Tangi Utikere's father was born in Aitutaki with links to Nikaupara Village.  First elected to the Palmerston North City Council in 2010, and appointed Deputy Mayor in 2016, Tangi Utikere is believed to be the city’s first elected councillor of Pasifika descent. 

He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree with a Triple Major in History, Political Science and Social Policy, along with a Graduate Diploma in Teaching (Secondary) from Massey University. 

His professional background is in Education, where he held the position of Head of School at Freyberg High School, until he took up full-time Council duties in 2016.  Tangi replaced Iain Lees-Galloway as the Labour candidate in Palmerston North and successfully won the seat by more than 10,000 votes at the General Election to become the MP for Palmerston North.