Born: June 1943, Cook Islands
Died: 16 June 2011
Country most active: Cook Islands
Also known as: NA
Cook Islands businesswoman, judge and tourism official Dorice Reid was active for decades until her death in 2011, and held the title Te Tika Mataiapo.
Born on Rarotonga, she moved to New Zealand when she was 8, and would go on to be influential in the local Cook Islander community in Auckland. In her early career, she was a sales representative for Air New Zealand, a talk show host for Radio Pacific and a journalist with South Pacific Television. She was the first Pacific Islander woman to be nominated for a federal Parliamentary seat by a national political party.
Reid moved back to Rarotonga in 1983, working with the Cook Islands Tourist Authority in sales and marketing. With her sister, Jeannine Peyroux, she acquired the Little Polynesian Resort in 1985 and renovated it, winning two World Travel Awards.
In the late 1980s, she was granted the chiefly title Te Tika Mataiapo by the Takitumu council, one of Rarotonga’s three Vaka Councils. She declined later requests to run for the Cook Islands Parliament, due to the incongruity of engaging in politics while holding a traditional title.
Instead, she continued to advocate for tourism and the preservation of local culture. With other chiefs, she made several pilgrimages to Taputapuatea marae, a traditional Polynesian religious centre, at Raiatea.
An active member of the Cook Islands Voyaging Society, Reid was the only woman crew member on the Te Au O Tonga in 1995 when it sailed to Raiatea, Tahiti, Nuku Hiya and Hawai’i over the course of three and a half months. In 2002, she sailed from Rarotonga to Tahiti, Huahine, Raiatea, Tahaa, Bora Bora and Mitiaro aboard the Te Moana Nui O Kiva.
Reid was a member of five Cook Island agencies, and served as a judge. She is credited with reintroducing the raui system to the country, which forbids access to or use of a resource for a certain period of time. Used to preserve scarce food resources like a fishing lagoon or shellfish, it also contributes to environmental protection.
In April 2011, her appointment as High Commissioner of the Cook Islands to New Zealand was announced, but she passed away in June before she could officially take office.