Mapu Tangatatutai Taia (28 April 1939 - October 2015) was a

Cook Islands ) , image_map = Cook Islands on the globe (small islands magnified) (Polynesia centered).svg , capital = Avarua , coordinates = , largest_city = Avarua , official_languages = , lan ...

politician. He served as

Speaker of the Cook Islands Parliament The Speaker of the Cook Islands Parliament is the presiding officer of the Cook Islands Parliament. The manage the House in accordance with its Standing Orders and according to the traditions of the Westminster system. The current Speaker is ...

from 2006 to 2010. He was a member of the Cook Islands Democratic Party and held the traditional title of Kakemaunga Mataiapo. Taia was born in

Mauke Mauke (Ma'uke also Akatokamanava) is an island of the Cook Islands archipelago, lying in the central-southern Pacific Ocean. Part of the Nga-pu-Toru, it is northeast of Rarotonga. Geography Mauke is a raised coral atoll, with a central volcani ...

in the Cook Islands and educated at Mauke Primary School,

Avarua School Avarua School or Apii Avarua is a co-educational primary school in Avarua, Rarotonga in the Cook Islands. It is the largest primary school in the Cook Islands, with a roll of 505 in 2019. The school was founded by the London Missionary Society ...

, Nikao Maori School and

Tereora College Tereora College is a secondary school in Nikao, Rarotonga, Cook Islands. It is the oldest secondary school in the Cook Islands and the national college of the Cook Islands for Year 9-13 students. The school was first established in 1895 by the ...

. He completed a teaching diploma at Nikao Teachers Training College in 1958, and later studied at the

University of the South Pacific The University of the South Pacific (USP) is a public university, public research university with locations spread throughout a dozen countries in Oceania. Established in 1968, the university is organised as an intergovernmental organisation and ...

. He worked as a primary school teacher, then as a principal of

Mitiaro School Mitiaro School or Apii Tematangarengare is a co-educational school on the island of Mitiaro in the Cook Islands. It is the only school on the island and has a roll of 36 students. The school has three teachers and offers classes from Grade 1 (yea ...

(1963–1971) and Mauke College (1972–1996). While a school principal he also became an oral historian. He retired after 40 years of teaching in 1996, and became a

Justice of the Peace A justice of the peace (JP) is a judicial officer of a lower or ''puisne'' court, elected or appointed by means of a commission ( letters patent) to keep the peace. In past centuries the term commissioner of the peace was often used with the sa ...

. Taia was elected to the Cook Islands Parliament as MP for Mauke in the 1999 election. He was appointed Deputy Speaker in 1999. In 2004 he was the Democrat's candidate for Speaker, but lost to

Norman George Norman George (born 2 July 1946) is a Cook Islands politician and former Speaker of the Cook Islands Parliament, Deputy Prime Minister, and Cabinet Minister. George was first elected to the Parliament of the Cook Islands in 1983. He represented ...

. He was appointed Speaker in 2006, and served in that role until he retired at the 2010 election. Taia was awarded an

OBE The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

for community and public sector services in 2008. He died in October 2015 and is buried on Mauke.

References

2015 deaths Members of the Parliament of the Cook Islands Cook Island Māori people Officers of the Order of the British Empire 1939 births Speakers of the Cook Islands Parliament People from Mauke Democratic Party (Cook Islands) politicians Cook Island schoolteachers University of the South Pacific alumni {{CookIslands-politician-stub