Melania Carolina Hotu Hey served as the provincial governor

Governor

A governor is a governing official, usually the executive of a non-sovereign level of government, ranking under the head of state...

 of Easter Island

Easter Island

Easter Island is a Polynesian island in the southeastern Pacific Ocean, at the southeasternmost point of the Polynesian triangle. A special territory of Chile that was annexed in 1888, Easter Island is famous for its 887 extant monumental statues, called moai, created by the early Rapanui people...

 (known locally as Rapa Nui or as Isla de Pascua in Spanish

Spanish language

Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...

), in Chile

Chile

Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...

an Polynesia

Polynesia

Polynesia is a subregion of Oceania, made up of over 1,000 islands scattered over the central and southern Pacific Ocean. The indigenous people who inhabit the islands of Polynesia are termed Polynesians and they share many similar traits including language, culture and beliefs...

, from March 11, 2006 to March 18, 2010. She was appointed in 2006 by newly elected Chilean President

President of Chile

The President of the Republic of Chile is both the head of state and the head of government of the Republic of Chile. The President is responsible of the government and state administration...

 Michelle Bachelet Jeria as part of the President's undertaking to increase female representation in governmental positions. Before beginning her term as local governor (suerekao), Hotu Hey directed a program for Rapa Nui youth.

Significant issues facing Easter Island during her term included Chilean immigration, loss of culture, and political reform aimed at providing greater autonomy. Tensions over similar issues led to the resignation of Governor Pedro Edmunds Paoa, Hotu Hey's successor, in 2010.