Te Aue Addison-Valaau, Principal Advisor for Plant & Food Research, Advocates for Māori and Pasifika Science Innovators in Aotearoa
In Aotearoa, Māori and Pasifika only make up 2.5% of staff positions in science institutions. Te Aue Addison-Valaau through her organisation Plant & Food, is leading the launch of a new annual Māori and Pasifika internship programme for 25 young scientists and business scholars to impact the future of New Zealand’s science system.
Asena Tolungamaka, Director at Navigators of Success | “We need more Māori and Pacific people in leadership and policy roles”
TupuToa alum and 2018 winner of the Prime Minister’s Leadership and Inspiration Award, Asena Tolungamaka shares the reason for helping to lead Navigators of Success and why we need more Pacific representation in policy.
Tongan healer, writer and entrepreneur, Elizabeth Kaloumaira : “If you’re following your passion, it will never feel like work”
Tongan healer, writer, and entrepreneur, Elizabeth Kaloumaira, talks about dropping out of university to follow her passion. She believes that university is not the only pathway for Pacific youth and that it's okay to forge your own path.
Founding Director of Pasifika Film Fest, Kalolaine Uechtritz Fainu “We have a new generation of storytellers, and their voices need to be heard”
Kalolaine “Kalo” Uechtritz Fainu, an avid advocate for Pacific representation in film, shares her motivations for creating the Pasifika Film Fest and offers tips for aspiring Pacific filmmakers. Born and raised in Australia, Kalo has family roots in Tonga, Papua New Guinea, and Samoa. She received a BVA Photography with a Photojournalist major from Griffith University and a Masters of Media Arts & Production from the University of Technology Sydney. She recently started a Masters in Asian and Pacific Studies from The Australian National University to learn more about Pacific cultures and communities.
Fijian PhD, Dr. Sereana Naepi | Researching Pasifika Women in Higher Education
Raised in Aotearoa New Zealand and currently living in British Columbia to finish her PhD, Sereana Naepi talks about her journey through academia, her research findings on the experiences of Pasifika women in academia in the face of sexism and racism, and her thoughts on the designation “Asian Pacific Islander.” Soon returning to Aotearoa to work with young Pacific academics, she hopes to inspire more Pasifika scholars to pursue leadership positions in order to enable meaningful community-oriented change in higher education.
Tongan PhD in Developmental Studies, Faka'iloatonga Taumoefolau | “Remember that college isn’t the only means to a fulfilling life”
Tongan PhD candidate, Faka’iloatonga Taumoefolau, shares his academic path throughout the South Pacific, motivations for pursuing graduate degrees and advice for students pursuing higher education.