Adi Adi or ADI may refer to: Abbreviations * Acceptable daily intake, in health and medicine * Acting detective inspector, a type of police inspector * Africa Development Indicators, a compilation of data assembled by the World Bank * Alternating ...

'' Finau Tamari Tabakaucoro is a former

Fiji Fiji, officially the Republic of Fiji, is an island country in Melanesia, part of Oceania in the South Pacific Ocean. It lies about north-northeast of New Zealand. Fiji consists of an archipelago of more than 330 islands—of which about ...

an civil servant and

Cabinet Minister A minister is a politician who heads a ministry, making and implementing decisions on policies in conjunction with the other ministers. In some jurisdictions the head of government is also a minister and is designated the ' prime minister', ' p ...

, who served as a Minister in the interim Cabinet appointed by

Sitiveni Rabuka Sitiveni Ligamamada Rabuka (; born 13 September 1948) is a Fijian politician, sportsman, and former soldier who has been serving as Prime Minister of Fiji since 24 December 2022. He was the instigator of two military coups in 1987. He was de ...

following the

1987 Fijian coups d'état The Fijian coups d'état of 1987 resulted in the overthrow of the elected government of Fijian Prime Minister Timoci Bavadra, the deposition of Elizabeth II as Queen of Fiji, and in the declaration of a republic. The first coup d'état, in ...

, and as an assistant Minister in the interim Cabinet appointed by

Laisenia Qarase Laisenia Qarase (pronounced ; 4 February 1941 – 21 April 2020) was a Fijian politician. He served as the Prime Minister of Fiji, sixth Prime Minister of Fiji from 2000 to 2006. After Republic of Fiji Military Forces, the military quashed the 2 ...

in the wake of the

2000 Fijian coup d'état The 2000 Fijian coup d'état was a civilian coup d'état by an armed group of indigenous Fijian nationalists supported by the Counter Revolutionary Warfare Unit, against the elected government of Indo-Fijian Prime Minister Mahendra Chau ...

. She is currently president of the Soqosoqo Vakamarama I Taukei, Fiji's largest indigenous women's organisation.

Early life

Tabakaucoro was born in

Savusavu Savusavu () is a town in the Fijian Province of Cakaudrove. The town is located on the south coast of Vanua Levu Island and had a population of 3,372 in the 2007 census. Savusavu is known as "the hidden paradise of Fiji." Geography Savus ...

, Cakaudrove and raised in the village of Nagigi. She attended Navatu district School in

Nasinu Nasinu () is an urban area on the island Viti Levu in Fiji. It is officially designated a "Town" and was formally incorporated as such in 1999. The population of Nasinu was 92,043 at the 2017 Census. Its land area is the largest of any municipal ...

, Draiba Fijian School, Adi Cakobau School and

Suva Grammar School Suva Grammar School (or SGS) is a secondary school in Suva, Fiji. The school caters 6 streams for Forms 3 (Year 9) to 6 (Year 12) and 4 streams for Form 7 (Year 13). Suva Grammar has a school population of approximately 1200 students (as of Febru ...

, and later studied history at the

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 ...

from 1964-1967. To supplement her government scholarship she had several part-time jobs. She worked as a babysitter and a waitress. She was also employed in a candle shop and in a factory sewing headscarfs and pillowcases. After graduating, she undertook teacher training at Epsom Secondary Teachers College before training as a civil servant at the

Royal Institute of Public Administration Royal may refer to: People * Royal (name), a list of people with either the surname or given name * A member of a royal family or royalty Places United States * Royal, Arkansas, an unincorporated community * Royal, Illinois, a village * Roya ...

in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

. On returning to Fiji she worked as a training officer in the department of localisation and training, and then as assistant secretary for the Ministry of Urban Development, Housing and Social Welfare, before joining the

United Nations Development Program The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is a United Nations agency tasked with helping countries Poverty reduction, eliminate poverty and achieve Sustainable development, sustainable economic growth and Human development (economics), hu ...

. In 1980 she became president of the Fiji YWCA. Tabakaucoro is a member of the

Tui Kaba Tui or TUI may refer to: Places * Tui, Pontevedra, Spain * Tui, Iran, West Azerbaijan Province, Iran * Tui, North Khorasan, North Khorasan Province, Iran * Tui Province, Burkina Faso * Tui railway station, New Zealand Computing * Tangible use ...

clan, the

royal family A royal family is the immediate family of monarchs and sometimes their extended family. The term imperial family appropriately describes the family of an emperor or empress, and the term papal family describes the family of a pope, while th ...

of Tailevu and of the Kubuna Confederacy. She has been outspoken in her calls for the next

Vunivalu of Bau ''Turaga na Vunivalu na Tui Kaba'', shortened as ''Vunivalu'', is the Paramount Chief of the Kubuna Confederacy of the island of Bau in Fiji. Loosely translated the title means ''Warlord of Bau'' or "Root of War". The succession to the title ...

(generally recognized as Fiji's highest chiefly title) to be elected by the whole of the Tui Kaba clan, rather than appointed by a few elders.

Political career

Following the

she was appointed minister for women, culture and social welfare in the interim government from 1987 to 1992. She played a role in the drafting of the

1990 Constitution of Fiji Year 199 ( CXCIX) was a common year starting on Monday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was sometimes known as year 952 ''Ab urbe condita''. The denomination 199 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno D ...

, and advocated successfully for a constitutional ban on sex- and religious-discrimination in Fiji. In 1992 she was appointed to the

Senate of Fiji The Senate of Fiji was the upper chamber of Parliament. It was abolished by the 2013 Constitution of Fiji, after a series of military coups. It was the less powerful of the two chambers; it could not initiate legislation, but could amend or vet ...

. Following the

she was appointed to the interim government as an assistant minister, holding office till an elected government took power in September 2001. She then stood as an independent candidate in the Tailevu South Lomaiviti Open Constituency in the 2001 election, but was not successful. In 2005 she supported the

Reconciliation, Tolerance, and Unity Bill The Reconciliation and Unity Commission was a proposed government body to be set up if the Reconciliation, Tolerance, and Unity Bill, which was introduced into the Fijian Parliament on 4 May 2005 was passed. The legislation proposed to empower t ...

. Following 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 ...

she said that ousted prime minister

should have resigned, and urged people not to resist the military takeover. In March 2008 she accepted appointment to the military regime's

National Council for Building a Better Fiji The National Council for Building a Better Fiji (NCBBF) was an organisation established in 2007 by the government of Fiji. Its task was to prepare the People's Charter for Change, Peace and Progress proposed by interim Prime Minister Commodore V ...

, and later defended the military's role in drafting the

People's Charter for Change, Peace and Progress The People's Charter for Change, Peace and Progress (initially, People's Charter for Change and Progress) was a proposed legal document which would have complemented the 1997 Constitution of Fiji. It would have established compulsory guidelines f ...

Honours

In October 2020 Tabakaucoro was awarded the 50th-anniversary independence medal.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tabakaucoro, Finau Living people Year of birth missing (living people) Fijian chiefs Tui Kaba Victoria University of Wellington alumni Politicians from Savusavu Politicians from Bau (island) Members of the Senate (Fiji) 20th-century Fijian politicians 20th-century Fijian women politicians 21st-century Fijian politicians 21st-century Fijian women politicians Women government ministers of Fiji Women's ministers of Fiji Culture ministers of Fiji