Bwebwetake Areieta Explained

Office1:Minister of Communications, Works and Utilities
Term1:1974–1978
Predecessor1:Naboua Ratieta
Successor1:Babera Kirata
Office2:Member for Social Services
Term2:1971–1974
Office3:Member of the House of Assembly
Term3:1974–1980
Constituency3:Maiana
Office4:Member of the Legislative Council
Predecessor4:Tem Jacob
Term4:1971–1974
Constituency4:Maiana
Death Date:8 March 1980 (aged 37)
Death Place:Ambo, Kiribati

Bwebwetake Areieta (died 8 March 1980) was an I-Kiribati politician. He served as a member of the Legislative Council and House of Assembly from 1971 until his death, also holding the posts of Member for Social Services and Minister of Communications, Works and Utilities during the 1970s.

Biography

Originally from Maiana, Areieta married Matereti from Onotoa and the couple moved to Bairiki. He began work in the civil service in 1963 and became editor of the Colony Information Notes weekly newsheet,[1] In 1966 he was seconded to the Public Relations Office of the Fijian government for a short spell. He became an assistant broadcasting officer for Radio Tarawa and attended a BBC producers course in the UK.[2] He later rose to become officer-in-charge of the broadcasting department.[3]

In 1971 he was elected to the Legislative Council of the Gilbert and Ellice Islands and was appointed Member for Social Services.[4] After being re-elected to the new House of Assembly in 1974 he was appointed Minister of Communications, Works and Utilities by Chief Minister Naboua Ratieta. Although he was re-elected again in 1978, Ratieta lost the election for Chief Minister and Areieta was left out of the new cabinet.[3]

He died in March 1980 in a motorcycle accident.[3]

Notes and References

  1. https://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-330240358/view?sectionId=nla.obj-336141221&partId=nla.obj-330303962#page/n107/mode/1up People
  2. https://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-331579987/view?sectionId=nla.obj-336636668&partId=nla.obj-331716593#page/n96/mode/1up People
  3. https://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-339056544/view?partId=nla.obj-339097898#page/n97/mode/1up Bwebwetake Areieta
  4. https://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-332069776/view?partId=nla.obj-332125698#page/n25/mode/1up New-look Gilbert and Ellice politics may spark ailing public interest