| Office4: | Minister for Infrastructure, Planning and Transport |
| Primeminister4: | Jim Marurai |
| Term Start4: | 17 October 2008 |
| Term End4: | 23 December 2009 |
| Successor4: | William (Smiley) Heather |
| Office5: | Minister for Outer Islands Development |
| Term Start5: | 30 January 2003 |
| Term End5: | 5 November 2003 |
| Primeminister5: | Robert Woonton |
| Successor5: | Tapi Taio |
| Term Start6: | 16 September 2005 |
| Term End6: | 27 September 2006 |
| Primeminister6: | Jim Marurai |
| Office7: | Minister of Justice |
| Term Start7: | 17 November 1999 |
| Term End7: | 11 February 2002 |
| Primeminister7: | Terepai Maoate |
| Successor7: | Norman George |
| Term Start8: | 30 January 2003 |
| Term End8: | 5 November 2003 |
| Primeminister8: | Robert Woonton |
| Predecessor8: | Norman George |
| Office9: | Deputy Speaker of the Parliament of the Cook Islands |
| Term Start9: | 1999 |
| Term End9: | 1999 |
| Constituency Mp10: | Mitiaro |
| Parliament10: | Cook Islands |
| Term Start10: | 24 March 1994 |
| Term End10: | 14 June 2018 |
| Successor10: | Tuakeu Tangatapoto |
| Birth Date: | 8 September 1949 |
| Birth Place: | Mitiaro |
| Party: | Cook Islands Democratic Party |
Tangata Mouauri Vavia (born 8 September 1949) is a Cook Islands politician and former Cabinet Minister. He is a member of the Cook Islands Democratic Party.
Vavia was born in Mitiaro in the Cook Islands. He was educated in Mitiaro then at Avarua, Nikao, Nikao Side School and Tereora College.[1] He worked as a postal clerk, then as a police constable before being elected to Parliament as member for Mitiaro in the 1994 elections.[1]
Vavia was elected Deputy Speaker in 1999. He subsequently served in the Cabinet of Sir Terepai Maoate as Minister of Justice and Outer Islands.[2] He lost his position when Robert Woonton replaced Maoate, but was reappointed briefly in 2003 when Woonton's coalition with the Cook Islands Party fell apart.[3] A further coalition realignment in November of that year saw him resign his portfolios and join the opposition.[4]
In 2005, following the demise of Jim Marurai's "partnership government", he rejoined Cabinet as Minister for Outer Islands Administration.[5] [6] He was re-elected in the 2006 election, and appointed Minister for Infrastructure and Planning, Cook Islands Investment Corporation, and Transport.[7]
Vavia resigned his portfolios in December 2009 in protest at the sacking from Cabinet of Democratic Party leader Terepai Maoate.[8] [9] He was re-elected at the 2010 election. At the 2014 general election, he received exactly the same number of votes as his Cook Islands Party opponent in his Mitiaro constituency. A by-election was held in November, then retroactively cancelled by court order before the ballots could be counted. In December, Vavia was awarded the seat by the court following a recount of the July results.[10] [11] He subsequently lost the seat at the 2018 election.[12]