Ratu ''Ratu'' () is an Austronesian title used by male Fijians of chiefly rank. An equivalent title, ''adi'' (pronounced ), is used by females of chiefly rank. In the Malay language, the title ''ratu'' is also the traditional honorific title to r ...

'' Aisea Cavunailoa Katonivere (died 18 April 2013) was a Fijian

chief Chief may refer to: Title or rank Military and law enforcement * Chief master sergeant, the ninth, and highest, enlisted rank in the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Space Force * Chief of police, the head of a police department * Chief of the boat ...

and politician who hailed from the chiefly village of Naduri from the northern

Province A province is an administrative division within a country or sovereign state, state. The term derives from the ancient Roman , which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire, Roman Empire's territorial possessions ou ...

of Macuata, where he was the Paramount Chief and Chairman of the Provincial Council. He held the title of ''Caumatalevu na Turaga na Tui Macuata'', which is usually abbreviated to '' Tui Macuata.''

Political career

In the

parliamentary election A general election is an electoral process to choose most or all members of a governing body at the same time. They are distinct from by-elections, which fill individual seats that have become vacant between general elections. General elections ...

of 2001, he contested the Macuata Fijian Communal Constituency for the

Soqosoqo Duavata ni Lewenivanua The United Fiji Party (, , SDL) was a list of political parties in Fiji, political party in Fiji. It was founded in 2001 by Prime Minister of Fiji, Prime Minister Laisenia Qarase as a power base; it absorbed most of the Christian Democratic Alli ...

(SDL), but was defeated by Isireli Leweniqila of the Conservative Alliance (CAMV). On 23 February 2006, he announced his candidacy for the

Presidency A presidency is an administration or the executive, the collective administrative and governmental entity that exists around an office of president of a state or nation. Although often the executive branch of government, and often personified b ...

or Vice-Presidency. When the

Great Council of Chiefs The Great Council of Chiefs () is a Fijian constitutional body. It previously existed from 1876 to March 2012 and was restored in May 2023. It is different from the House of Chiefs, a larger body that includes all hereditary chiefs, although m ...

met on 8 March, however, it reelected

Josefa Iloilo '' Ratu'' Josefa Iloilovatu Uluivuda, (29 December 1920 – 6 February 2011) was a Fijian politician who served as the 3rd President of Fiji from 2000 until 2009 following the 2000 Fijian coup d'état, excluding a brief period from 5 ...

as President and

Joni Madraiwiwi ''Ratu'' Joni Madraiwiwi, Lord Madraiwiwi Tangatatonga (10 November 1957 – 29 September 2016) was a prominent Fijian lawyer, legal scholar, jurist, and politician. He served as vice-president, and also acting president, of Fiji, and Chief J ...

as Vice-President. In June 2006, the

chose Katonivere as one of its fourteen nominees to the

Senate A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

. He held this position until the

2006 Fijian coup d'état The Fijian coup d'état of December 2006 was a coup d'état in Fiji carried out by Commodore (rank), Commodore Frank Bainimarama against Prime Minister of Fiji, Prime Minister Laisenia Qarase and President Josefa Iloilo. It was the culminatio ...

. In 2006, he was awarded a Golden Ocean Conservation Award by the

World Wildlife Fund The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) is a Swiss-based international non-governmental organization founded in 1961 that works in the field of wilderness preservation and the reduction of human impact on the environment. It was formerly named the ...

for his work on protecting marine biodiversity. In May 2008, he lost his position as chair of the Macuata provincial council and was replaced by Isireli Leweniqila.

Succession

Katonivere died on a fishing trip when his boat capsized. He was succeeded as Tui Macuata by his younger brother, Ratu

Wiliame Katonivere ''Ratu'' Wiliame Maivalili Katonivere, CF (; born 20 April 1964) is a Fijian chief and politician.He served as the President of Fiji from 2021 to 2024. He has been chief of Macuata Province since 2013, succeeding his older brother Aisea Katon ...

in 2013.

References

Year of birth missing 2013 deaths Fijian chiefs I-Taukei Fijian members of the Senate (Fiji) Soqosoqo Duavata ni Lewenivanua politicians Politicians from Macuata Province {{Fiji-politician-stub