Tui Ātua Tupua Tamasese Tupuola Tufuga Efi (born Olaf "Efi" Tamasese; 1 March 1938) is a Samoan paramount chief and politician. He heads one of Samoa's two royal families, the ''Sā Tupua'' (descendants of Queen

Salamasina Queen Salamāsina () was a powerful and high-ranking woman in Samoan social history. She held the four papā (district) titles which gave her the paramount status of Tafaʻifā ('one supported by four') on the western islands of Samoa. Contrary t ...

), through the family's maximal lineage title,

Tupua Tamasese Tupua Tamasese, formally known as Tupua, is a State (polity), state dynasty and one of the four paramount Fa'amatai, chiefly titles of Samoa, known as the ''Tamaʻāiga, tama a ʻāiga''. It is the titular head of one of Samoa's two ...

. He also holds the ancient ''pāpā'' title of Tui Ātua (sovereign of

Atua Atua are the gods and spirits of the Polynesian people such as the Māori or the Hawaiians (see also ). The literal meaning of the Polynesian word is "power" or "strength" and so the concept is similar to that of '' mana''. Many of the atua ...

). Tui Ātua served as the third

prime minister of Samoa The prime minister of the Independent State of Samoa () is the head of government of Independent State of Samoa, Samoa. The prime minister is a member of the Legislative Assembly of Samoa, Legislative Assembly, and is appointed by the O le Ao o ...

from 1976 to 1982 and again later in 1982. He also served as

O le Ao o le Malo The Independent State of Samoa ( Samoan for "Chief of the government") is the ceremonial head of state of Samoa. The position is described in Part III of the 1960 Samoan constitution. At the time the constitution was adopted, it was anticipa ...

(head of state of Samoa) from 2007 to 2017. As of late 2024, he was reappointed to serve on the Council of Deputies.

Early life and education

Tupua was born on 1 March 1938 at

Motoʻotua Motootua is a settlement in Samoa. It is home to the Tupua Tamasese Meaʻole Hospital. References

Populated places in Samoa {{Samoa-geo-stub ...

in Samoa. He is the son of Samoa's first co-head of state (

Tupua Tamasese Meaʻole Tupua Tamasese Meaʻole (3 June 1905 – 5 April 1963) was a Western Samoan paramount chief. He held the royal title of Tupua Tamasese from 1929 to 1963, and O le Ao o le Malo (Head of State) jointly with Malietoa Tanumafili II from 1962 unti ...

(1905–1963), and Irene Gustava Noue Nelson, of Samoan, Swedish and British descent. He is also the nephew of Samoa's celebrated independence movement leader,

Tupua Tamasese Lealofi III Tupua Tamasese Lealofi-o-ā'ana III (4 May 1901 – 29 December 1929) was a Fa'amatai, paramount chief of Samoa, holder of the Tupua Tamasese dynastic title and became the leader of the country's pro-independence Mau movement from early 1928 unt ...

and the cousin of the nation's second prime minister,

Tupua Tamasese Lealofi IV Tui Ātua Tupua Tamasese Lealofi IV (8 May 1922 – 9 July 1983) was the second prime minister of Samoa from 25 February 1970 to 20 March 1973 and again from 21 May 1975 to 24 March 1976. He held the title of Tupua Tamasese, one of the four main ...

. Tupua attended primary school at the Marist Brothers School at Mulivai in the Samoan capital of

Apia Apia () is the Capital (political), capital and largest city of Samoa. It is located on the central north coast of Upolu, Samoa's second-largest island. Apia falls within the political district (''itūmālō'') of Tuamasaga. The Apia Urban A ...

. He continued his education at St. Patrick's College in Silverstream,

Wellington, New Zealand Wellington is Capital of New Zealand, the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the List of cities in New Zealand, third-largest city ...

. He was also educated at

Victoria University of Wellington Victoria University of Wellington (), also known by its shorter names "VUW" or "Vic", is a public university, public research university in Wellington, New Zealand. It was established in 1897 by Act of New Zealand Parliament, Parliament, and w ...

, in

New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...

's capital city.

Prime Minister of Samoa

Tupua began his political career in May 1965, when he was elected to the Legislative Assembly from the Vaisigano No. 1 constituency. He served as Samoa's Minister of

Works Works may refer to: People * Caddy Works (1896–1982), American college sports coach * John D. Works (1847–1928), California senator and judge * Samuel Works (c. 1781–1868), New York politician Albums * ''Works'' (Pink Floyd album), a Pi ...

from 1970 until 1972. Tupua served as prime minister for two consecutive terms from 1976 to 1982. He also served as

deputy prime minister A deputy prime minister or vice prime minister is, in some countries, a Minister (government), government minister who can take the position of acting prime minister when the prime minister is temporarily absent. The position is often likened to th ...

from 1985 to 1988. It was during his second term as prime minister that the Public Service Association went on a

general strike A general strike is a strike action in which participants cease all economic activity, such as working, to strengthen the bargaining position of a trade union or achieve a common social or political goal. They are organised by large coalitions ...

in 1981, paralysing the country for several months and paving the way for the opposition

Human Rights Protection Party The Human Rights Protection Party (HRPP, ) is a Samoan political party. It was founded in 1979 and dominated Samoan party politics for decades thereafter, leading every government until their defeat in 2021. Former Prime Minister Tuilaepa Sailele ...

's entry to government in 1982. The party would go on to hold power until

2021 Like the year 2020, 2021 was also heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, due to the emergence of multiple Variants of SARS-CoV-2, COVID-19 variants. The major global rollout of COVID-19 vaccines, which began at the end of 2020, continued ...

. Tupua became

Leader of the Opposition The Leader of the Opposition is a title traditionally held by the leader of the Opposition (parliamentary), largest political party not in government, typical in countries utilizing the parliamentary system form of government. The leader of the ...

following his

Christian Democratic Party __NOTOC__ Christian democratic parties are political parties that seek to apply Christian principles to public policy. The underlying Christian democracy movement emerged in 19th-century Europe, largely under the influence of Catholic social tea ...

's election defeat in 1982. He also headed the Samoan National Development Party. He continued to serve Anoamaʻa East as MP until 2004 when he was appointed to Samoa's

Council of Deputies The Council of Deputies () is a constitutional body in Samoa. Its members serve as Deputy O le Ao o le Malo and act as head of state when the office of O le Ao o le Malo is vacant or when the incumbent is unable to fulfill their duties due to a ...

alongside

Tuimalealiʻifano Vaʻaletoʻa Sualauvi II Afioga Tuimalealiʻifano Vaʻaletoʻa Eti Sualauvi II (born 29 April 1947) is a Samoan politician who is the current O le Ao o le Malo (head of state) of Samoa, in office since 2017. Biography He is a great-grandson of one of the Mau movement ...

Tupua Tamasese title

Upon Tupua Tamasese Lealofi IV's death in 1983, the question as to a successor was raised with Tupuola Efi staking his claim. However, this would require ''ʻĀiga Sā Fenunuivao'' agreeing to his appointment. Salani agreed, however Falefa and

Lufilufi Lufilufi is a historical village situated on the north coast of Upolu island in Samoa. The village is part of the electoral constituency (''Faipule District'') Anoamaa East which is within the larger political district of Atua. The village's popula ...

opposed it. Tupuola Efi proceeded without the unanimous support of ''ʻĀiga Sā Fenunuivao.'' On the morning of his installation ceremony, the nation's public broadcaster, Radio 2AP, read an announcement from the family's ''matua,'' Moeono Alaiʻasā Kolio, notifying the country that both Falefa and Lufilufi had not sanctioned Tufuga Efi's ascension to the title, nullifying the candidate's grasp for the title once again. In 1986, Tupuola Efi again sought out ''ʻĀiga Sā Fenunuivao'''s blessing. Falefa and Lufilufi eventually agreed to Tupuola Tufuga Efi's ascension to the titles after the ailing Moeono granted his approval. In November 1986, ''ʻĀiga Sā Fenunuivao,'' ''ʻĀiga o Mavaega'' and ''ʻĀiga Sā Tuala'' jointly conferred the title on Tupuola Efi in an installation ceremony at

Vaimoso Vaimoso is a village on the island of Upolu in Samoa. It is situated on the north central side of the island near the country's capital Apia. The village is in the political district of Tuamasaga. The population is 2465. Girls' high school Kolisi ...

jointly registering the title under their family names. This uneasy agreement to joint conferral would later be challenged in Samoa's Land and Titles Court. The following year, the court ruled that the right of conferral of the Tupua Tamasese title belonged exclusively to ''ʻĀiga Sā Fenunuivao'' of Falefa and Salani.

O le Ao o le Malo

On 11 May 2007, following the death of

Malietoa Tanumafili II Malietoa Tanumafili II (4 January 1913 – 11 May 2007) was a Samoan paramount chief and politician who was O le Ao o le Malo (head of state) of Samoa from its independence in 1962, and the holder of the Malietoa title from 1940, until his ...

, Samoa's head of state since independence in 1962, Tupua assumed the functions of acting head of state with Tuimalealiʻifano, as members of the Council of Deputies. Tupua was elected head of state on 16 June 2007. His was the only nomination put forth in Samoa's Fono (parliament) and thus the decision was unanimous. His election was welcomed by many Samoans both in Samoa and abroad. He was sworn into office on 20 June 2007. He was re-elected in July 2012 by a majority vote of the Legislative Assembly. However, he was not re-appointed as of 20 July 2017 after a controversial move by the Prime Minister which saw a legislative assembly vote of 23 to 15. This was after an initial vote that was taken, which saw the

tamaʻāiga (meaning "sons of the families") is a Samoan term used to refer to the four high chiefly titles in the system of the Independent State of Samoathe Malietoa, Mataʻafa, Tupua Tamasese and Tuimalealiʻifano. American Samoa has its own paramount c ...

gain the majority of support from the ruling HRPP caucus. This was seen as but a mere formality and that Tui Ātua would again be elected to office to serve as Head of State. However, owing to decades of tension with the then-Prime Minister

Tuilaʻepa Saʻilele Malielegaoi Susuga Tuilaepa Lupesoliai Neioti Aiono Sailele Malielegaoi (born 14 February 1944) is a Samoan politician and economist who served as the sixth prime minister of Samoa from 1998 to 2021. Tuilaepa is Samoa's longest serving prime minister and ...

, Tui Ātua was instead replaced in a backroom vote by another tamaʻāiga'','' Tuimalealiʻifano Vaʻaletoʻa Sualauvi II. In December 2024 he was reappointed to the Council of Deputies. He was sworn in in January 2025.

Academia

Tupua held a number of academic positions during and after his political career as an MP and prime minister. Tupua served as an

adjunct professor An adjunct professor is a type of academic appointment in higher education who does not work at the establishment full-time. The terms of this appointment and the job security of the tenure vary in different parts of the world, but the term is gen ...

for Te Whare Wananga o Awanuiarangi in New Zealand. He later became an Associate Member of the Matahauariki Institute at

Waikato University The University of Waikato (), established in 1964, is a public research university located in Hamilton, New Zealand. An additional campus is located in Tauranga. The university performs research in numerous disciplines such as education, socia ...

. He was a PhD examiner at

Australian National University The Australian National University (ANU) is a public university, public research university and member of the Group of Eight (Australian universities), Group of Eight, located in Canberra, the capital of Australia. Its main campus in Acton, A ...

Canberra Canberra ( ; ) is the capital city of Australia. Founded following the Federation of Australia, federation of the colonies of Australia as the seat of government for the new nation, it is Australia's list of cities in Australia, largest in ...

for Pacific and Samoan history. Tupua was a resident scholar of the Pacific Studies Centre of the Australian National University and the Macmillan Brown Centre for Pacific Studies at

University of Canterbury The University of Canterbury (UC; ; postnominal abbreviation ''Cantuar.'' or ''Cant.'' for ''Cantuariensis'', the Latin name for Canterbury) is a public research university based in Christchurch, New Zealand. It was founded in 1873 as Canterbur ...

in New Zealand. Tupua helped to begin excavations at Samoa's important Pulemelei Mound archaeological site. Samoans, under Tupua Tamasese, carried out a ceremony to honour

Thor Heyerdahl Thor Heyerdahl KStJ (; 6 October 1914 – 18 April 2002) was a Norwegian adventurer and Ethnography, ethnographer with a background in biology with specialization in zoology, botany and geography. Heyerdahl is notable for his Kon-Tiki expediti ...

for his contributions to

Polynesia Polynesia ( , ) is a subregion of Oceania, made up of more than 1,000 islands scattered over the central and southern Pacific Ocean. The indigenous people who inhabit the islands of Polynesia are called Polynesians. They have many things in ...

and the Pulemelei Mound excavations in 2003. In late 2007 Tupua established an overseas boarding school scholarship to St. Patrick's College, Silverstream, which allows one student per year to live and be schooled in

for all their college years, beginning in 2008. Tupua was awarded an honorary doctorate by

St Andrew's University The University of St Andrews (, ; abbreviated as St And in post-nominals) is a public university in St Andrews, Scotland. It is the List of oldest universities in continuous operation, oldest of the four ancient universities of Scotland and, f ...

in 2019.

Publications

Tupua wrote three books, and articles in scholarly journals and publications.

Honours

In July 2008 while attending the coronation of

George Tupou V George Tupou V (Siaosi Tāufaʻāhau Manumataongo Tukuʻaho Tupou; 4 May 194818 March 2012) was King of Tonga from 2006 until his death in 2012. He was the eldest son of King Tāufaʻāhau Tupou IV. After ascending the throne, George Tupou ann ...

Tonga Tonga, officially the Kingdom of Tonga, is an island country in Polynesia, part of Oceania. The country has 171 islands, of which 45 are inhabited. Its total surface area is about , scattered over in the southern Pacific Ocean. accordin ...

he was made a Knight Grand Cross with Collar of the Order of the Crown of Tonga. He was awarded the

Order of Merit of Samoa The Samoan Order of Merit is an order recognizing distinguished service in science, art, literature, or religion. Per the Honours and Awards Act 1999, admission into the organization is granted by the O le Ao o le Malo, presently Vaaletoa Sualauvi ...

in the 2023 Samoa Honours and Awards.

Personal life

Tupua is married to Masiofo Filifilia Imo, who is also known as Masiofo Filifilia Tamasese.

Ancestry

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Efi, Tufuga 1938 births Children of heads of state Christian Democratic Party (Samoa) politicians Living people Members of the Legislative Assembly of Samoa O le Ao o le Malo of Samoa People educated at St Patrick's College, Silverstream Prime ministers of Samoa Deputy prime ministers of Samoa Ministers of foreign affairs of Samoa Members of the Council of Deputies Samoan chiefs Samoan National Development Party politicians Samoan people of English descent Samoan people of Irish descent Samoan people of Swedish descent Samoan Roman Catholics Victoria University of Wellington alumni Knights Grand Cross of the Order of the Crown of Tonga 20th-century Samoan politicians 21st-century Samoan politicians Samoan writers Samoan male writers 20th-century male writers Members of the Order of Merit of Samoa