Fono
Mataafa was educated at Samuel Marsden Collegiate School and Victoria University of Wellington in New Zealand. She was first elected to the Legislative Assembly of Samoa in the 1985 election, representing the constituency of Lotofaga previously held by her mother. She has been re-elected in every election since, and is one of the longest-serving members of Parliament. On 15 May 1991 she was appointed Minister of Education, becoming Samoa's first female Cabinet Minister. She held that position until 2006, when she was appointed as Minister of Women, Community &amp; Social Development. From 2011 to 2016 she served as Minister of Justice.