Misa Telefoni Retzlaff (born Hermann Theodor Retzlaff, 21 May 1952) is a Samoan author and retired politician who served as the deputy prime minister of Samoa and deputy leader of the

Human Rights Protection Party The Human Rights Protection Party (HRPP, ) is a Samoan political party. It was founded in 1979 and dominated Samoan party politics for decades thereafter, leading every government until their defeat in 2021. Former Prime Minister Tuilaepa Sailele ...

from 2001 to 2011. A member of the

, Retzlaff was also

minister of finance A ministry of finance is a ministry or other government agency in charge of government finance, fiscal policy, and financial regulation. It is headed by a finance minister, an executive or cabinet position . A ministry of finance's portfolio ...

from 2006 to 2011.

Background

Retzlaff is of German-Swedish-Samoan descent, having inherited his German ancestry from his paternal grandfather. His name "Telefoni", is the name that was given by the Samoan community in the early twentieth century, to his grandfather, when he arrived in the German colony, as a public servant of the postal services, to introduce the telephone to the country. He was educated at Marist Brothers in

Apia Apia () is the Capital (political), capital and largest city of Samoa. It is located on the central north coast of Upolu, Samoa's second-largest island. Apia falls within the political district (''itūmālō'') of Tuamasaga. The Apia Urban A ...

and King's College in

Auckland Auckland ( ; ) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. It has an urban population of about It is located in the greater Auckland Region, the area governed by Auckland Council, which includes outlying rural areas and ...

New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...

. He studied law at the

University of Auckland The University of Auckland (; Māori: ''Waipapa Taumata Rau'') is a public research university based in Auckland, New Zealand. The institution was established in 1883 as a constituent college of the University of New Zealand. Initially loc ...

, graduating in 1974. After returning to Samoa, he studied to become a Certified Public Accountant, graduating in 1977, before going on to practice law. He was appointed

Attorney-General of Samoa The attorney-general of Samoa is a constitutional and legal officer in Samoa, responsible for advising the government on legal matters and bringing criminal proceedings. The current attorney-general is Suʻa Hellene Wallwork. The attorney-genera ...

in 1986. His eldest son

Lemalu Herman Retzlaff Lemalu Hermann Retzlaff is a Samoan New Zealander lawyer. He served as Attorney-General of Samoa from 2016 to 2020. He is the son of former attorney-general and deputy prime minister Misa Telefoni Retzlaff. Early life and career Retzlaff was b ...

was subsequently appointed and also served as Attorney General of Samoa in 2016.

Political career

In 1988 he resigned his position as Attorney-general to run for election, winning the seat of Falelatai & Samatau.Samoan election results by constituency 1964–2016
Samoa Election Results Database Initially part of the opposition, he joined the government of

Tofilau Eti Alesana Tofilau Eti Alesana (born ''Aualamalefalelima Alesana''; 4 June 1924 – 19 March 1999) was a Samoan politician who served as the fifth prime minister of Samoa from 1982 to 1985, and again from 1988 until his resignation in 1998. Biography B ...

in 1991 as Minister of Agriculture, Forests, Fisheries and Shipping. In 1996 he became Minister of Health, and in 2001, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance. In 2006 he was appointed Minister of Tourism, Trade, Labor and Commerce. He retired at the 2011 general election.

Publications

Retzlaff has had two books published; "Love and Money", a love story about the richest young bachelor in Auckland New Zealand falling in love with and marrying the young Samoan kitchen help from his exclusive boarding school; and "To Thine Own Self be True", a collection of articles, speeches and poems. In 2021 he published an autobiography, ''Tautua – Memoirs of a Public Servant''.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Retzlaff, Misa Telefoni 1952 births Samoan people of German descent Members of the Legislative Assembly of Samoa University of Auckland alumni Samoan lawyers Living people Attorneys general of Samoa Deputy prime ministers of Samoa Ministers of finance of Samoa Health ministers of Samoa Government ministers of Samoa Human Rights Protection Party politicians Samoan writers Samoan male writers Samoan non-fiction writers Samoan people of Swedish descent