Tekaotiki Matapo (born 16 April 1944) 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 ...

former politician, Cabinet Minister, and diplomat. He is currently president of 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 ...

Early career

Matapo was born in

Rarotonga Rarotonga is the largest and most populous of the Cook Islands. The island is volcanic, with an area of , and is home to almost 75% of the country's population, with 13,007 of a total population of 17,434. The Cook Islands' Parliament buildings a ...

and educated at Titikaveka School, Avarua primary 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 joined the

Cook Islands Police Service The Cook Islands Police Service (CIPS) is the police force of the Cook Islands. The current Commissioner of Police is Maara Tetava who was first appointed in 2009 and in 2011 was reappointed. Operations On 19 October 2016, an escaped prisoner C ...

in 1962, later rising to the rank of inspector. He also served as a national representative in athletics and rugby and as president of the

Cook Islands Sports and National Olympic Committee Cook Islands Sports and National Olympic Committee (CISNOC) (IOC code: COK) is the governing body for sports in Cook Islands and its National Olympic Committee. Originally founded in 1943 as the Rarotonga Sports Association, the organisation bec ...

Politics career

Matapo was first elected to the

Parliament of the Cook Islands The Parliament of the Cook Islands ( rar, Pāremeta te Kuku Airani) is the legislature of the Cook Islands. Originally established under New Zealand’s United Nations mandate it became the national legislature on independence in 1965. The Par ...

in the 1989 Cook Islands general election. He was Minister of Justice of the Cook Islands from 1989 to 1999, (1989-1999) serving in the cabinets of Tom Davis and

Pupuke Robati Sir Pupuke Robati, KBE (9 April 1925 – 26 April 2009) was a Cook Island politician. He served as Prime Minister of the Cook Islands from 29 July 1987 to 1 February 1989. Robati was from the island of Rakahanga. He completed his primary an ...

. From 2011 to December 2015 served as High Commissioner of the Cook Islands to

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 ...

, being replaced by Teremoana Yala. In August 2018 he was appointed president of the

. Matapo was made an Officer of the

Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established ...

in the 2022 Birthday Honours.

References

Members of the Parliament of the Cook Islands Government ministers of the Cook Islands High Commissioners of the Cook Islands to New Zealand Democratic Party (Cook Islands) politicians Cook Islands Party politicians Year of birth uncertain Officers of the Order of the British Empire {{CookIslands-politician-stub