It is not very obvious to most visitors to Tetiaroa that the atoll is actually part of a municipal commune that includes the town of Arue on the north end of Tahiti. As such the mayor of Arue is also the mayor of Tetiaroa. Tetiaroa Society recognizes this connection by working with the mayor, and elders, and schools of Arue for Education and Conservation Programs.
Last month, the mayor’s office invited Tetiaroa Society to participate with schools and municipal officials in a festival that celebrated the relationship between Arue and its “twin” city of Mont-Dore in New Caledonia.