Tupai Tapihana

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The Honorable
Tupai Tapihana
Prime Minister of Milintica
Assumed office
October 1st, 2018
PresidentMatōchmizalo
Minister of Education
In office
October 1st, 2010 – October 1st, 2018
Representative Assemblyman
In office
October 1st, 1998 – October 1st, 2010
ConstituencyKōputaroa District 6
Personal details
BornTupai Tapihana
(1952-08-17) August 17, 1952 (age 71)
Kōputaroa, Milintica
NationalityMilintican
Political partyMilintica Peoples' Party
Spouse(s)Nyrie Eru
ChildrenTiare, Kereama, Turi
MotherNane Wihone
FatherManu Tapihana
Alma materNational University of Milintica, Kōputaroa

Tupai Tapihana is the current Prime Minister of the Democratic People's Republic of Milintica. He is a principal member of the Milintica Peoples' Party and has been Prime Minister since 2018.

Early Life and Education[edit | edit source]

Tapihana was born in Meto, a village on the southeastern coast of the island of Kōputaroa. His father Manu was a successful fisherman, and his mother Nane was a local teacher. Tapihana would later credit his father for teaching him the value of hard work, and his mother for teaching him the importance of education. Tapihana would attend the Meto Lower and Upper Schools as a child, before moving to the city of Rupuma to attend the National University's Kōputaroa campus.

After graduating from university, Tapihana took up various teaching positions, first in the Meto public schools and later at the National University's Kōputaroa campus. During Tapihana's time as a professor, he focused on Paora culture and lingustics, as well as anthropology.

Political Career[edit | edit source]

Representative Assembly[edit | edit source]

By his own account, Tapihana never intended to become involved in Milintican politics. However, he was approached by Milintica Peoples' Party leaders prior to the nationwide elections in 1998. The longtime MPP member of the Representative Assembly for Kōputaroa District 6, which included Tapihana's hometown of Meto, had decided to retire, and the MPP was concerned about losing the seat to a Progressive or Green candidate. Tapihana had a well-regarded reputation in the Meto area and throughout Kōputaroa, and the MPP saw him as an ideal candidate. Tapihana would later tell reporters, during his bid for Prime Minister, that he had told the MPP leaders at the time that he only intended to hold the seat in Kōputaroa for one term to give them time to find a more long-term candidate "and let me get back to my classes and my books."

Tapihana would end up completing three full terms as the Assemblyman for Kōputaroa District 6, which he would later say that he "had absolutely no regrets about, loved doing and was honored to serve," although he also commented that he "had no idea he would end up there so long."

During his three terms as an Assemblyman, Tapihana focused on improving the infrastructure and educational opportunities in Kōputaroa and the other outlying Milintican islands, Ngāmotu and Ōkarae. During his last term as an Assemblyman, Tapihana also became increasingly involved in the effort to prevent ocean rise from harming the outlying Milintican islands and in drafting the first MPP proposals for addressing climate change and environmental degradation.

Prime Minister of Milintica[edit | edit source]

Tapihana was chosen by the MPP to run for Prime Minister in 2018, alongside fellow Assemblyman and Presidential candidate Matōchmizalo. Tapihana was a compromise choice, meant to bridge the gap between the MPP establishment and a stable of younger politicians, led by Matōchmizalo, who were seeking to reform the MPP. Tapihana's tendency to be measured and thoughtful in his actions and words served as a valuable counterweight to Matōchmizalo's eagerness and passion. Presenting themselves as a ticket that was capable of both bringing stability to Milintica's raucous political scene and in moving the country forward at the same time, Matōchmizalo and Tapihana swept to an easy win in the 2018 Milintican elections.

During his time as Prime Minister, Tapihana has focused on keeping Milintica working while President Matōchmizalo represents the country on the international stage. Education and infrastructure have continued to be major policy areas of importance to the Prime Minister. Tapihana was instrumental in expanding and building on previous Assembly initiatives on the environment. His efforts led to the 2018 Plan for a Green Future, the Milintican government's sweeping plan to reduce the country's dependence on fossil fuels, implement eco-friendly and sustainable development policies, and reverse environmental degradation on both land and sea. While the plan was initially met with wide acclaim, the government has since received criticism for some MPP and GPM members for not yet meeting its ambitious goals. Tapihana has pointed out that Milintica's budget and struggling economy have made it hard to fully implement the plan. Other critics of the plan have called it entirely too ambitious for the tiny country; Tapihana's response was to say that "it's better for us to set the bar extremely high and fail to reach it than to set the bar extremely low and succeed at hitting a worthless goal."

Family Life[edit | edit source]

Tapihana is married to Nyrie Eru, a Milintican judge. They have three children: Tiare, Kereama, and Turi.