios and join the opposition. In 2005, following the demise of

Jim Marurai Jim Marurai (9 July 1947 – November 2020) was a Cook Islands politician who served as Prime Minister of the Cook Islands. He was a member of the Democratic Party. Personal life Marurai was born in Ivirua, Mangaia. He attended Ivirua and O ...

's "partnership government", he rejoined Cabinet as Minister for Outer Islands Administration. He was re-elected in the 2006 election, and appointed Minister for Infrastructure and Planning, Cook Islands Investment Corporation, and Transport. Vavia resigned his portfolios in December 2009 in protest at the sacking from Cabinet of Democratic Party leader

. He was re-elected at the 2010 election. At the 2014 general election, he received exactly the same number of votes as his Cook Islands Party opponent in his Mitiaro constituency. A by-election was held in November, then retroactively cancelled by court order before the ballots could be counted. In December, Vavia was awarded the seat by the court following a recount of the July results. He subsequently lost the seat at the 2018 election.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Vavia, Tangata Living people Cook Island Māori people Members of the Parliament of the Cook Islands 1949 births People from Mitiaro Democratic Party (Cook Islands) politicians Infrastructure ministers of the Cook Islands Justice ministers of the Cook Islands Planning ministers of the Cook Islands Transport ministers of the Cook Islands Cook Island police officers