Fiamē Naomi Mataʻafa
The Honourable Afioga Fiamē Naomi Mataʻafa | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Mataʻafa in 2024 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 7th Prime Minister of Samoa | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| In office 24 May 2021 – 16 September 2025 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| O le Ao o le Malo | Tuimalealiʻifano Vaʻaletoʻa Sualauvi II | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Deputy | Tuala Iosefo Ponifasio | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Tuilaʻepa Saʻilele Malielegaoi | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Succeeded by | Laʻauli Leuatea Schmidt | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Deputy Prime Minister of Samoa | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| In office 19 March 2016 – 11 September 2020 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Prime Minister | Tuilaʻepa Saʻilele Malielegaoi | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Fonotoe Pierre Lauofo | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Succeeded by | Tuala Iosefo Ponifasio | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| 17th Commonwealth Chair-in-Office | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| In office 25 October 2024 – 16 September 2025 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Paul Kagame | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Succeeded by | Laʻauli Leuatea Schmidt | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Member of the Samoan Parliament for Lotofaga | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Assumed office 22 February 1985 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Asiasiau Sausoo | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal details | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | Naomi Mataʻafa 29 April 1957 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Party | Samoa Uniting Party (since 2025) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Parent(s) | Fiamē Mataʻafa Faumuina Mulinuʻu II (father) Laulu Fetauimalemau Mataʻafa (mother) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Education | Victoria University of Wellington | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Afioga Fiamē Naomi Mataʻafa (pronounced [afɪoŋa fɪameː naomɪ mataʔafa]; born 29 April 1957) is a Samoan politician and High Chief (matai) who served as the seventh Prime Minister of Samoa from 2021 to 2025. She has led the Samoa Uniting Party (SUP) since 2025.
The daughter of Samoa's first Prime Minister Fiamē Mataʻafa Faumuina Mulinuʻu II, Mataʻafa is the first woman to serve as Samoa's head of government. A member of the HRPP until 2020, she was the first woman appointed to Cabinet in Samoa's history. Mataʻafa was the Minister of Education from 1991 to 2006 in the governments of Prime Ministers Tofilau Eti Alesana and Tuilaʻepa Saʻilele Malielegaoi. In addition, she was the Minister of Women from 2006 to 2011 and Minister of Justice from 2011 to 2016. Mataʻafa served as Samoa's first female deputy prime minister and deputy leader of the HRPP from 2016 to 2020, resigning in opposition to the controversial Land and Titles Bill. The following year she joined the newly founded Faʻatuatua i le Atua Samoa ua Tasi (FAST) party and was unanimously elected its leader in March 2021.
FAST secured a majority after the 2021 election, but defeated Prime Minister Malielegaoi refused to leave office, leading to the 2021 Samoan constitutional crisis. The crisis was resolved by Samoa's Court of Appeal on 23 July 2021, which ruled that Mataʻafa had been Prime Minister since 24 May.
Mata‘afa led FAST party from 2021 until her removal in January 2025, after dismissing the party chairman and deputy leader Laʻauli Leuatea Schmidt from cabinet. She and four other cabinet ministers, including Deputy Prime Minister Tuala Iosefo Ponifasio, were expelled from the party. Mata‘afa and the ousted ministers rejected the expulsion as unlawful and initially claimed they were still FAST members. After parliament rejected the government's budget on 27 May, Mataʻafa advised the O le Ao o le Malo to dissolve parliament and call a snap election. Shortly after, Mata‘afa and her cabinet announced they had left FAST, and established the SUP. During the snap election, the SUP won only three seats. Schmidt succeeded her as prime minister on 16 September.