Pupuke Robati was born on 9 April 1925 on Rakahanga in the Cook Islands. He was one of thirteen children of Robati Tapaha Sema and Mehau-Pa Maryanne a Pupuke, and was the ninth child. He attended primary and secondary school on Manihiki and Rarotonga before pursuing medical training in Fiji. His life remained closely connected with Rakahanga, which he represented in the Cook Islands Parliament from 1965 until 2004 and where he was buried after his death in Auckland in 2009.
Robati completed his primary and secondary education on Manihiki and Rarotonga. He then studied at the Fiji School of Medicine, completing his medical training and graduating as a surgeon in 1948. In 1966 he undertook further study through the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Otago in New Zealand and obtained a Diploma of Public Health. The additional public-health qualification complemented his earlier medical training and his work in the Cook Islands health service.
After qualifying as a surgeon in 1948, Robati returned to the Cook Islands and worked as a medical practitioner in Rarotonga, Mangaia, and Atiu. He later became Director of Public Health, combining clinical experience with responsibility for the administration of public health services. His medical career preceded and continued alongside his entry into public life. Robati was elected in 1965 to the Legislative Assembly of the Cook Islands as an independent representative of Rakahanga and was re-elected in 1968. He joined the Democratic Party in 1972 and was returned in eight subsequent general elections. From 1978 to 1983 he served as Deputy Premier in the government of Tom Davis, with ministerial responsibility including health, the public service, the Northern Group, and other portfolios. He continued in government during the 1980s, holding responsibilities that included outer-island affairs, information services, trade, labour, transport, and public administration. On 29 July 1987 Robati succeeded Tom Davis as Prime Minister of the Cook Islands and remained in office until 1 February 1989. During his premiership, Parliament enacted a constitutional amendment adding a preamble that recognised the heritage of Christian principles and referred to observance of the Sabbath. After the Democratic Party lost the 1989 election, Robati remained a member of Parliament for Rakahanga. From 2002 to 2004 he served as Speaker of the Cook Islands Parliament. He lost his parliamentary seat to the independent candidate Piho Rua in the 2004 election, ending a 39-year parliamentary career and his public political service.
In 1944, Robati became the Cook Islands champion bantamweight boxer.
He chaired the Cook Islands Amateur Boxing Federation for more than 30 years.
He represented Rakahanga in the Cook Islands Parliament for 39 years, from 1965 to 2004, making him the longest-serving member of the Parliament.
As a member of Parliament, he introduced the private member's bill that became the Constitution Amendment Act No. 20 of 1997, adding a preamble concerning Christian principles and observance of the Sabbath.
Robati entered the Legislative Assembly in 1965 as an independent member for Rakahanga and joined the Democratic Party in 1972. He subsequently won eight further general elections as a Democratic Party candidate and remained associated with the party throughout his parliamentary career.
Robati chaired the Cook Islands Amateur Boxing Federation for more than 30 years. His long association with the federation followed his own competitive boxing career and made amateur boxing one of his enduring areas of public and sporting involvement.
Robati was married to Lady Tereapii Robati, née Pittman. Their daughter Tina Pupuke-Browne later became a Cook Islands politician and leader of the Democratic Party. Robati maintained a strong connection with Rakahanga, the constituency he represented throughout his parliamentary career and the place where he was buried.
