Ngatupuna Matepi

Ngatupuna Matepi
Member of the Legislative Assembly
In office 1958–1977
Constituency	Mangaia
Leader of the Opposition
In office 1968–1969
Succeeded by	Tangaroa Tangaroa
Member for Health and Social Development
In office 1964–1965
Preceded by	Julian Dashwood
Succeeded by	Manea Tamarua Julian Dashwood
Personal details
Born	1909 Rarotonga, Cook Islands
Died	1977 (aged 68) Rarotonga, Cook Islands
Political party	UPP (1965–1968) UCI (1968–1971) Democratic (1971–1977)

Ngatupuna Matepi (1909–1977) was a Cook Islands politician. He served as a member of the Legislative Assembly from 1958 until his death, had two spells in the cabinet between 1962 and 1965, and became the first official Leader of the Opposition in 1968.

Biography

Matepi was born in Rarotonga in 1909.[1][2] After finishing his education in New Zealand, he worked as a schoolteacher in Mangaia for 33 years. He then established several businesses, including a bakery, cinema and store.[1]

Having previously served as a member of the Legislative Council, in the 1958 elections to the new Legislative Assembly Matepi successfully contested the Mangaia seat. In the 1961 elections he was indirectly elected to the Assembly by Mangaia Island Council. In 1962 he was appointed to the new Executive Committee.[3] The following year he was a candidate to become the first Leader of Government Business in 1963, but lost a vote to Dick Charles Brown by 11 votes to 10.[4] Shortly afterwards he was also defeated in a vote to become the Speaker, losing to Teariki Tuavera.[5]

After Julian Dashwood was sacked from the cabinet in 1964, Brown appointed Matepi as his replacement, giving him the portfolios of Health and Social Development.[6] He was directly elected again in 1965 as a representative of the United Political Party but lost his place in the cabinet as the Cook Islands Party won the elections. He was re-elected in 1968 as a United Cook Islanders candidate, after which he became Leader of the Opposition,[7] serving for a year before handing over to Tangaroa Tangaroa as part of an agreement to rotate the post between the party's MLAs.[8] He joined the Democratic Party after it was formed in 1971 and was re-elected again in 1972 and 1974.

In 1977, Matepi was awarded the Queen Elizabeth II Silver Jubilee Medal.[9] He died in Rarotonga in 1977 at the age of 68.[1]

References

1. Mr Ngatupuna Matepi Pacific Islands Monthly, November 1977, p97
2. Matepi, Ngatupuna 1909– WorldCat
3. They'll work towards Self-government Pacific Islands Monthly, September 1962, p21
4. Speedy and far-reaching changes in South Seas political scene Pacific Islands Monthly, December 1963, p7
5. Talks Soon On Political Future Of The Cooks Pacific Islands Monthly, January 1964, p35
6. Cook Is. Minister Fired–But No One Quite Knows Why Pacific Islands Monthly, October 1964, p35
7. Report of the Maori and Island Affairs Department and the Maori Trust Office and the Board of Maori Affairs 1969, p24
8. David J. Stone (1971) Self rule in the Cook Islands: The government and politics of a new micro-state
9. Taylor, Alister; Coddington, Deborah (1994). "Recipients of the Queen's Silver Jubilee Medal 1977: nominal roll of New Zealand recipients including Cook Islands, Niue and Tokelau". Honoured by the Queen – New Zealand. Auckland: New Zealand Who's Who Aotearoa. p. 431. ISBN 0-908578-34-2.