Lapati Paka was a

Niue Niue (, ; niu, Niuē) is an island country in the South Pacific Ocean, northeast of New Zealand. Niue's land area is about and its population, predominantly Polynesian, was about 1,600 in 2016. Niue is located in a triangle between Tong ...

an politician. She was jointly one of the first women elected to the

Niue Assembly The Niue Assembly ( niu, Niue Fono Ekepule) is the legislature of Niue. It consists of 20 members; 14 representatives of the villages and 6 elected on a common roll. Members are directly elected by universal suffrage, and serve a three-year t ...

Biography

Originally from

Mutalau Mutalau is one of the fourteen villages of Niue. Its population at the 2017 census was 100, up from 97 in 2011. History Overview It was previously known as Ululauta and Matahefonua. ''Ululauta'' and ''Matahefonua'' both mean "head of the land". ...

, Paka was the daughter of Togakilo, a member of the Legislative Assembly, and began her career as a nurse. After taking a home economics course in

Suva Suva () is the capital and largest city of Fiji. It is the home of the country's largest metropolitan area and serves as its major port. The city is located on the southeast coast of the island of Viti Levu, in Rewa Province, Central Di ...

, she joined the civil service as a Women's Interest Officer in 1965. She also became secretary of the Women's Club. She contested the island-wide constituency in the April 1975 elections and was elected to the Niue Assembly, becoming one of the first women elected to the legislature alongside

Patricia Rex Tuagatagaloa Patricia Rex, Lady Rex (née Vatolo; 1918 – 21 January 2004) was a Niuean politician. The wife of Niue's first Premier Robert Rex, she was jointly one of the first women elected to the Niue Assembly. She also designed the flag of ...

. Her father was also re-elected in the same election.No Rex dynasty for Niue
''Pacific Islands Monthly'', June 1975, p9 She later became president of the Niue Council of Women.Niue Council of Women Celebrate their Arts and Crafts in technicolour
Tau Tala Niue, 20 August 2010

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Paka, Lapati Niuean civil servants Women civil servants Niuean women in politics Members of the Niue Assembly 20th-century New Zealand women politicians 20th-century New Zealand politicians Year of birth missing (living people) Living people