The Mana Moana Experience Yearbook 2019

2019

CONTENTS
WELCOME 2
NICK ASTWICK
SINA WENDT
AN ECOSYSTEM OF LEADERS 4
DR. KARLO MILA
HE KAPU ALOHA = ‘IKE MANA MOANA 6
DR. MANULANI ALULI MEYER
GRADUANDS’ SPEECH 8
DR. CHERIE CHU-FULUIFAGA,
TITIIMAEA EUGENE ELISARA,
TUILOMA GAYLE LAFAIALI’I, SIONE TAUNGA,
SHIMPAL LELISI, MA’ARA MAEVA &
EMELITA ROSITA SIMEAANAMULU LUISI
PROGRAMME OVERVIEW 11
2019
GRADUAND REFLECTIONS 16
CLASS OF 2019
ALUMNI JOURNEYS 26
DUANE STANLEY & NORA SWANN
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 29
LEADERSHIP NZ TRUST
PO Box 5061
Wellesley Street, Auckland 1141
+64 9 309 3749
info@leadershipnz.co.nz
leadershipnz.co.nz
DISCLAIMER
The opinions expressed in this publication do
not necessarily reflect the views of Leadership
New Zealand, its members or the publishers.
While every effort has been made to ensure the
accuracy of the information, no responsibility
can be accepted by the publisher for omissions,
typographical or printer’s errors, inaccuracies
or changes that may have taken place after
publication.
All rights reserved. 2019 Mana Moana
VISION
Enriching New Zealand through active
leadership in a connected community.
MISSION
To build an exceptional leadership culture that
develops and celebrates resilient, courageous,
authentic leaders who:
››
Have a strong awareness of issues of
significance for New Zealand;
››
Value diversity, engage in meaningful
conversation, connect and work
successfully across difference;
››
Build and transform organisations,
communities and effect positive
social, economic and cultural change
across society.
VALUES
Courageous
Generous of spirit
Inclusive
Acting with integrity
Innovative
Apolitical
Celebrating diversity
LEADERSHIP NZ STAFF
Sina Wendt
Leanne Holdsworth
Alistair Kwun
THE NZ LEADERSHIP PROGRAMME
Louise Marra
Petrina Togi-Sa’ena
Nicola Campbell
THE MANA MOANA EXPERIENCE
Chief Executive
Engagement and
Development Manager
Marketing, Communications
& Events Manager
Programme Director
Programme Manager
Programme Facilitator
Dr. Karlo Mila
Programme Director
Cecilia Vakameilalo-Kioa Programme Manager
Pakilau ‘o Aotearoa Manase Lua Programme
Facilitator
SCHOLARSHIP PARTNERS
Special thanks to the following who assist to ensure
that diversity continues to be achieved across
The NZ Leadership Programme and The Mana
Moana Experience through the generous funding
of scholarships:
››
Creative New Zealand
››
JR McKenzie Trust
EDITORIAL TEAM
Leadership New Zealand Staff
RETREAT PHOTOGRAPHY
Raymond Sagapolutele
LEADERSHIP NZ TRUSTEES
Nick Astwick
Chair, Leadership NZ;
Chief Executive Officer,
Southern Cross Health Society;
Alumnus 2010
Steve Ferguson
Christien Winter
George Riley
Imogen Parry
Judy Nicholl
Neville Pulman
Peter Garnett
Tara Pradhan
Deputy Chair, Leadership NZ;
Programme Director, Visa 2020,
Immigration NZ; Alumnus 2013
Executive Director, Sheffield
Trustee, Te Tii Waitangi (B3)
Ahu Whenua Trust;
General Manager, Māori Economic
Development Northland Inc.;
Alumnus 2009
Strategist and Project Lead, Curative;
Alumna 2016
Chief Executive, Counties Power;
Alumna 2010
Programme Director,
Be. Accessible; Alumnus 2006
Company Director
Director, Government and
International Relations,
Greenstone TV; Alumna 2007
Teresa Tepania-Ashton Chief Executive Officer,
Māori Women’s Development Inc;
Alumna 2006
LEADERSHIP NZ AMBASSADORS
Sir Bob Harvey
David McGregor
Jo Brosnahan
Chris Laidlaw
Rt. Hon. Jim Bolger ONZ
John Hinchcliff
Louise Marra
Patricia Reade
Penny Hulse
Peter Kerridge
Rob Campbell
Chair, Advisory Trustees;
Champion for Auckland
– Overseas Investment
Deputy Chair, Advisory Trustees;
General Counsel, Envirocounsel
Founder, Leadership NZ;
Company Director
Wellington Regional Councillor;
Writer
Emeritus Vice Chancellor,
AUT University;
President, Peace Foundation
Director, Spirited Leadership;
Programme Director, Leadership NZ
Director, People and Performance,
Auckland Council
Director, Kerridge and Partners
Company Director
Suzanne Snively MD, More Media Enterprises;
Chair, Agri-Women Development Trust;
Corporate Director
Tim Miles
Tony Nowell
Traci Houpapa MNZM JP
PUMANAWA KAIARAHI O AOTEAROA
Company Director
Director, Valadenz;
Company Director
Company Director

Vision
The vision of Mana Moana is for Pacific peoples to harness
the mana and power of who we are and where we are from. The
most unique feature of this programme is its carefully curated,
research-based exploration of Pacific indigenous cultural
knowledge and its contribution to leadership and life.
Mana
Mana is an Oceanic word that can be found in 26 Pasifika
languages. It refers to power, energy, grace, abundance, efficacy,
and authority. Mana is essential to effective leadership. Moana,
meaning ‘ocean’, is a Polynesian word that can be found in 35
contemporary Pacific languages. Mana Moana, then, is about the
power, energy and vitality sourced to being from the moana and
being indigenous to the South Pacific region.
Our Roots
Our shared Pacific linguistic, cultural, genealogical, geographical
and historical roots provide us with a treasure trove of rich
knowledge that is an essential resource for leadership today.
Integrated with the special signature features of the New Zealand
Leadership Programme, it provides a holistic and transformative
experience for anyone seeking to make waves and change lives in
Aotearoa, New Zealand, the Pacific and beyond.

A MESSAGE FROM OUR
Chair
He tapu te tangata aha ko wai.
Nau mai, haere mai, piki mai i runga
i te kaupapa o te ra.
Ko wai au?
Ko Nick Astwick ahau.
Ko Southern Alps ngā maunga.
Ko Yorkshire rāua ko Latimer ōku iwi.
Engari i tipu ake au ki Ngāi Tahu.
Ko Ōtautahi te turangawaewae.
No reira, tēnā koutou katoa.
Talofa lava, Kia orana, Mālo e lelei, Faka’alofa lahi atu, Ni sa
Bula Vinaka, Taloha ni, Talofa, Tēnā koutou katoa.
It’s my immense pleasure to welcome The Mana Moana
Experience - Class of 2019 into our Leadership NZ whānau.
We congratulate you on completing your 8 month voyage,
knowing that this is just the beginning of a life-long
journey with us.
One of the compelling themes that has emerged this year is
the idea of leadership as an eco-system, not an ego-system.
Leadership then becomes not about who is the tallest tree
in the forest, but how that system functions and thrives when
we tend to each other and ourselves. In an eco-system, we
are clear about the ways that we are all connected. We see
that we live ‘interdependence’ and our relationships with
each other matter.
When we approach leadership this way, everyone has
something valuable and different to offer. This is the true
spirit of diversity. The question becomes about how we
contribute positively to that ‘wholeness’ and identify our
own role, gifts, purpose and significant acts of service to
the whole collective.
From Manuka Henare, the definition of ‘tupu’ growth is
“the unfolding of your nature, as all things unfold their
nature”. Therefore, leadership can be about better
knowing ourselves, and being true to cultivating our
most authentic contributions.
What I understand to be one of the most significant processes
this year has been your approach to personal storytelling,
reflected in a truly Pacific way, and the impact this powerful
act has made. You have explored your va, and you are
stronger for it.
We acknowledge the unique place of Mana Moana in
nurturing Pacific leadership in Aotearoa New Zealand. May it
continue to flourish! I look forward to following your journey
as you step up, scale up and spread your influence and impact
to create a more prosperous nation for all. Finally, a special
mention to all the families and friends of our leaders. Thank
you all for your support.
Ngā mihi nui.
Nick Astwick
Chair, Leadership NZ

LEADERSHIP NZ 2019
3
A MESSAGE FROM OUR
Chief
Executive
Talofa lava, Kia orana, Mālō e lelei,
Faka’alofa lahi atu, Ni sa Bula Vinaka,
Taloha ni, Talofa, Tēnā koutou
2019 has been our year of Daring Leadership. 26 brave
Pasifika leaders from across community, private and public
sectors accepted the challenge of being on our second
Mana Moana voyage. What a year it has been, and what a
transformative experience they have had together.
Daring Leadership is about learning and unlearning – their
journey required brave work and courage to show up in a
wholehearted, authentic and vulnerable way. This way of
being in leadership is not easy — choosing courage over
comfort is not always our default. But it is necessary if we
want to be braver, more daring in our leadership, and embed
the value of courage into our lives and the worlds we walk in.
It was a blessing to have Dr. Manulani Aluli Meyer, a wisdom
leader, internationally renowned scholar-activist, and kupuna
of indigenous knowledge from Hawaii to launch our 2019
experience. She reinforced how as Pasifika leaders, the truth
to daring leadership lies in simultaneity; that leadership has
always been about love, that aloha is the primal source of
our collective emergence, love given and love received ‘Aloha
aku, aloha mai’; that teaching and learning happen together
‘A’o mai, A’o aku’; that mana given, and mana received ‘Mana
mai. Mana aku’ will affirm others and heal the world; and
that collective transformation happens through individual
excellence ‘Auamo kuleana’.
Mana Moana specifically asks how do we reach back into the
ancestral realm and bring the strengths, skills and genius
of our ancestors into every day? How do we identify and
harness the superpowers we have been blessed with to meet
the seemingly intractable challenges of our time? How can
we individually and collectively, courageously change the
narratives, and influence a different way forward?
Though the Mana Moana lens, the 2019 participants explored
as a group the issues and challenges of our times to see
what impact they can and must have to serve, and shape a
different future. Congratulations and thank you for stepping
courageously into your power as a leader.
Our heartfelt thanks to Foundation North for making another
year of Mana Moana possible, and I want to acknowledge the
new funding partnerships with Creative New Zealand and JR
McKenzie Trust whose funding contributions have enabled
Pasifika leaders from the creative arts sector and around the
country to participate.
Sincere thanks to all the speakers who brought their
leadership stories and truth to the group, and to all the
organisations that graciously hosted us, malo ‘aupito.
Soifua ma ia manuia.
Sina Wendt
Chief Executive, Leadership NZ

FROM THE PROGRAMME DIRECTOR
An Ecosystem
of Leaders

LEADERSHIP NZ 2019
5
The idea of ‘us’ as an eco-system is
not just a metaphor for leadership.
It’s a fundamental truth that we have
somehow forgotten.
Our leadership programme stands strong in the belief that
when Pacific peoples have access to who we’ve always been
– for millennia – we make better leaders. Mana Moana is an
intentional and conscious reclamation of who we are and what
our potential is when we are not afraid to show up as ourselves,
individually and as a collective. For us, the meaningful
exploration of culture, language, ancestral knowledge, ritual
and practice is a return to a memory of wholeness.
A salient idea that has emerged this year is leadership
as an eco-system, not an ego-system. Instead of who is the
tallest Leader in the forest, the question of leadership becomes:
how do we as an interconnected system thrive? Everyone has
something valuable to offer. Growth (this definition of ‘tupu’
growth from Professor Manuka Henare) is the “unfolding of
your nature, as all things unfold their nature”. How can we be
true to our most authentic contribution?
The idea of ‘us’ as an eco-system is not just a metaphor for
leadership. It’s a fundamental truth that we have somehow
forgotten. We are facing very real challenges of climate crisis. If
ever we needed to think like the ecosystem that we are, it is now.
Rekindling sacred relationships of respect with land is a
defining component of Mana Moana. In Kaikohe with Ted
Wihongi and whānau at Puhi Moana Ariki grounded us
immediately in the sacredness of land. Visiting the oncetoxic
Lake Ōmāpere was a powerful experience: it has been
regenerating and healing after being desecrated and polluted.
We witnessed the site of a new meeting house that holds the
vision of a people who have – against all the odds – restored
mauri in a context of widespread desecration.
Daring Leadership (Leadership NZ’s 2019 theme) is having
the bravery to extend our vision of leadership beyond
humans, beyond the present moment. It is about making
Mokopuna decisions – decisions for our grandchildren – in
the here and now.
It felt like no accident that our session on mana, power and
politics coincided with Ihumātao erupting into a widescale land
occupation less than fifteen kilometres away. What is our role
as Pasifika peoples? Should we try and show leadership? Is it
even our place to try? We are not indigenous to Aotearoa. With
Ihumātao, challenging issues of traditional and contemporary
leadership, land, state, sovereignty and colonisation displayed
a multi-rhythmic and dizzying dance before us. We tried to
keep up. We tried to feel into its rhythm, so we could move
confidently, but also identify what we will take a stand for.
Marcus Akuhata-Brown spoke to us about the Māori word for
forest – ngāhere – which literally translates into ‘the ties’ or ‘the
bindings’. This references our interelatedness and the ways in
which we are all bound to each other. When we think of ourselves
as an ecosystem, where the quality of our interdependence and
relationships matters, what kinds of leadership serve us?
Mana Moana’s 2019 Cohort gathered around a kava bowl and
dived deeplyinto many of these questions. Thanks to the
skills of our wonderful facilitator, Pakilau `o Aotearoa Manase
Lua, this was not a metaphorical kava bowl. This year, a kava
ceremony accompanied the defining Leadership NZ practice of
sharing our life stories. It was in witnessing each other’s stories
that we experienced transformation. We held space for each
other. We witnessed growth. The healing of pain. The sharing
of ourselves. The receiving of others with love, acceptance and
non-judgement. It has been a beautiful thing to watch us all
emerge into a collective radiance of trust, care and compassion.
By sharing our own truth and stories, it directed us very clearly
to what the work is, if we are looking to heal and lead our society
and communities. Louise Marra said to us at the beginning of
our journey we need leadership in the archetype of the healer. If
anything, we learned that healing begins with ourselves, with us
as a sacred system, with us as an eco-system, whereby all of us
must heal.

SPECIAL ADDRESS
He Kapu Aloha =
‘Ike Mana Moana
Kindness, love and empathy
We were graced with the presence of
Dr. Manulani Aluli Meyer, Kūlana o
Kapolei, University of Hawai’i-West O’ahu,
at Retreat One and Launch of The Mana
Moana Experience.
Ke welina mai nei a kuu mau hoa!
Hello Beloveds! Your lives have changed, along with my own.
Who is to say that we have not been waiting our entire lives
to meet each other? The memory of our time shared there
on the edge of forest and ocean vista pulls me inward and
light fills my heart to make this moment vivid, clear, and
inspiring. I am sending you a summary of what is happening
now for us here in Hawaii, on the slopes of Maunakea, and
within the landscape of our own families. We are in the mist
of an aloha aina movement, and we are led by a kapu aloha –
a reverence for loving.
To love helps us serve our deepest aspirations, and to love
land is our point of distinction. Then we can love others
because our Mother has taught us how. We have committed
to awakening through aloha! It is blowing my mind and every
day I am humbled. Here is a summary of the Kapu Aloha. Ulu
ka le’ale’a…let joy rise!
Ku kia’i mauna! Stand firm and protect Maunakea! Here
is the external expression of our cultural knowing. This
kia’i (guardian) role has stepped on to a world stage to turn
facts into truth through social media, and its progress is
affirmed, instructed and made mythic by a kapu aloha.
He kapu aloha is a multidimensional concept and practice
inspired by mana moana, and ku’u aina aloha, our beloved
lands. It has been used within Hawaiian cultural contexts
forever, but this may be the first time it has been brought
out into the larger public sphere. It is a daring proposition
indeed to bring a kapu aloha out in this manner because
it runs the risk of ridicule, misunderstanding and
misappropriation. I have found this idea/practice divine
intervention and a call for non-dual thinking through the
wisdom found in compassion.
Aloha Aina is made simple within this framework. We
then become protectors not protesters. Our priorities
are made clear and individual self-reflection then brings
out the power, function and potential of an awakened
collective. Clarity solidifies this movement and I feel
our own transformation in the process. Maybe the kapu
aloha was called because it called us! I have learned much
from beloved friend and cultural practitioner Pua Case
and pilialoha Luana Busby-Neff of Wahine Apapalani o
Maunakea. They called the kapu aloha because they have
learned through their own history of protest, cultural
practices, beliefs and values that aloha is the highest
pono. It places a discipline of awareness on all to express
reverence for those involved, especially those who are
perceived to be polar to our efforts. A kapu aloha helps us
intentionalise our thoughts, words and deeds without harm
to others. It honours the energy and life found in aloha -
compassion - and helps us focus on its ultimate purpose
and meaning. He kapu aloha is a synonym for ahimsa,
non-violence, and wakeful consciousness. It is the practice
of reverence.

LEADERSHIP NZ 2019
7
Kapu Aloha is a compassionate
commitment to pono.
- Luana Palapala Busby-Neff
The word kapu is what brings aloha back into its oldest
function. Kapu in this form asks us to bring reverence back
into what aloha means. It is the main idea, practice and joy
of beloved kupuna mystic Halemakua. Aloha in this context
is the core of Hawaiian intelligence. It is the rigor the world
longs for, and it is the gold of this movement. You may wish
to fight and spit at aloha but it will not respond in-kind.
You may wish to yell at aloha but it will take a breath, hold
hands with others and sing: “E aloha-e, e aloha-e. E aloha-e,
e aloha-e.” It is an endless and infinite energy-field that has
lifted anger from my heart and doubt from my lexicon.
It is a spiritual rejuvenation for the world. A kapu aloha
has been called by Nā Ao Koa – by the Warriors of Light
to help us protect Mauna a Wakea. It helps us re-center
Aloha Aina once again so we can see, really see, the beauty
that nourishes, inspires and teaches us how to best be in
the world.
Mana Moana - let us rise to this practice of compassion
and reverence! Let our clarity be of service to worldwide
awakening. Let us show others how we love and are
instructed by our beloved lands, ocean and water-ways.
And then, let that love turn inward, so we can mulch our own
capacity to love ourselves and others. Be the mauna you wish
to see in the world! Ku kiaʻi mauna ma loko nei, ma waho nei!
Words by Dr. Manulani Aluli Meyer
Photography by Raymond Sagapolutele

8 THE MANA MOANA EXPERIENCE
GRADUANDS’ SPEECH
Reclaiming our
Identities and Lives
On behalf of The Mana Moana Experience Class of 2019, Dr. Cherie Chu-Fuluifaga, Titiimaea
Eugene Elisara, Tuiloma Gayle Lafaiali’i, Sione Taunga, Shimpal Lelisi, Emelita Rosita
Simeaanamulu Luisi and Ma’ara Maeva share their experiential reflections.

LEADERSHIP NZ 2019
9
This is not the end point, but the start of
an illuminating journey of being present
in and for our true purpose.
In this time and space, we acknowledge the gift from Mana
Moana of being equipped with gorgeous tools. These tools
are allowing us to dive into exquisite cultural spaces and flow
ambitiously in and out of metaphorical imageries. We are
learning how to transgress deeply internalised boundaries.
We are valuing our evolving identities within traditional
and modern paradigms. We are navigating our intellectual
stewardship and ideologies. We are participating in
creative modalities. We are regaining a consciousness and
acceptance of our ancestral narratives. And yes - we are
tending to our lives with assiduous attention.
Eugene begins our reflections.
At the time of writing, our 2019 Cohort has only been
together for 15 days. And the aroha and wairua within this
aiga are deep and strong. Deeper and stronger than the
work and personal relationships that some of us have had
for years. Mana Moana equips us to be more effective and
positive in a modern world: for ourselves, our aiga, our
workspaces. And our communities. The theme of the retreat
was Va Tupuna. It allowed us to reflect on legacies that we
knew about and others we had to discover for ourselves. The
deep words of knowledge and wisdom from our raNgātira
guest speakers helped propel our vaka forward. The
resonance of those words still felt much later. They guided
and informed our navigation as we negotiated major and
significant waypoints, changing the speed and direction of
our individual and collective vakas through other retreats.
I have borrowed the following proverb from our tuakana to
represent this retreat. “E kore au e ngaro, he kākano i ruia
mai i Rangiātea.” I will never be lost, for I am a seed sown
in Rangiātea. ...… all Pasifika descend from Rangiātea. The
realised promise of Retreat One was that our Mana Moana
journey would be a learning path. Within and without. To
define our identity by claiming a legacy.
At this point we are reclaiming our legacies that returns
us to Va Fenua where Gayle writes on our immersion and
relational retreat with Tangata Whenua.
Hosted at Kohewhata Marae in Kaikohe, we were blessed
by the whānau of Ted and Betty Wihongi. We began our
retreat by visiting the Waitangi Treaty Grounds, where we
received a guided tour and were able to plant our feet; the
grounding exercise was for many a new insight into one of the
many relational va, offering us a place and space of connection
and peace. Further contributing to our connecting with Va
Fenua, a visit to Lake Omapere and Ngawha Hot Springs
topped of a wonderful day (off came the shoes). A thoughtful
and purposeful connection to the land, sea and sky were
offered. Whaea Moe Milne (Ngāti Hine) was food for the soul
and delight for the mind as she challenged us to consider how
we get past “warm Pacific greetings”. Upon our departure,
we stopped at the foot of giants and spent time communing
with Tane Mahuta at Waipoua Forest, an apt end to our
enlightenment about connecting with Va Fenua.
The transition from Va Fenua to Va Moana takes more
than movement of body – it requires a movement of our
minds and souls. Here, Sione reflects on Retreat Three.
I have heard many times that: “In order to know where you
are going, you must first know where you have been.” Retreat
Three with the theme of Va Moana was for me a time to
reflect in order to project. We examined the importance of
navigating how our ancestors traversed the world’s largest
ocean, navigating one’s life, and letting go of things that are
no longer needed in our respective vaka. The wisdom and
knowledge shared from honoured guests and Mana Moana
alumni highlighted resilience, perseverance, sacrifice and
the importance of remembering to ‘be still’ and reflect. In a
time where it seems as though life is moving so quickly, the
ability and importance of navigating with lessons from those
who have gone before us are still applicable and relevant as
the principles are timeless. I know where I am going because I
know where I am from.
As we disembark from our vaka, Shimpal’s reflection
takes us back to the complex challenges of power, politics
and influence in the people – Va Tagata.
Retreat Four marked the half-way point of our Mana Moana
journey. AUT South in Manukau, Auckland was a great
location. The focus on this retreat was Va Tagata. The
concepts related to the va of our human relationships.
The realm of the interpersonal - politics, power, influence…

10 THE MANA MOANA EXPERIENCE
Let’s just say these were placed to the side to address the
elephant in the room - Ihumātao. Our location on Great South
Road was originally made by the British to help take away
lands whose return was now being fought only 15 minutes up
the road. Our group was in two minds about a visit, and in what
capacity? Some would say an ideal situation to effect teachings
learnt so far. Others said we should stay in our lanes. There
was robust but respectful discussion, and I felt encouraged not
to take sides, but to respect others and my own convictions.
Our retreat was adjusted to support a friend attend a funeral.
It also gave those who wanted to go to Ihumātao the chance to
do so and make up their own minds. From personal stances
on Ihumātao, we explored the va of human relationships. We
were exposed to the passions of those still in the struggle at
a critical point in the fight. We experienced the sadness when
one loses someone dear and the comfort it draws. Human
relationships on different levels rooted in humanity.
As our journeys are filling with a strong sense of hope –
Emelita realigns us with a gentle narrative to guide us
along the path/ala with her personal account.
For Retreat Five, our Vaka voyaged to beautiful Ngaruawahia,
to the Waikato–Tainui College for Research and Development.
As we approach the impending end of our time together as
the Mana Moana 2019 Cohort, it feels right to think about the
road ahead. Va Ala/Ara/Hala – The Pathway and where to, for
one and all. What have we learned thus far? Each path of every
participant to this point has been challenged, each path we
know will continue to be challenged. With many a Kava bowls
consumed and the Circle from all Manava groups now finally
complete, it feels our sacred ceremonial circles continue to
strengthen as we sip, as we shed layers and come bearing
ourselves to one another, trusting one another and trusting
that we can lead strong, together, out of complex places. Along
each Ala/ara/hala, there have been deep pains, deep healing,
deep learnings, deep connections; all obligatory claims as we
begin to stand tall, in our Mana as better connected, Daring
Leaders of our families and our communities o Tangata o Te
Moana-nui-a-Kiwa.
We have much to learn from the old ways, to clear the pathways
forward in increasingly complex modern societies, but
perhaps navigating the multifaceted Ala/Ara/hala is simpler
than we’ve realised. Retuning our Mauli/Mauri to the deeper
wisdom of our ancestors and our ancient teachers the Manu,
Fonua, Le Lagi, Lologo, Siva, le Vai, Tatau, le Moana, Mauna,
Fetu, te Marama, Afaa to the stillness; Yes that’s a Rhythm!!
It allows us to receive wisdom, search for wisdom - Tofa Sa’ili
and as our readings indicate to “access the Pasifika Indigenous
reference that has always incorporated the seen and unseen,
the living and the dead,” to strengthen, bless and safeguard
our journeys ahead. With one final retreat to come, the Ara will
find us all, in its own destined time.
Finally, as time draws us to a closer awareness of
ourselves, Ma`ara assists us to traverse the penultimate
phase of reflection. These are significant, intrepid and
heart-warming thoughts to carry us along.
We have had the time to connect with each other and develop
relationships among ourselves. Our guiding story has allowed
us to explore Pacific cosmogony and the beginning of our
universe and how it shapes and or challenges our thinking in
this modern age. In the words of Albert Wendt “we are what
we remember.” We have been challenged to be more conscious
about our relationship to ‘fonua’ – to be present in the realworld
matters of global warming, extinction of species, coral
die-off and ocean acidification. Last but not least, we know
that as people of the greatest ocean on earth we are constantly
challenged or reminded of various ancestral knowledge about
waves and tides.

2019
Programme Overview
1
2
3
4
RETREAT ONE
Va Tupuna
Ancestors – Remembering who we are
5
Heritage Collection Waitakere Estate, Waiatarua
7 – 9 March 2019
Dr Manulani Aluli Meyer
Jo Brosnahan
Louise Marra
Pita Turei
Konohiki – Kūlana o Kapolei,
University of Hawai’-West O’ahu
Founder, Leadership New
Zealand
Programme Director,
Leadership New Zealand
Creative Collaborative
Oractioner
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7
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9
1. Rev Suamalie Naisili & The 2019
Mana Moana Cohort – Mana
Moana Launch at Auckland
Town Hall
2. Pakilau ‘o Aotearoa Manase
Lua
3. Sina Wendt & Belinda
Betham-Rautjoki
4. Pita Turei
Betham-Rautjoki, Emelita
Rosita Luisi, Dr Cherie Chu,
Asiata Lealofi Sio
6. Emma Saulo, Daphne Amosa,
Elsie Taimalieutu-Freeman
7. Dr Manulani Aluli Meyer,
Dr Karlo Mila
8. Isopo Samu, Fetūolemoana
Tamapeau
5. Titiimaea Eugene Elisara,
Ma’ara Maeva, Belinda
9. Kava Circle

10
11
12
RETREAT TWO
Va Fonua/fenua/fanua
Land - Grounding, Reconnecting, Protecting
13
Kohewhata Marae, Kaikohe;
2 – 4 May 2019
Ted Wihongi
Moe Milne
Kohewhata Marae Kaumātua
Ngāti Hine – Māori Advisement
Specialist, Nurse, Teacher,
Whaea
14
15
16
RETREAT THREE
Va Moana
Ocean – Deepening, Wayfinding, Navigating
17
Tāmaki Paenga Hira Auckland War Memorial Museum
Onetangi, Waiheke Island
13 – 15 June 2019
Louise Marra
Therese Mangos
Programme Director,
Leadership New Zealand
Director, Pacific Vision
Aotearoa; Mana Moana Alumna
2018

18
19 20
RETREAT FOUR
Va Tagata
People – Standing in our power with
awareness, Clearing, Connecting
21
AUT South Campus, Manukau; Pacific Advance
Secondary School (PASS), Otahuhu
25 – 27 July 2019
22
Josephine Bartley
Leo Foliaki
Phylesha Brown-Acton
Rangimarie Hunia
Reverend Apelu Tielu
Richard Pamatatau
Vui Mark Gosche
Walter Fraser
Politician, Auckland Councillor;
NZLP Alumna 2011
Senior Partner, PwC New
Zealand
Founder, F’INE (Fanau, Identity,
Navigate & Equality)
Director, Ngāti Whātua
Papakura Pacific Islanders
Presbyterian Church
Journalism Academic,
AUT University
Chief Executive, Vaka Tautua
Executive Director, AUT South
Campus & Head of Pacific
Advancement
23
24
25
10. Ma’ara Maeva, Sauileone
Alesana, John Puleitu, Isopo
Samu
11. Daphne Amosa, Tuiloma Gayle
Lafaiali’i, Papaali’i Johnny
Siaosi
12. Pakilau ‘o Aotearoa Manase
Lua
13. The 2019 Mana Moana Cohort,
Waitangi Treaty Grounds
14. Sione Taunga, Emily Mafile’o,
Fetūolemoana Tamapeau,
Belinda Betham-Rautjoki
15. Professor Maualaivao Albert
Wendt
16. The 2019 Mana Moana Cohort
17. Therese Mangos & The 2019
Mana Moana Cohort
18. The 2019 Mana Moana Cohort
with Rangimarie Hunia,
Josephine Bartley, and Richard
Pamatatau
19. Ma’ara Maeva, Asiata Lealofi
Sio
20. Walter Fraser
21. Panel session – Va Tagata
22. The 2019 Mana Moana Cohort
with Rev Apelu Tielu, Phylesha
Brown-Acton, Vui Mark
Gosche, Leo Foliaki
23. Rangimarie Hunia, Josephine
Bartley, Richard Pamatatau
24. Student welcome at Pacific
Advance Secondary School
(PASS)
25. Kava Circle

RETREAT FIVE
Va Ala/ara/hala
Pathways – Orienting to our
purpose, The Journey
Waikato-Tainui Endowed College for Research &
Development, Ngaruawahia
5 – 7 September 2019
26
27
28
Marcus Akuhata Brown
Director, Tukaha Global
Consultancy LTD
29
30
31
32
26. The 2019 Mana Moana Cohort
with Marcus Akuhata-Brown
27. Ala’imalo Falefatu Enari, Sione
Taunga, Pakilau ‘o Aotearoa
Manase Lua
28. The 2019 Mana Moana Cohort
30. Zora Feilo, Emelita Rosita Luisi
31. The 2019 Mana Moana Cohort
32. Mihi Whakatau at Waikato-
Tainui Endowed College for
Research & Development
29. Taonga

33
34
35
RETREAT SIX
Va Mokopuna
Grandchildren – Activing our Lives, Living Legacy
36 37
Heritage Collection Waitakere Estate,
Waiatarua
17 – 19 October 2019
38
Leilani Tamu
Moana Jackson
Pat Snedden
Pita Turei
Precious Clark
Manager Pacific Policy, Ministry
of Business, Innovation and
Employment
Ngāti Kahungunu, Ngāti Porou
Business Advisor,
Philanthropist
Creative Collaborative
Oractitioner
Managing Director, Maurea
Consulting Ltd; Director, Ngāti
Whātua Orakei Whai Rawa Ltd
39
40
41
33. Dr Manulani Aluli Meyer with
the 2019 Mana Moana Cohort
34. Dr Karlo Mila
35. Matua Bobby Newson & The
2019 Mana Moana Cohort
36. Kohewhata Marae, Kaikohe
37. Emily Mafile’o
38. Kava Circle
39. Mareta Matenga
40. Belinda Betham-Rautjoki
41. Ala’imalo Falefatu Enari,
Pakilau ‘o Aotearoa Manase
Lua

Reflections
The Class of 2019 share their thoughts
about their journey on
The Mana Moana Experience

LEADERSHIP NZ 2019
17
Ala’imalo
Falefatu Enari
Principal
Pacific Advance Secondary School
AUCKLAND
I was born, raised and hardened in Western
Samoa in the village of Vaiala. The youngest
of Tuala Karanita and Lynne Enari’s children.
I was educated in the hallowed grounds of
Apia Infants, Apia Primary, Leifiifi and Kolisi
o Samoa. My professors were parents, uncles
and aunties and the wider village. I arrived in
Aotearoa in 1988 for study at Wesley College
and Waikato University. I have three wonderful
boys and we are a part of the beautiful church
that has become our village here in Aotearoa.
My education career has taken me from the
Waikato to Auckland down to Gisborne and
across to Palmerston North. I am Co Principal
with my wife Parehuia of the first and only
Pasefika Secondary School.
Skills Offered: Youth leadership development, community
engagement, leadership development, public speaking,
people development
Mana Moana has confirmed that my secret weapon point of
difference is the gold mined in Samoa where I experienced
my childhood. The structures and procedures unique to the
Pacific Islands are valid and powerful in the modern-day
corporate or palagi world and I am encouraged to continue to
develop my Pasifika world view. The saying “iron sharpens
iron” rings true to my experience of Mana Moana. Getting
alongside other Pasifika forging a way through the modern
world has proven to be very useful for me. Mana Moana is
feminine in nature, and this definitely stretched me. Perhaps it
has helped me consider this side of myself more. I am grateful
and feel privileged to have had the opportunity to get away
from the business of life, to focus on myself, and reflect upon
my journey.
Current Community Involvement: Otahuhu Business Trust Safety Panel; Otahuhu Pacific
Police Pacific Advisory Board; Foster Our Future Board
Asiatā Lealofi
ō Aana Siō
Clinical Quality Coordinator
Pacific Mental Health &
Integrated Care Services - North
Counties Manukau Health
AUCKLAND
Talofa lava, I am of Samoan descent, born
and raised in Aotearoa. My faith and aiga are
important influences in my life. It’s not always
been like that but as I have learned - rather
slowly - that when you know who you are, life
decisions need not be so overwhelming. I have
worked in a number of sectors but for the past
14 years, I have been blessed to work in health.
I have had great learnings in various health
roles and still enjoy it. I enjoy the benefits of
seeing that a happy wife leads to a happy life.
Skills Offered: Change management, communications,
organisational development, project development,
leadership development
The Mana Moana Experience has challenged and
strengthened my understanding of myself and I am grateful
for the friendship bonds that our Mana Moana aiga has
created. I started this journey as a Taule’ale’a and was
honoured to be bestowed a title representing my father’s
family. My perspectives have changed considerably since
starting the programme. I have gained an appreciation of
different perspectives by clarifying the view from within a
canoe, from on top of a coconut tree and from high up in the
mountain. I acknowledge the different spaces that require
navigating and the need to develop tools that allow me to
apply myself in my work. It has brought me to the most
valuable learning as a husband, dad, son, uncle, employee
and employer to ground myself.
Current Community Involvement: Sommerville School Board of Trustees;
Faiva Ora Leadership Group
Belinda
Betham-
Rautjoki
Dispute Resolution Manager
Ministry of Business, Innovation
and Employment
AUCKLAND
Talofa lava, I grew up in Porirua and currently
live in Tāmaki Makaurau with my lovely
husband Rafar whose whakapapa is Te
Arawa. From my beautiful parents I learnt
that family, hard work and generosity is
the key to a successful life. I am a leader in
the Public Sector providing assistance to
vulnerable communities in Housing and
Employment disputes. I have a strong passion
to influence public services to better reflect
the communities we serve in recruitment,
promoting inclusive workplace cultures and
closing the ethnic pay gap. I believe we have
a responsibility to ensure the services we
provide are culturally responsive to building a
healthy NZ economy for future generations.
Skills Offered: Operational management, people leading and
culture change, strategic project planning, diversity and inclusion,
health and safety risk management, stakeholder engagement.
I came to Mana Moana in the hope it would help me connect
with my ancestors and empower me to lead as a confident
Pacific woman. This experience has given me more than I
ever expected. It has been transformational, life-changing
and overwhelmingly positive. Grounded in a Pacific
context, it challenges you to think about how your ancestors
would have made decisions as a way-finder navigator in
the Pacific and how you might apply these concepts to the
workplace. I also learnt being vulnerable can help you
take back the power! I have made awesome professional
connections with this cohort who have also become family
and given me a great selection of mentors. This programme
is important to the future success of Pasifika leaders, it is
empowering and encourages you to be your authentic self.
Fa’afetai tele lava.
Current Community Involvement: Volunteer - Barnardos and St. John

18 THE MANA MOANA EXPERIENCE
Dr. Cherie
Chu-Fuluifaga
Founder & Mentor
Leadership Pacific
WELLINGTON
I am a founder and mentor of Leadership
Pacific - a cause movement in New Zealand
and the Pacific region - that develops
young Pacific peoples to be of influence in
their relationships and everyday lives. I am
currently undertaking an Ako Aotearoa
funded research project on phenomenal
educators for Pacific learners in New
Zealand. As an educator I am committed to
creating creative teaching and learning in a
variety of forms of educational practices as a
way of inspiring students to explore their own
educational stories. I live in Waikanae with my
husband Elia and our five-year-old daughter.
Skills Offered: Youth leadership development, mentoring,
community engagement, leadership development, policy
development, public speaking
Through my journeying with Mana Moana,
I have found myself transforming on so many levels. From
within my heart, my soul, my mind and across my overall
being. I believe I have gained deeper insights about the
connections between the present ‘me’ and the past. The past
– being my ancestors. Realigning and connecting traditional
knowledge to my everyday life has been powerful. It has
provided me with clarity so that I can be a stronger version
of myself. These internal and personal transformations have
elevated my voice as a woman. I have found the confidence
to stretch myself in the professional domain. I see a clear
path and vision for my family and communities. I am so very
grateful for The Mana Moana Experience - it has gifted me
with a new sense of purpose.
Current Community Involvement: Graeme Dingle Foundation Careers Coach; Mentor/
Facilitator for Freedom Writers and the Liberation Kitchen; Leadership Pacific mentor;
Youth mentor – Kapiti Coast community
Daphne
Amosa
Area Manager
Tāmaki Housing
AUCKLAND
Talofa lava, I am married and a proud
mother to a 16-year-old son. I was born in
Auckland and am the eldest of five daughters.
Our Samoan roots are from Lalomanu
and Satitoa, Aleipata. Raised in Mangere,
South Auckland from my late teens I knew
early on that my desire was around social
justice and have worked most of my career
in government departments. For the last
three years I have had the privilege of
servant leadership at Tāmaki Housing. My
parents instilled in me the value of putting
others needs before self and to serve with
a compassionate heart. I practise this
through my actions and give my community
the dignity and mana to make informed
decisions.
Skills Offered: Training, mentoring, community engagement,
leadership development, people development, coaching
I have been awakened to understand through our
cosmogonies and a responsibility to show care and
compassion through servant leadership. My journey has
shifted me to remember the sacred relationships with
land and how pivotal it is to take time and reflect on this
beautiful connection. I was reminded of our ancestral
navigation when we were asked to bring something special
to one of our retreats. I thought of my parents as they
migrated to the unknown and what it would have meant to
bring what was precious to them. I have been encouraged
to have challenging and daring conversations in the face of
adversity, but in a respectful manner. I am grateful I have
formed new and lasting friends who share a common goal
about the significant issues that our Pacific communities
experience.
Elsie
Taimalieutu-
Freeman
Pacific Community Development
Programme Manager
Presbyterian Support Otago
DUNEDIN
Born and raised in Dunedin, I am of Samoan
and German descent, married to Reece and
together we parent five beautiful children.
I have a Bachelor in Community and Social
Work among other qualifications. I am
community minded and invest in projects
that benefit our Pacific families. I have held
many roles across the community sector.
In my current role at Presbyterian Support
Otago, I practise social work, as many of our
families need advocacy. I am grateful to The
Mana Moana Experience for the opportunity
to explore new feelings and learnings at fresh
places. Investing in my own development isn’t
selfish, but brave. Fa’afetai lava.
Skills Offered: Community engagement, leadership development,
organisational development, organisational review, relationship
management
Throughout my private and professional career, I have
been shaped to blend with the normal, rather than with
nature. The Mana Moana Experience has been nothing but
nature, and my anchor, which has been drifting for some
time with life, grief and work, has become unwrapped from
its previous learnings and ways of processing. I realise
now how easy it has been to fit in with the normal. I had
to take an honest look at myself: as a person, a parent,
a professional practitioner and advisor to understand
how each interweaves with the other. My journey on
Mana Moana has given me direction, purpose and more
importantly – the tools to be grounded.
Current Community Involvement: President - Dunedin Pacifica Women’s Branch; Pacific
Advisor to the Presbyterian Support Otago Te Roopu Bi-cultural Advisory; Community
member - Lupe Faalele Group; Dunedin Fono Faufautua O Le Samoan Advisory Council;
Pacific PowerUP Flexi Plus Educational Programme for Parents; South Dunedin Community
Networks - Pacific Advisor; Parent representative board member - Punavai O Le Atamai
Preschool

LEADERSHIP NZ 2019
19
Emelita Rosita
Simeaanamulu
Luisi
Manager, Co-Founder
Ranui 135 Youth Trust
AUCKLAND
Malo le Soifua, my name is Emelita Luisi. In
my Community Youth Work life, I’m known as
Zee (short for Rosita). In my immediate family
I’m known as Sita. To my wider extended
family, I am Simeaanamulu, all combinations
of the many beautiful names I carry from my
ancestors. I am the youngest of six children
born in Aotearoa to parents from Samoa
who migrated here in the late 1960s.In 2002,
my husband and I co-founded Ranui 135,
with just our hearts and a vision, we, along
with two other friends got involved in our
community to grow the hopes and aspirations
of our young people, change the negative
narratives and grow a generation of local
Pasifika leaders, ushering in a new generation
of young Māori and Pasifika leaders.
Skills offered: Event planning, social entrepreneurship,
mentoring, community engagement, leadership development
Malo lava! Fa’afetai, fa’afetai, fa’afetai lava mo le avanoa!!
What an amazing journey! I feel so incredibly blessed to
have discovered this life-changing experience. The journey
for me has been enlightening and enriching. A single
Tree does not have the same strength of protection as a
tree in the Vao/Ngahere/Forest - that is what I feel Mana
Moana has given me. I have made life-long friends - we’ve
journeyed through our collective stories, collective pain
and collective healing. Moving forward, I feel a pull to
recalibrate myself to indigenous knowledge as a way to
stay grounded, healthy and spiritually intact in order to
lead from a place of strength. Mana Moana is an absolute
must for all our Pasifika Leaders. Endless love and
gratitude to Dr. Karlo Mila for your boundless wisdom and
enduring voice. Fa’afetai lava o lou Alofa ia te a’u.
Community Involvement: Youth sports initiatives; community language/cultural
initiatives; community story-gathering initiatives; event collaborations
Emily
Mafile’o
Public Programmes Programmer
Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki
AUCKLAND
My father Saia hails from Hihifo, Ha’apai,
Tonga and my mother Fiona is Aotearoa born
originating from Scotland and England. I was
born in Waikato, in a farming family that lived in
between Aotearoa and Tonga. We were blessed
to have such culturally rich experiences. I
am a mother of one and a practicing artist/
photographer who has lived in South Auckland
for the last 16 years working in a wide range of
creative jobs. With a strong interest in people,
diverse peoples, especially our people, I believe
we need to take responsibility for documenting
(visually) our own histories/stories. I love to
create, support/guide opportunities and
experiences with our youth/peoples in the
creative arts.
Skills Offered: Event planning, youth leadership development,
mentoring, community engagement
I have struggled to put into words an experience that has
had such a profound impact in every way for me. Mana
Moana as a journey was not what I expected at all, the
first retreat was filled with utter confusion, an explainable
curiosity, excitement and a crazy strong connection to a
group of people who had just been strangers, who are now
family. The definition of what it is to be a leader and lead
has completely shifted. ‘Leaders are healers’; I had never
considered that before. Mana Moana has challenged and
questioned me as a person, a leader and how I navigate
spaces and people. Over the course of Mana Moana, I am
so grateful to have heard these wise old words; ‘You can’t
make a decision without me, I can’t make a decision without
you’, ‘Truth is the highest goal and Aloha is the highest
truth’, ‘Let go, to grow’. To my Mana Moana family… ‘Blue is
the ancient colour of Love’.
Current Community Involvement: Founding Member and Facilitator – ManaRewa
Collective
Emma
Saulo
Payroll Manager
ATNZ Competenz ITO
AUCKLAND
Samoa was my home until the age of 14 when
I came to New Zealand for education. I have
worked in the engineering apprenticeship
industry for 18 years. In my role, I am fortunate
to connect with many inspiring young people
who are driven, focused and passionate
towards becoming qualified trades people. I
am also Chairperson for the Māori & Pasifika
committee at Competenz. This role enables
me to lead, advise and strategise integral
positive pathways about how to mentor,
service, engage and empower our young
Pasifika & Māori learners towards completing
their apprenticeships. I am a devoted mum to
my teenage son PJ, a role that is challenging,
and cannot be measured! But it makes me feel
immensely blessed.
Skills Offered: Change management, financial, HR/process
improvement, strategic planning, people development, community
engagement
My va’a floated aimlessly in the Pacific Ocean for years
with no sail, direction or hope until I was rescued by this
amazing Mana Moana 2019 Vaka! My heart has been
rejuvenated and my soul awakened, abundantly filled and
blessed with the wisdom and knowledge of our ancestors
who navigated this pathway for our journey. Leadership
based on “pikipiki hama, vaevae manava” means being
the navigator, always awake and feeling the winds, riding
the waves and constantly ready to conquer the storm. This
journey has been uplifting, soul searching, challenging and
even painful but the openness to trust made our talanoa
and sharing less so. I am inspired to lead from the front
with compassion, find the courage to change what we
can, fairness to not judge, humility to understand and
hear others more and the wisdom to know and value the
difference. O lau ava lea le Atua, ia manuia!
Current Community Involvement: FAGASA; Youth leader and mentor - Samoan
Methodist Church; Chorist

20 THE MANA MOANA EXPERIENCE
Fetūolemoana
Teuila
Tamapeau
Web developer
Independent Freelancer
AUCKLAND & WELLINGTON
I am a village child raised by family in Samoa,
Tāmaki Makaurau and Te Whanganui a Tara
Newtown. My ancestral villages are Makefu
(Niue), Salimu i Fagaloa, Mauga, Le Auva’a
and Fasito’o uta (Samoa). Tonga and Fiji are
also part of the living genealogies of my family.
Community healing and social justice flow
through the lives of many women in my family.
I have worked within Pasifika and LGBTQI+
communities as an organiser, creative and
civil servant. I collaborate and help grow
landscapes of indigenous knowledge across
digital moana. I am passionate about how
technologies can build knowledge sharing
ecologies that serve to protect and nurture
our cultural taonga and environment.
Skills Offered: Communications, digital, community engagement
The moment you set foot on the Mana Moana vaka you are
embraced as a living and breathing manifestation of the
genius of our ancestors today. It is a maugamental calling and
the experience continues to challenge me to practice stillness
in action with a revolutionary idea: leaders are healers.
Mana Moana moves me to engage with courageously kind
conversations inspired by ‘alofa atu, alofa mai’ ecologies
in practice. Not only in relationship with one another as
peoples, but also in relationship with the critical health of our
environment. It was a joy to be equipped with readings by Dr.
Karlo Mila in between retreats. The offerings of Mana Moana
are many: cerebral, dynamic and sacred. I have gained clarity
in my values and renewed hope for the healing of humanity.
It has been a once in many lifetimes journey of alofa with my
Mana Moana family, and I am grateful.
Florence
Molimau
Malama
Service Designer
Ministry of Business, Innovation
and Employment
PALMERSTON NORTH
Talofa lava, I am the daughter of my
beautiful parents Fata Vaitoelau and
Tasi Tauli who migrated from Samoa in
search of opportunities for their future,
and in turn provided me with a platform to
achieve and strive for success as a proud
Samoan woman. I was born in Porirua and
raised in Palmerston North. I hold degrees
in Business and Commerce majoring in
Financial Economics and Communications
Management. I’m the only Samoan female
Service Designer working across Central
Government and currently work with MBIE’s
Pacific Policy Team to strategically increase
future working economic development
opportunities for our Pasifika people.
Skills Offered: Design thinking, project management, strategic
thinking, facilitation, systems thinking, agile, future visioning and
synthesis
My Mana Moana journey has been an absolute blessing. I
come out feeling empowered, deepened in spirit with a greater
understanding and renewed sense about my ancestors’
journey, and the significance of my pathway in today’s
contemporary world. One of my biggest learnings has been a
deep dive exploration within me to understand my leadership
qualities, characteristics and the belief of how valuable that
is. This movement transforms lives and transcended me for
the better as I continue to strengthen the understanding of my
cultural wisdom, knowledge, values and how I project that as
a Pasifika leader in every facet of my life. I am deeply grateful
for this opportunity and that I experienced this with an
amazing group of Pasifika leaders who have become family.
Fa’afetai tele lava.
Current Community Involvement: Board member, Amanaki STEM Academy – Palmerston
North; Leadership roles in Samoan Methodist Church – Palmerston North; Youth mentor
Isopo Samu
Director
Tokotoko Solutions Limited
WHANGAREI
Taloha ni. I was born in Fakaofo, Tokelau
Islands and left home as part of a scholarship
scheme in the early 1970s. Whangarei Boys’
High School hostel became home and I have
lived in Whangarei since. My professional
journey has varied from being a teacher,
unemployed, labourer, dish hand, police,
local government politician, hostel manager,
cleaner, youth and community development,
homeless outreach, Senior Adviser - Ministry
of Education to starting Tokotoko Solutions
Limited. Working for our vulnerable families
has been the common thread. My greatest
achievement, however, was getting my wife
to marry me and have three children. We now
have five mokopuna who have reawakened my
desire to reconnect with Tokelau. Manuia.
Skills Offered: Communications, governance, training, youth
leadership development
Firstly, I thank Leadership NZ for this opportunity, but
more importantly I thank my wife Ingrid for encouraging
me to jump on this Vaka and for supporting me throughout
my Mana Moana voyage. It has been an awesome
physical, mental and spiritual journey of learning new
things and affirming what I already knew about myself.
Most importantly, Mana Moana gave me a sense of my
‘Pasifikaness’ and reconnecting into that. I have learnt that I
have been running away from my ‘Pasifikaness’; that leaders
are healers; that we are looking for external answers to
internal issues. We can not undermine the importance of being
connected to the self, people and place and parts of “our story”
that inform who I am and where I am from. I have met cool
Pasifika people doing very cool things in our communities. Go
well Mana Moana whānau.

LEADERSHIP NZ 2019
21
John
Puleitu
Co-founder & Managing Director
Tū Moana
AUCKLAND
My background is in creativity and education
and I later expanded into youth development,
programming, management, governance and
entrepreneurship. With 20 years’ experience
in multiple industries including events and
entertainment, the arts, education, not-forprofit,
trades and business, these experiences
shaped my understanding and empathy for
the broad social needs of those industries.
The common thread of passion is that I love
innovating pathways where there are none.
Advancing people’s learning outside the
parameters of mainstream education is one
of the things I live for, next to being a loving
husband and father.
Skills Offered: Diversity and inclusion training, learning and
pathway development, youth development advisor, creative
producer/engineer, multimedia/social content
There have been many great moments on our Mana Moana
experience. For me, it has been an expedition of our traditional
ways of life being reintroduced in modern concepts and
learning what those renewed concepts might mean for us
today. The air is still woven by the scent of deep vulnerability
that makes your peers become like family. The ornament I
will carry from this experience comes from the question that
follows any great knowledge - what will you do with it when
you go back to your life, reality, work, home and people?
What will you do with the knowledge you’ve attained? This
marks me with great conviction, and these lashings are like
‘truth-hurts but it’s good for you’. My ornament of grace is
to be intentional and find a great outcome for Pacific people
that is organised, strategised, self-resourced and financially
sustainable by Pacific people. #letsgettowork.
Current Community Involvement: Praxis NZ’s Northern Advisory Group
Juliana
Satchell-Deo
Associate Curator, Pacific
Tāmaki Paenga Hira – Auckland War
Memorial Museum
AUCKLAND
I was born in Port Moresby, Papua New
Guinea, and grew up in Australia, Fiji and
now New Zealand. I am of Torres Strait Island
(Australia), Daru Island (Papua New Guinea)
and Malaita (Solomon Islands) descent. Living
far from my birthplace, I have always felt a
sense of belonging to my indigenous culture.
This is nurtured and mediated through my
female family members. I am interested in the
customary practices of my culture and the
specific spatial relationships that are built
and nurtured. I learnt from a young age the
importance of cosmology in my culture and
the expressive means of storytelling to relay
information. This ritual aspect of storytelling
through singing and dance offered a space
with connections to my ancestors.
Skills Offered: Training, mentoring, community engagement,
relationship management, process improvement
I began this voyage not knowing what to expect. This was my
first experience examining ‘Leadership’. I was apprehensive
and questioned what I could offer as a Leader. My mind
was blown, those walls came crashing down and my heart
was overwhelmed with the generosity of my Mana Moana
family. It has been a beautiful journey and I have learned
so much from others and most importantly of myself – I am
now finding my voice as a Pacific woman of Melanesian
background. I am humbled by the cultural immersion of
language, talanoa, heritage and spiritual guidance. Lastly,
I am blessed to work amongst strong Pacific women who
lead with love and advocacy for Pacific communities. I have
gained the confidence to stand alongside these women. Auwo
Esso Rai.
Livi Ah Hoi
Head of Testing and Robotic
Automation - Digital, Z Energy
WELLINGTON
Born and raised in Porirua, I now reside in
Island Bay. I am of Samoan, Tokelauan and
Chinese descent and the second to youngest
to my late parents Fa’apaiaga Puavasa Ah
Hoi (née Baker) and Agaseata Koue Ah Hoi.
I am married to my lovely wife Bronwyn and
have two wonderful children. I am a member
of the Salvation Army and lead the youth
programme in Porirua. I work in the Digital
field of Robotic Automation and Information
Communication Technology (ICT) software
testing with over 25 years’ experience across
various sectors. I have a passion to see our
Pasifika youth and young people explore and
develop careers in ICT and become “game
changers” of the future.
Skills Offered: Event planning, project management, strategic
planning, mentoring, community engagement
It was a pleasure being part of The Mana Moana Experience.
I loved journeying with the wonderful cohort of leaders
who have become like aiga. I have learnt the importance of
maintaining my deep cultural and ancestral connections
and being the advocate in my everyday leadership role.
I have gained rich insights and teachings from the many
amazing keynote speakers. A highlight for me was
spending the morning at Pacific Advance Secondary School
and witnessing amazing leadership in action exploring
innovative teaching methods, along with the genuine love,
passion and commitment the teachers had for their students.
There’s a proverb in the Bible that refers to “iron sharpening
iron”: I believe that we’ve sharpened each other over these
six retreats - through encouragement; sharing; challenging;
learning and teaching. All of this has made us even more
effective leaders.
Current Community Involvement: Youth Programme Leader – Salvation Army Porirua
Corps

22 THE MANA MOANA EXPERIENCE
Ma’ara Tupuna
Teariki Maeva
Tuiātea – Learning Specialist
Tāmaki Paenga Hira – Auckland War
Memorial Museum
AUCKLAND
Turou Turou Oro Mai. From my pito enua
Mauke Cook Islands and from a place called
Ana-rau-ra I was born. With no intentions
of leaving my papa kainga or homeland the
wings of fate carried me to Aotearoa. With
limited education I grabbed the opportunity
to earb a RaNgātira o Rū`enua or a master`s
degree in archaeology. In my professional
role as Tuiātea at Tāmaki Paenga Hira my
manava or heart overflows with joy every
time I see big smiles on the faces of tamariki
when they engage with our school programs.
I am a product of my mana moana tupuna
or ‘anceStars’ who made it possible for me
to share this wisdom and knowledge o te
Moana nui o Kiva to all. Turou turou turou …
Aiiiioooo kokooooo!
Skills Offered: Traditional tools and music instrument maker,
mentoring, community engagement, language advocate, event
planning, archaeology
Like my ancestors before who dared sail on the Moana-nuio-Kiva
in search of better future, I enrolled in The Mana
Moana Experience with similar aspirations. The journey
has been a challenging one interspersed with indigenous reawakening,
sense of purpose and self-realisation that what
I have learnt are applicable to my home life, workplace and
wider community. I have developed a deeper appreciation of
my ancient cultural knowledge, awareness of environmental
issues and land struggles. Mana Moana 2019 has given me
the opportunity to meet inspiring people from a wide range
of backgrounds whom I would not have met otherwise. As
one saying goes: ‘ea`a te mea nui e tangata’ What is the
greatest taonga of all? It is people. Kia orana e kia manuia
Current Community Involvement: Cultural advisor - Mauke Enua (Auckland); Band
member ‘Tama-a-Iva’; Research member – Aitutaki Paoa Project; Mataatua Vaka ki Mauke
researcher; Ukulele tutor
Mareta
Matenga
Co-Founder
Pasifika By Nature Trust
HAMILTON
Kia Orana! I was born and raised in
Kirikiriroa, Aotearoa. My amazing pioneering
parents from Aitutaki and Palmerston
Island imparted me with Christian values,
hardworking ethics and a passion to do well
in life. Hamilton has been my village for 46
years, where I work as a Senior Community
Advisor for the Hamilton City Council and
live with my husband Tapaki. I have worked
with young people for 30 years in different
capacities. 20 years ago, I was a young Youth
Worker, who together with two young Samoan
and Fijian men, created the first Hamilton
Pasifika Secondary School Festival called
Pasifika By Nature, providing a platform
to preserve, share and celebrate Pasifika
cultures.
Skills Offered: Event planning, facilitation, youth leadership
development, mentoring, community engagement
Mana Moana has challenged me personally, professionally
and spiritually. What I knew about myself and my place
in this world have shifted. Not only did I learn through my
challenges, I now feel validated and encouraged. One of
the key concepts that has kept my mind and heart ALIVE is
‘Leaders are Healers’ – nurtured in us by Louise Marra. I’m
encouraged as a leader that we can heal and start thinking
about how many broken people in our community whom we
leaders are called to heal. Mana Moana intentionally drew
me away from the hectic pace of life to confront the need for
rest, challenges and review. I am now invested in my life, so
that I can continue to invest in the lives of the people I work
with. God Bless, Mana Moana!
Current Community Involvement: Elder, Sunday School Superintendent, Youth Leader/
Mentor and Musician - Westside Presbyterian Church; Board Member - Hamilton Cook
Islands Association: Co-Founder, Secretary - Pasifika By Nature Trust; Secretary - The
Serve Trust; Presbyterian Church of Aotearoa; Street Dance NZ Trust
Papaali’i Seiuli
Johnny Siaosi
Co –chair
Mana Moana Pasefika
AUCKLAND
I am my family. My family are me. Born in
Wanganui, I live in Mangere Auckland and
celebrate love from Atua, my wife Tish, fanau
and friends. I am thankful for a life worth
living. Within faith ministries, I serve as a
keyboardist using music to connect with
people. For 14 years, I have worked with
Takanga A Fohe - Pacific Mental Health and
Addictions Services at Waitemata District
Health Board, providing a systemic advocacy
voice for people needing disability, mental
health and addictions support. I have
represented Samoa in touch rugby at two
world cups and coached junior squash. Stay
connected, everyone!
Mana Moana has been a humbling and life-affirming
experience. Thank you, Leadership NZ. Some reflections on
my 2019 voyage:
Va Tupuna: Learning to love myself so that I can love others.
We are one family, sisters and brothers. We are rough pebbles
in a torrential stream. I learnt that my tears oil me. My tears
keep me alive.
Va Fenua: Kanohete kanohe. It’s all about relationships. Our
ancestors did not intend us to sit in passive respect of systems
that perpetuate inequitable outcomes.
Va Moana: Connecting with the Moana. I need to be still and
let God love me. I am my family. My family are me.
I must take up my ancestral DNA kaitiaki responsibilities as a
Son of the Pacific. Don’t find time, prioritise time. Share with
my great grandchildren the stories that will imbed identity
and love for all things great and small. This is my purpose.
Faafetai Iesu.

LEADERSHIP NZ 2019
23
Raymond
Sagapolutele
Artist and Freelance Photographer
AUCKLAND
I have always been a creative and artist. I am
the son of Samoans that chose Aotearoa as
a place to call home in the 1960s. Through
my art I have been able to analyse my
upbringing and the community that supports
and reconnects me to my heritage. My lived
experiences in Aotearoa have been key to the
evolution of our Pacific diasporic generations
and key to seeing the importance of our
connections to our heritage and those of our
family across the Moana. My focus now is to
support and encourage our next generation
of artists, and the generations that follow.
I’ve recently completed my Master of Visual
Arts and am supported by my incredible wife,
siblings and ancestors, who I carry with me
always.
Skills Offered: Photography; visual arts
I had always considered my role within my own community
as one of service. From the initial retreat, I would come to
learn and understand how leadership and the pathway,
for those that take on leadership roles, add value to our
communities as we expand our toolsets as servant leaders.
With the guidance of our mentors, Sina, Karlo, Manase
and Cecilia, I gained a deeper appreciation of cultural and
heritage perspectives on how leadership functions for our
people of the Moana. Aspects around connections to our
aiga, whenua and the wider contexts of our place in the
world reinforced the narratives I had understood through
my upbringing as a diasporic Samoan. They have also given
me a deeper understanding of the place of our people within
the larger Moana aiga.
Sauileone
Alesana
Te Pou Taki and Chair
Te Piki Oranga Māori Wellness
& Nelson Tasman Pasifika
Community Trust
NELSON
I was born in Vavau on the South of Upolu
of Samoa and grew up in Christchurch. I am
married to Tania and her connections are
to Ngāti Kuia, Rangitane, Ngāti Apa ki te Rā
Tō, Ngāti Raukawa and Taranaki. We have
two children and have fostered eight other
children. I am the chair of The Nelson Tasman
Pasifika Community Trust and work for Te
Piki Oranga Māori Wellness Service as a
Cultural Adviser. I believe Leadership is the
ability to weave people together and to lead
and The Mana Moana Experience will give
me the opportunity to explore my Samoan
side and connect with Pasifika leaders from
Aotearoa.
Skills Offered: Pasifika models of leadership, Pasifika proverbs,
languages, beliefs and ancestral lands
Ole ala ile pule ole tautua – my journey with Mana Moana
has reinvigorated my passion to reach back to my culture
and ancestors to find pathways towards leadership for the
betterment of our people and our community. I have been
challenged to dig deep into my spiritual and physical being
to find answers to why I lead the way I do. Connecting with
whenua and moana and understanding that our vital role
in protecting these treasures for future generations are an
ongoing battle. Conversations had with fellow participants
have added a deeper knowledge to my basket. Thank you
to Sina, Karlo, Manase, Cecilia and Leadership NZ for the
opportunity I have been given to be part of this amazing
voyage.
Current Community Involvement: Chair - Nelson Tasman Pasifika Community Trust;
Chair - Te Tauihu Māori Cultural Council; Member - Nelson Central School Board; Member -
Nelson Marlborough Iwi Health Board; Member - Te Tumu Whakaora Nelson Primary Health
Advisory Board
Shimpal
Lelisi
Actor, Freelance Journalist, Media
Director, Writer
AUCKLAND
Monu Tagaloa! Faka’alofa lahi atu. My name
is Shimpal C. Barnes (Panisi) Lelisi. Ko au
koe tagata Niue. Hau he tau maaga ha Liku,
Makefu, Alofi Tokelau mo Hakupu-Atua. I was
born in Niue in the Lord Liverpool Hospital,
later destroyed by a cyclone. In 1979 we moved
to New Zealand to begin our education, which
was later destroyed by Auckland raising me
as an “entertainer.” My acting journey has
seen me study through Pacific Theatre –then
Pacific Underground (and where The Naked
Samoans was born), to Te Kura Toi Whakaari
o Aotearoa –The New Zealand Drama School,
and Wellington’s Taki Rua Theatre Company
with whom I toured the country and the world.
Skills Offered: Communications, marketing, PR, sales, youth
leadership development
I wasn’t sure how to entertain this opportunity. Born in
Niue, I had always somehow thought it was more about the
WE. In New Zealand, I eventually accepted such thoughts
weren’t for everyone. Leadership was something for sports
teams or corporate high-flyers. As a creative, I’m grateful
to have entered with an open mind. Being exposed to this
space re-awakened in me elements and concepts, some
already familiar, but applied in this leadership context made
perfect sense. The Mana Moana Experience is a journey not
a destination. Historically, we are voyagers, and this is a
voyage that continues today. I was challenged, and I will
continue to challenge myself. I’m grateful for the glimpses of
possibilities. This only pales in comparison to the personal
connections made. I’m reminded of one of the proverbs
“Alone you can go faster but together you can go further. Tau
fakaue lahi mahaki. Monu Tagaloa!
Current Community Involvement: Youth mentor; Storyteller

24 THE MANA MOANA EXPERIENCE
Sione
Taunga
TupuToa Navigator
TupuToa
AUCKLAND
I was born in Tonga, migrated to New
Zealand when I was three years old and it
took 27 years to return to my homeland. In
between, I grew up in West Auckland, went
to University in Dunedin and have worked
in New Zealand and overseas as a manual
labourer, teacher aide, administrator, farm
hand, fitness instructor and art dealer. The
important things I value can be summed up
in ‘F’ words – Faith, Family, Friends and Food.
I feel very blessed and grateful to be working
for TupuToa and walking alongside future
Māori and Pasifika change agents.
Skills Offered: Youth leadership development, mentoring, public
speaking, people development, coaching
I am extremely grateful to the leaders and my Mana Moana
Experience family with whom I have had the privilege to
walk alongside and learn from on this journey. It has heavily
reinforced the importance of meaningful relationships and
connections with others and the power of vulnerability.
Learning more about the connection of the South Pacific
and Aotearoa has been a huge highlight for me. I feel forever
blessed and honoured to have been a part of the second
intake. I am thankful to Leadership NZ for opening up the
opportunity to learn about and explore my ancestral roots.
Ofa lahi atu moe lotu.
Current Community Involvement: Mentor – Project Wy; Youth Mentor – Faith City
Church; Mentor – Storytellers
Titiimaea
Eugene Elisara
Consultant
AUCKLAND
I was born in Dunedin to Samoan parents
who wanted to carve out a new life after
meeting and marrying in New Zealand. I am
the eldest of four and our early pathway was
defined by the potential doors that could be
opened through formal education. I gained a
BA and LLB at the University of Canterbury
and worked in both law and business. I met
my wife at university and we have three
awesome children. The world is changing and
it is important for me to explore new ways of
thinking, decision making and interacting:
technologically, societally and culturally.
Skills Offered: Change management, governance, organisational
development, strategic planning, leadership development
I learned a lot about connection, identity, resilience and the
value of multicultural and truly diverse perspectives. To
experience the journey towards strength from vulnerability
was a worthy lesson all on its own. It was an honour to
be part of The Mana Moana Experience with so many
talented leaders. I witnessed many styles of ‘leadership’ and
how they were all informed by this cultural context and a
servant heart. A big learning for me was to work through
the practical applications of faa’alo’alo and tautua in a
modern environment. We seem to be going through a period
of looking more and more to the end-user for perspective
and insight. Mana Moana is a ready-made environment to
develop a real empathetic heart to do that.
Tuiloma Gayle
Lafaiali’i
Director
Pasifika Education Centre
AUCKLAND
Mālō le soifua ma le lagi e mamā. New Zealand
born, I hail from the villages of Sapunaoa
and Lalomanu (Samoa), Glasgow (Scotland)
and Kilkenny (Ireland). My Samoan matai
title comes from Sapunaoa, from my
grandmother’s aiga. I come from a line of
Faife’au and teachers, and have 25-years’
experience in the New Zealand tertiary
education sector and five years in the health
sector. I have worked across government,
NGOs and private sectors, including teaching
in Japan. My passion is seeing all children
and young people have equitable access to
quality education. My current role allows me
to promote Pasifika languages and cultures
as a way of strengthening identity.
Skills Offered: Organisational review and development, managing
financial risk, strategic planning, people leadership, project
management
I am so thankful my Mana Moana journey shattered
preconceived ideas of a ‘typical’ leadership programme
covering a five-point exposition from a theoretical
perspective. Quite the opposite, the experience has been
an absolute heart, mind and spiritual revelation into the
significance of my language, culture, knowledge and identity
as a Pacific woman. I have learnt these cultural norms are
valuable tools and methods for leadership – one must not
leave these at the door when entering the corporate world.
I am extremely grateful for the opportunity to have taken
time to reflect deeply on my leadership style. I am inspired
and encouraged by experts who generously shared their
holistic and deeply grounded perspectives. Connections to
an incredible network of professionals from a broad range
of corporate and community backgrounds, representing
the many cultures across the Pacific, has been an absolute
blessing.
Current Community Involvement: Deacon /Praise & Worship Leader - Lifespring
Fellowship

LEADERSHIP NZ 2019
25
Valai Seleta
Michie
Border Manager –
Immigration New Zealand
Ministry of Business, Innovation
and Employment
AUCKLAND
Born and raised in Tāmaki Makaurau to a
Samoan Mother (Asau, Ti’avea) and New
Zealand Pākehā Father of Scottish descent. As
the daughter of school teachers, I understood
the importance of leadership by service for
our future generations. I am a graduate of
the University of Auckland and have enjoyed
14 years in the public service. I rediscovered
ancestral legacies when I was bestowed with a
matai title. By connecting with my whakapapa
I deepen my cultural knowledge and forge
new pathways for my three children. I am
supported by my husband David as we both
seek to build a positive legacy by reaffirming
our proud Pasifika identity.
Skills Offered: Fundraising, project management, training,
relationship management, process improvement
At the first retreat I heard my calling to the va’a. I boarded
with intent and purpose. I realised the direction I needed to
steer. Le fogava’a e tasi. I was not alone. I was hopeful for
enlightenment, meaning and belonging. Mana Moana was
all of this and so much more. At every retreat the connections
with my new aiga forged deeper and with the rediscovery
of ancient concepts of leadership, life and being, I have the
courage to be grounded in my whole true authentic self. This
is the greatest gift of all. A life-changing experience, I am
grateful to have voyaged with so many inspirational Pasifika
leaders. I am equipped with the knowledge and strength to
voyage on unchartered waters and navigate the challenges
ahead to influence positive change as a Pasifika woman, in
the workplace and for our communities. I am forever grateful
for Mana Moana.
Zora
Feilo
Funds Coordinator /
Programme Coordinator
Tupumaiaga A Niue Trust /
Auckland Council
AUCKLAND
I was born in Auckland and raised in the inner
city suburbs of Grey Lynn and Ponsonby. My
Niuean parents came to New Zealand with the
first wave of Pacific migrants and I come from
the villages of Alofi /Avatele /Tamakautonga
and feel connected to the motherland through
my ancestors. I have three children and one
grandchild. I am inspired by people who live
their lives with purpose and passion and who
have the courage to speak their truth. I am a
foundation member of a Trust that provides
Niuean cultural arts workshops for Niuean
youth and families. I am employed by Auckland
Council as a Programme Coordinator, and I am
a creative writer and published author of the
Tales of Niue Nukututaha.
Skills Offered: Communications, community engagement,
marketing, youth leadership development, governance
Mana Moana has touched me emotionally, spiritually and
mentally. I have journeyed across the Pacific Ocean with
words, imagery and sounds, bringing me into alignment
with pathways I feel privileged to have journeyed on. The
activities and discussions have meant an exceptional
learning experience and opened up my thinking around
leadership, allowing me to come home to who I am. What
I loved best is the anchoring in ancestral knowledge: our
ancestors are really with us, as we are them and they are
us. Walking and understanding the Polynesian way are
totally pertinent to our journey on this vaka. I have learnt
leadership through service and ways to bring the tools gifted
to us into my community work. Mana Moana has taught me
more than I can ever express, allowing me to see myself, trust
myself and be myself. Fakamonuina mai he Atua. Oue tulou.
Current Community Involvement: Taoga Festival Committee 2019; Niue Language Roots
- Collaboration for Niue Youth 2019; Atuhau Avatele NZ

ALUMNI JOURNEYS
DUANE
STANLEY
THE MANA MOANA EXPERIENCE (ALUMNUS 2018)
Since completing The Mana Moana
Experience in 2018, where have you
journeyed?
Mana Moana introduced me to a group
of wonderful, talented Pacific leaders and
teachers. I was supported on a journey of
re-establishing good health and re-evaluating
my career path. My journey has largely been
introspective. I have been able to celebrate
milestones, achieve personal goals and most
recently, I have made the move from Microsoft
and taken on a new, exciting role with Amazon.
In what ways have you found your ‘voice’ or
shifted your perspective via the Experience?
I build more and I am more selective in the
commitments that I make. The purpose of
my position in a community or organisation is
now focused on fostering inclusion, empathy,
innovation and growth.
What skills acquired through the Experience
have helped you tackle challenges to date?
One of the most valuable skills that Mana
Moana introduced for me was how to simplify
and reframe complexity. Pasifika proverbs
have proven to be an amazing learning tool
helping me to strip out ambiguity and simplify
challenges. For example, the two proverbs below
have provided me with a great starting point in
conflict resolution:
Fofola ee fala kae alea ee kainga (Tongan) –
Rolling out the mat for the family to talk;
Ho’okahi la’au, he mihi (Hawaiian) – The first
medicine is forgiveness.
What skills did Mana Moana offer that
you have used to create value for your
organisation/industry?
In my most recent roles with hugely successful
multi-national organisations, the experience
has supported my message that we must
understand the communities we serve.
Whether this relates to customers, tangata
whenua, local community or even family,
we cannot grow until we have established a
connection and empathy first.
This year’s theme is Daring Leadership.
What does this mean to you?
Daring Leadership in all its forms requires
courage and perseverance to achieve a shared
vision. Whether we focus on the events in
Christchurch, the War in Catatumbo or
restructures in local organisations, daring
leadership is fundamental.
As a business leader, if you had one piece of
advice for future leaders, what would it be?
Learn and serve. You will be challenged and you
will fail. Take these as learning opportunities.
From my 2018 Mana Moana Experience, the
words that have stayed with me are from a
Samoan proverb, O le ala i le pule o le tautua
– The path to leadership is through service. I
share this insight not because I have achieved
any fame and fortune, but simply because this
has helped me to grow.
Duane Stanley is Engagement Manager,
Amazon Web Services

ALUMNI JOURNEYS
NORA
SWANN
THE MANA MOANA EXPERIENCE (ALUMNA 2018)
Since completing The Mana Moana
Experience, where have you journeyed?
My vaka hasn’t stopped since my Mana
Moana Experience, if anything it has sped up!
Highlights have included: Being part of Pacific
Women Leaders, run by the US Embassy to
New Zealand; joining a core group of Māori and
Pacific small business owners to explore how
entrepreneurs could assist Ministry of Social
Development with capacity building; receiving
the Pursuit of Excellence Award by the Otara
Papatoetoe Local Board, allowing me to take
a collection of designs from my Pacific Fusion
Fashion Show to Hawai’i Fashion Week 2018;
starting my modelling agency, The Swann
Modelling Agency. To top it off, I was chosen
by Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade to
represent Pacific fashion as a delegate on the
Melanesia Mission to Solomon Islands and
Vanuatu. Travelling with our Deputy Prime
Minister in the Royal New Zealand Air Force
plane was definitely a highlight!
In what ways have you found your ‘voice’ or
shifted your perspective via the Experience?
I am no longer thinking if this is the right thing
for me to do, but how are my choices going to
impact Pasifika people. It’s challenging when
you’re an entrepreneur because you’re trying to
maintain a sustainable business and at the same
time, you’re thinking about your community, so
you have to find the balance.
What skills acquired through the Experience
have helped you tackle challenges to date?
When you run your own business, all you’re
doing is hustle, hustle, hustle. Mana Moana
taught me to take the time to switch off, reset
and relax. It allowed me to go into retreat mode.
What skills did the Experience offer that
you have used to create value for your
organisation/industry?
A lot of the Mana Moana concepts refer to the
‘collaborative’ and I have found this to be very
useful. I now work with organisations who value
what I offer for communities.
This year’s theme is Daring Leadership.
What does this mean to you?
Going into unknown territory with all your
anxieties and fears and doing it anyway because
the outcome outweighs your current feelings.
It’s fighting for the underdog and challenging
the status quo when you know what is right in
your heart.
As a creative leader, if you had one piece of
advice for future leaders, what would it be?
Use your creativity and natural innovative
thinking to get ahead. Creatives think and act
differently to other leaders and we have the
courage to try new things, when it’s successful
– it’s magic!
Nora Swann is Fashion Stylist, Mentor and
Director - Dressed in Confidence and The
Swann Modelling Agency

‘Ofa atu
‘Ofa mai
Alofa atu
Alofa mai
Aro’a atu
Aro’a mai
Aroha atu
Aroha mai
Aloha mai
Aloha aku
To be in the reciprocal flow of
the giving and receiving of compassion
the giving and receiving of empathy
the giving and receiving of love
to be in the flow of cooperative mutuality
to be in the flow of the fullness of life
to live a life in leadership

Our Sincere Thanks
COMMUNITY PARTNER
SUPPORTING PARTNERS
CREATIVE PARTNER
SCHOLARSHIP PARTNERS
PROGRAMME & EVENT SPEAKERS
We thank all our speakers for their generosity
in giving their time and themselves; they are the
backbone of Leadership NZ. Speakers are listed in
the Programme Overview.
Turou, Turou, Tulou, Tulou,
CALLING ALL
PASIFIKA LEADERS
Take the next brave step in
your leadership journey with
our newest Programme.
Each year, we select a cross-section of
Pasifika talent and voices that represent
the inclusive nature of our nation.
The Mana Moana Experience will assist you to:
►►
►►
►►
Navigate complex and culturally distinctive worlds
with skill and confidence
Engage with and deepen cultural knowledge, strengthen
capabilities and add value by bringing your full self into
your professional lives
Share experiences with other Pasifika leaders and
foster lifelong relationships and networks of support
via peer mentoring
FIND OUT MORE
leadershipnz.co.nz
►►
►►
Access the inspiration of our most influential leaders
by hearing their personal experiences first-hand
Leverage poly-cultural capital to scale up leadership
influence and reap the diversity dividend for a better
New Zealand