Alapati Pita Tavite
Ulu-o-Tokelau (Head of Government), Two Terms
Who is Alapati Pita Tavite?
Alapati Pita Tavite is a Tokelauan politician who rose through the atoll council system, serving as a taupulega (council of elders) member for Nukunonu after his election in 2017 and re-election in 2020, before becoming faipule (elected atoll leader) for Nukunonu in 2023. As faipule he was appointed to lead both the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Health, overseeing Tokelau's pandemic response during a difficult period for the territory's three isolated atolls. He was first sworn in as Ulu-o-Tokelau, the rotating head of government, for the term running from March 2024 to March 2025, and was sworn in for a second term beginning 9 March 2026, the year marking a century of Tokelau's administrative relationship with New Zealand. At his 2026 inauguration at Talikilagi, Nukunonu's traditional meeting house, he called on Tokelauans everywhere, including the much larger diaspora in New Zealand, to keep contributing to their homeland, saying "we have one Tokelau." He has also been an outspoken voice on climate change, criticising New Zealand for what he sees as insufficient funding to help Tokelau respond to rising sea levels, and has highlighted the territory's continuing infrastructure challenges, including the absence of an airport and the long sea journey to Samoa. He is married to Silivia Tavite, a physician who has served as Tokelau's director of health.
Sources: Wikipedia, "Alapati Tavite" · RNZ Pacific, "Alapati Pita Tavite sworn in as 12th Ulu o Tokelau" · Islands Business / PINA, "Alapati Pita Tavite sworn in as 12th Ulu o Tokelau"