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Benoît Kautai (born 1960) is a French Polynesian politician and Member of the Assembly of French Polynesia. He is currently mayor of Nuku Hiva. He is a member of Tāpura Huiraʻatira.

He was elected Mayor of Nuku Hiva in 2002 following the disappearance of Lucien Kimitete.

He was first elected to the Assembly of French Polynesia in the 2008 French Polynesian legislative election, on the Marquesan Te Henua Enata a Tu list, which advocated for the Marquesas Islands to be split from the rest of French Polynesia. He later abstained from the Assembly's 2011 vote to re-enter French Polynesia on the United Nations list of non-self-governing territories. He ran in the 2013 election as a candidate for the Union For Democracy (UPLD), but lost his seat.

In February 2016 he attended the founding congress of the Tāpura Huiraʻatira and was elected as one of the party's vice-presidents. He was re-elected to the Assembly as a Tāpura candidate in the 2018 election. Shortly after the election he was charged with abuse of public funds and fraud over a roading project in Nuku Hiva. In September 2018 he was convicted of both charges, fined US$50,000, and given a ten-month suspended prison sentence, but not disqualified from office. In December 2018 the French Polynesian government declined to seek damages from him.

He was re-elected as mayor of Nuku Hiva in May 2020. As mayor, he advocated for the Marquesas to become an "archipelago community" with autonomy within French Polynesia. He also advocated for the Marquesas to be listed as a World Heritage Site.

He was re-elected at the 2023 election.

References

1. "Benoît KAUTAI". Assemblée de la Polynésie française. Retrieved 11 May 2023.
2. "Qui sont nos 57 nouveaux élus" (in French). Tahiti Infos. 10 May 2023. Retrieved 13 May 2023.
3. "Marquesas renews push to split from French Polynesia". RNZ. 30 January 2008. Retrieved 11 May 2023.
4. "Réinscription : le nombre de votes favorables à la résolution revu à la baisse" (in French). Tahiti Infos. 18 August 2011. Retrieved 11 May 2023.
5. "Assemblée de Polynésie : un paysage politique considérablement remanié" (in French). Tahiti Infos. 6 May 2013. Retrieved 11 May 2023.
6. "Plus de 8000 personnes au congrès fondateur du Tapura Huiraatira" (in French). Tahiti Infos. 20 February 2016. Retrieved 11 May 2023.
7. "Territoriales 2018 : Le nouveau visage de l'Assemblée" (in French). Tahiti Infos. 6 May 2018. Retrieved 6 November 2022.
8. "New assembly member in French Polynesia to face trial". RNZ. 12 May 2018. Retrieved 11 May 2023.
9. "Suspended jail term for French Polynesian assembly member". RNZ. 5 September 2018. Retrieved 11 May 2023.
10. "Pas d'inéligibilité pour Benoît Kautai, mais une amende et du sursis" (in French). Tahiti Infos. 4 September 2018. Retrieved 11 May 2023.
11. "French Poly govt decides against claiming damages in Kautai case". RNZ. 14 December 2018. Retrieved 11 May 2023.
12. "Benoit Kautai garde son fauteuil" (in French). Tahiti Infos. 23 May 2020. Retrieved 11 May 2023.
13. "Les Marquises veulent devenir une "communauté d'archipel"" (in French). Tahiti Infos. 27 October 2022. Retrieved 11 May 2023.
14. "Marquises à l'Unesco : L'avant-dernière étape avec la population" (in French). Tahiti Infos. 1 May 2022. Retrieved 11 May 2023.
15. "La nouvelle composition de l'assemblée" (in French). Tahiti Infos. 1 May 2023. Retrieved 11 May 2023.

• 1960 births
• Living people
• Tapura Huiraatira politicians
• Mayors of places in French Polynesia
• Members of the Assembly of French Polynesia