Tepure Tapaitau

Tepure Tapaitau, QPM (died 14 November 2010) was a Cook Islands politician, Cabinet Minister, and Deputy Leader of the Cook Islands Democratic Party and also the first Cook Islander to become the Commissioner of Police.

Tepure Tapaitau
Attorney General
In office
6 August 1999 – 1 December 1999
LeaderJoe Williams
Succeeded byNorman George
Minister of Police
In office
6 August 1999 – 1 December 1999
Prime MinisterJoe Williams
Succeeded byNorman George
Minister of Marine Resources
Prime MinisterGeoffrey Henry
Succeeded byTupou Faireka
Member of the Cook Islands Parliament
for Penrhyn
In office
24 March 1994 – 27 June 2002
Preceded byNihi Vini
Succeeded byWilkie Rasmussen
Personal details
Died14 November 2010
Political partyCook Islands Party
Democratic Party

Tapaitau trained with the FBI in the United States before studying law at the University of Auckland.[1] He served as Police Commissioner[1] before entering politics. He was elected to the Parliament of the Cook Islands at the 1994 election, representing the seat of Penrhyn for the Cook Islands Party. He served as a Minister in the government of Geoffrey Henry, holding the portfolios of marine resources, broadcasting, police and attorney-general. In 1997, he was accused by opposition MP Norman George of misappropriating government materials to build a house in his electorate, but was cleared.[2] He was appointed to the short-lived Cabinet of Joe Williams,[3] but ousted when Terepai Maoate took power.[4] In June 2000 he left the Cook islands party and switched his support to the government.[5] In February 2002 he was appointed to Maoate's Cabinet, but was ousted just days later when the Maoate government lost a confidence motion to Robert Woonton.[1]

In 2002, he was disqualified from Parliament, precipitating a by-election, which he lost.[6] He stood again for the seat as a Democratic Party candidate at the 2004 election, but was unsuccessful.[7] Despite holding the position of deputy leader of the Democratic Party, he did not contest the 2006 election.

In October 2006, he was appointed High Commissioner to New Zealand,[8] a position he held until 2010.[1] In August 2007 he was replaced as Deputy Leader by Wilkie Rasmussen.[9]

Tapaitau was awarded the Queen's Police Medal in the 1989 New Year Honours.

Tapaitau died in Cairns, Australia.[1]

References
  1. "PM pays tribute to Tapaitau". Cook Islands News. 16 November 2010. Retrieved 30 January 2021.
  2. Wilkie Rasmussen (1999). "Cook Islands in Review: Issues and Events, 1 July 1997 to 30 June 1998". The Contemporary Pacific. 11 (1): 209.
  3. "COOK ISLANDS MINISTERIAL PORTFOLIOS". Pacific Islands Report. 6 August 1999. Retrieved 30 January 2021.
  4. "Portfolio Allocations". Pacific Islands Report. 1 December 1999. Retrieved 30 June 2020.
  5. "COOK ISLANDS DEPUTY PM SAYS NO COUP". Pacific Islands Report. 30 June 2000. Retrieved 30 January 2021.
  6. "Rasmussen provisional winner in Cooks by-election". RNZ. 1 July 2002. Retrieved 30 January 2021.
  7. "First recount in Cook's elections underway". RNZ. 21 September 2004. Retrieved 30 January 2021.
  8. "Cook Islands names new top diplomat to NZ". RNZ. 23 October 2006. Retrieved 30 January 2021.
  9. "Cook Islands Democratic Party elects a new deputy leader". Radio New Zealand International. 9 August 2007. Retrieved 30 January 2021.
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