Viliami Tangi
Deputy Prime Minister of Tonga
In office
May 2006 – 4 January 2011
Prime MinisterFeleti Sevele
Preceded byJames Cocker
Succeeded bySamiu Vaipulu
Minister of Health
In office
1 March 1999 – 4 January 2011
Prime MinisterBaron Vaea
ʻAhoʻeitu ʻUnuakiʻotonga Tukuʻaho
Feleti Sevele
Succeeded byʻAkilisi Pōhiva

Viliami Ta’u Tangi, styled Lord Tangi of Vaonukonuka, is a Tongan politician and former Cabinet Minister. He has previously served as Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Health.

Biography

Tangi is from Vavaʻu.[1] He trained as a medical doctor at the Fiji School of Medicine, then entered the civil service as a medical officer. After completing surgical training overseas he became the second Tongan national admitted to the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons.[2] He worked as Chief Surgeon in Vaiola Hospital, Nuku'alofa, before moving to Australia. He returned to Tonga after being appointed as Minister of Health in 1999. As a Minister, he sat in the Tongan Parliament, but was not an elected representative. In 2003 he was elected to the WHO Executive Board.[2]

Following democratic reforms in 2010, Tangi contested the 2010 election,[3] but failed to win a seat. On 30 December 2010, he was appointed a Tongan life peer by King George Tupou V as Lord Tangi of Vaonukonuka.[2]

Following the 2021 Tongan general election, he was appointed interim Speaker.[4]

Honours

National honours

References

  1. ↑ David Riley (2016). Tongan Heroes (PDF). Auckland: Reading Warrior. pp. 28–30. Retrieved 6 January 2022.
  2. 1 2 3 "Lord Tangi of Vaonukonuka". Government of Tonga. 30 December 2010. Archived from the original on 2 January 2014. Retrieved 21 July 2015.
  3. ↑ "Tonga health minister standing in elections to ensure continuity". RNZ. 25 October 2010. Retrieved 13 December 2020.
  4. ↑ "Lord Tangi is interim Speaker of the House". Nukualofa Times. 22 November 2021. Retrieved 22 November 2021.
  5. ↑ "Royal orders presented at Palace". Matangi Tonga. 1 August 2008. Archived from the original on 21 January 2021. Retrieved 2 January 2022.


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