He has worked as a correspondent for Radio New Zealand International in Tonga,[1][2] then became editor of the Keleʻa, the newspaper of the pro-democracy movement and of the Democratic Party of the Friendly Islands, led by his father-in-law ʻAkilisi Pohiva.

[5][6] Tapueluelu and his wife published an editorial criticising the ruling, whereupon they were found to be in contempt of court, and subjected to an additional fine of T$2,700.

In so doing, he defeated incumbent MP and long-time key party figure ʻIsileli Pulu, who had also been de-selected and had therefore stood as an independent.

[4][8] In December 2015 Tapueluelu's election was annulled by the Supreme Court on the grounds of unpaid fines owing from the 2013 criminal libel case.

[11][12] He was reappointed after the DPFI landslide[13] in the 2017 election, but offered his resignation in March 2018 after a dispute with Armed Forces Minister Maʻafu Tukuiʻaulahi.