Lauta Atoi Explained

Lauta Atoi
Birth Place:Bougainville, Papua New Guinea
Club1:Redcliffe Dolphins
Teama:Papua New Guinea
Yearastart:1986
Yearaend:88
Appearancesa:7
Triesa:2
Goalsa:0
Fieldgoalsa:0
Pointsa:8
Source:[1]
New:yes

Lauta Atoi (born 1962) is a Papua New Guinean politician and rugby league player. He was a People's National Congress member of the National Parliament of Papua New Guinea from 2011 to 2017, representing the electorate of North Bougainville Open. His name is sometimes spelled as Louta Atoi.[2] [3]

Atoi was educated at Tasman Primary School and Hutjena High School in Bougainville. He was a successful rugby league player, becoming a prominent member of the Papua New Guinea national rugby league team, and becoming the first Papua New Guinean to play rugby league in Australia, with the Redcliffe Dolphins. He subsequently became a businessman in Buka, managing Bougainville Sea Transit and Nukumanu Marine.[4] [5] [6] [7]

He was elected to the National Parliament of Papua New Guinea at a 2011 by-election to replace Michael Ogio, who had been appointed Governor-General of Papua New Guinea; in doing so, Atoi became the first MP from the atoll communities off the Bougainville coast.[8] [9] He was reported to have joined the Papua New Guinea Party in April 2012, but was re-elected for the People's National Congress amid some confusion in July.[10] [11] He supported the Belden Namah-led opposition for several months after the election, but returned to the government in July 2013, claiming he had continued to be a PNC member throughout.[12]

He was defeated by William Nakin at the 2017 election.[13]

Notes and References

  1. http://www.rugbyleagueproject.org/players/Lauta-Atoi/summary.html Lauta Atoi
  2. Web site: Hon. Louta Atoi, MP . National Parliament of Papua New Guinea . 6 March 2017.
  3. Web site: Nominations By Electorate . PNG Electoral Commission . 15 June 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170712121652/http://www.pngec.gov.pg/docs/default-source/default-document-library/nominations.pdf?sfvrsn=0 . 12 July 2017 . dead .
  4. News: Medics stranded . PNG Post Courier . 24 February 2005 .
  5. News: Calls to support Atoll candidate . PNG Post Courier . 4 April 2011 .
  6. News: MV Sankamap sale into storm . PNG Post Courier . 1 August 2012 .
  7. News: Party endorses Hamao . PNG Post Courier . 23 March 2011 .
  8. News: Atoll man's win a first . PNG Post-Courier . 1 June 2011 .
  9. News: Atoi calls for support . PNG Post Courier . 20 June 2011 .
  10. News: Deputy PM confident with Party . PNG Post Courier . 27 April 2012 .
  11. News: Namah eyes top post . PNG Post Courier . 25 July 2012 .
  12. News: Atoi returns to People's National Congress party, government . PNG Post Courier . 5 July 2013 .
  13. News: Nakin wins North Bougainville seat . PNG Post-Courier . 24 July 2017 . 4 August 2017.