Teremoana Tapi Taio is a Cook Islands

Cook Islands

The Cook Islands is a self-governing parliamentary democracy in the South Pacific Ocean in free association with New Zealand...

 politician and former Cabinet Minister

Cook Islands Cabinet

The Cabinet of the Cook Islands is the policy and decision-making body of the executive branch of the Cook Islands Government. It consists of the Prime Minister and a number of other Ministers, who are collectively responsible to Parliament....

. He is a member of the Cook Islands Democratic Party

Democratic Party (Cook Islands)

The Democratic Party is a liberal political party in the Cook Islands. It is currently the Opposition party in the Cook Islands Parliament.-Early years:...

.

Taio was elected to the Cook Islands Parliament

Parliament of the Cook Islands

The Parliament of the Cook Islands is the legislature of the Cook Islands. Originally established under New Zealand colonial rule, it became the national legislature on independence in 1965....

 for the electorate of Akaoa

Akaoa (Cook Islands electorate)

Akaoa is a Cook Islands electoral division returning one member to the Cook Islands Parliament. Its current representative is Teariki Heather, who has held the seat since 2004....

 at the 1999 election

Cook Islands general election, 1999

General elections were held in the Cook Islands on 16 June 1999 to elect 25 MPs to the Parliament. The Cook Islands Party won 11 seats, the Democratic Alliance Party 10 seats, and the New Alliance Party 4 seats....

. He served in the cabinet of Robert Woonton

Robert Woonton

Dr Robert Woonton was the Prime Minister of the Cook Islands from 11 February 2002 until 11 December 2004, and is a member of the centrist Democratic Party. A medical doctor by training, he became a Member of Parliament for the island of Manihiki...

, and was responsible for the Finance portfolio following the resignation of Deputy Prime Minister

Deputy Prime Minister of the Cook Islands

The Deputy Prime Minister of the Cook Islands is the second most senior officer in the government of the Cook Islands. From 1965 to 1981, the position was called the Deputy Premier. When the office of Premier was renamed to Prime Minister in 1981, the Deputy Premier became the Deputy Prime...

 Terepai Maoate

Terepai Maoate

Sir Terepai Tuamure Maoate, KBE was Prime Minister of the Cook Islands from 18 November 1999 to 11 February 2002. He is a member of the Cook Islands Democratic Party...

 from the Cabinet in 2003. He lost his seat at the 2004 election

Cook Islands general election, 2004

General elections were held in the Cook Islands on 7 September 2004. Initial results showed the Democratic Party winning by a wide margin, but close results led to 11 electoral petitions being filed, delaying the date Parliament could sit until mid-December...

, and did not contest it in 2006

Cook Islands general election, 2006

General elections were held in the Cook Islands on September 27, 2006 in order to elect 24 MPs to the Cook Islands Parliament. The Democratic Party remained in power, winning 15 of 24 seats. A total of 8,497 voters turned out to vote....

 for family reasons.

Taio is managing director of Taio Shipping. He was appointed a director of the Cook Islands Investment Corporation in 2003. He is partly of Norwegian descent.

In September 2010 he resigned from the Cook Islands Investment Corporation board in order to stand for election. He ran for the seat of Akaoa in the 2010 elections

Cook Islands general election, 2010

General elections were held in the Cook Islands on 17 November 2010 in order to elect 24 MPs to the Cook Islands Parliament. The elections were won by the Cook Islands Party, which won 16 of the 24 seats...

, but was unsuccessful.