Mata Rakanui
Contact
Location: Rarotonga, Cook Islands
Information
Policy & Research Officer | Central Policy & Planning, Office of the Prime Minister
Areas of expertise:
International Relations
International Security
Cook Islands Research
Languages:
English, Māori (Cook Islands), Korean
Available for:
Advisory Committees | Collaborative Projects | Media Enquiries | Mentorship/Career Advice | Panelist & Speakerships | Project Management
“Starve of your distractions, feed your focus.”
Mata appreciates the reminder that this quote provides to place your focus and drive on what’s important to you, and to ignore distractions.
About
Mata is an experienced educator and professional in the policy & research sector. His academic interests have included negotiation, strategic studies and intelligence gathering with a focus on geopolitics. Notably, his Masters dissertation focused heavily on North Korea’s role in geopolitics and negotiation tactics.
Mata has previously lived in South Korea for 20+ years and taught as a lecturer in Seoul for 15 years. He has a keen interest in South Korean cuisine and culture, and is the author of ‘Coconuts & Kimchi’ - a newsletter that focuses on life in South Korea and Rarotonga respectively.
Academic Qualifications
2024 | Certificate - Cybersecurity Training, Business Trade & Investment Board
2024 | Certificate - E-Commerce Disciplines Training Program, PIFS
2024 | Certificate - Transnational Organised Crime, Pacific Security College
2024 | Certificate - Leaders for a Free and Open Indo-Pacific: Sea and Human Security, UNITAR
2012 | Master of Arts - International Security Studies, Leicester University
1996 | Bachelor of Arts (English Literature), Victoria University of Wellington
Professional Memberships & Affiliations
Secretariat, Cook Islands Ethics and National Research Committee
Secretary, TAKA Tamariki Api’i Kuki Airani Educational Trust
Vice President, Cook Islands Rugby League
Accolades
Participant - Pacific Research Colloquium, Australian National University Department of Pacific Affairs
(Canberra, Australia, 25 Nov - 6 Dec 2024)
US Pacific Rising Leaders Fellowship recipient, John Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies
(Fellowship held in Washington D.C, 19 Sep - 18 Oct 2024)