Josie M. Tamate is a Niuean civil servant and former Director-General of the Ministry of Natural Resources of the Government of Niue. In December 2022, she was appointed Chair of the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC),[1] the governing body for the world's largest tuna fishery. Tamate is the first Polynesian to serve as WCPFC Chair.[2]
Josie Tamate | |
|---|---|
| Nationality | Niue |
| Occupation | civil servant |
| Title | Chair of the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission |
| Term | Appointed to 2-year term in December 2022 |
Early life and education
editBorn and raised in Niue, Tamate completed tertiary studies in Australia and received a master's degree in Economics of Development from Australian National University in 1998.[3] In 2013 she earned a PhD from the University of Wollongong, focusing her doctoral thesis on Pacific tuna fisheries, regionalism and the experience of the Parties to the Nauru Agreement.[4]
Career
editTamate started her career as an economist with the Government of Niue, where she discovered the tuna fisheries sector, including management and geopolitical aspects.[5] She also worked as a policy adviser for the government and an economist for the Forum Fisheries Agency,[3] before serving as Director-General of the Ministry of Natural Resources of Niue from 2014 to 2023.[5]
In December 2018, she was appointed vice-chair of the WCPFC,[6] and in December 2022, she was selected to be the sixth Chair of the WCPFC at its 19th annual meeting in Da Nang, Vietnam, becoming the first Polynesian to hold this position.[2]
References
edit- ^ "Tuna Commission adopts new management procedure for skipjack". Radio New Zealand. 5 December 2022. Retrieved 19 October 2023.
- ^ a b "Dr. Josie Tamate, first from Polynesia to chair the Western and Central Pacific Fishing Commission". Television Niue. December 2022. Retrieved 19 October 2023.
- ^ a b "Tuna - A Key Economic Resource in the Pacific Islands, A Report Prepared for the Asian Development Bank and the Forum Fisheries Agency" (PDF). March 2001. p. 103. Retrieved 19 October 2023.
- ^ "Balancing the scales: the experience of the Parties to the Nauru Agreement". University of Wollongong Thesis Collection 1954-2016. Retrieved 19 October 2023.
- ^ a b "PMN Niue Community Engagement - Dr Josie Tamate". Pacific Media Network. 14 May 2019. Retrieved 19 October 2023.
- ^ "WCPFC15 Summary Report". Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission. 4 May 2019. Retrieved 19 October 2023.