Woman of The Month
Congratulations, Mrs Mereani Tangata

Congratulations to Woman of the Month nominee Mrs Mereani Tangata, who throughout her years has played an active role within the community and within the schools of the Cook Islands.
Mereani Tangata from the “famous village of Avatiu,” was born the only girl in her
family and raised by her grandmother since the day that she was born on the island of Manihiki, the eldest of her 2 younger brothers Mrs Tangata says she grew up so closely with her cousins that she considers them her brothers and sisters also. Mereani Tangata then moved to Rarotonga at the young age of six to commence her schooling at St Josephs School, she then returned to Manihiki at the age of 11 for the completion of her schooling, after which she returned back to Rarotonga and was to make the most influential decision of what turned out to be a lengthy career. Mrs Tangata, then 15 years old, decided not to enroll into Tereora College but rather to enroll straight into Teachers Training College which she enjoyed greatly.
Travelling often Mrs Tangata’s teaching career has spanned across Rarotonga and her islands. Upon completion of Mereani’s training she began teaching here in Rarotonga at her first school, Rutaki School for one year. From that point forward her passion for teaching grew and she was transferred to Avarua School where she spent her days shaping the minds of young students.
Mereani then met a lovely man from Atiu that she was to eventually marry and share her life with and moved back to Atiu where Mrs Tangata spent the next five years teaching. She is the proud mother of seven children, four girls and three boys, who have given her a whooping twenty five grandchildren and five beautiful great grandchildren whom she adores all equally and says, “They are the love of my life and appreciate them greatly.”
Although Mereani Tangata has taught across all grades she says that she her most enjoyable time was teaching the children in preschool, “you see their different kind of characters,” she shares with me, “there are the quite ones, the talkative ones and the stubborn ones,” she laughs. Teaching a wide range of students from the outer islands it taught Mrs Tangata to become multi lingual, being able to converse in the different dialects, such as Pukapukan, Manihikian and Mangaian, was instrumental in her teaching to help her students feel comfortable and confident at school, “Its great they’re all different.” Mereani Tangata a lover of all sports, especially netball during her time, has played an active role within the sporting community that she is considered the mama of the Avatiu Nikao Mongoose golden oldies men’s team and is affectionately referred to as “Aunty Meme”. Her role within the community also extends to groups such as the National council of Woman in which she is the Atiu representative here in Rarotonga.
Mrs Tangata credits many influential and helpful people within her life but would like to give thanks to God and Mother Mary who she says through them all things are possible, the people who nominated her for the Woman of the Month and her family and friends who have supported her throughout the years. Congratulations again to Mrs Mereani
Tangata for your much appreciated contribution to education and sports here in the Cook Islands. -Maria Tanner

Herald Issue 554 09 March
- Norm exposes Trio of Doom
- Briefs from PM’s media conference Tuesday
- Tourism Industry ponders $5 million draft strategy
- Norman George resigns from Cook Islands Party
- Letter of Resignation from CIP
- Norman selfish says Prime Minister