Pasifika honoured in New Years Honours 2025
A dozen of the Pacific's finest have been recognised in the latest New Year Honours List.
IMAGE CREDITS - Iosefo Joseph Fa'afiu (PMN), Anne Fitisemanu (TupuToa), Debra Sorensen (PMA), Tania Pouwhare (LinkedIn), Shelley Katae (TSI), Moeapulu Frances Tagaloa (LeVa), Teremoana Terepai (PMN), Vaine Elia (PMN/Appi Jack), Rouruina Emil’e-Brown (CIDANZ), Hans Allen Key (MPP), Pastor Peter Leilua and his wife, Pastor Ausiaalemanaia Tililiilagi Leilua (Leilua family)
Among those honoured was Iosefo Joseph Fa'afiu for his work with youth and in the field of mental health.
Fa'afiu was acknowledged for helping break down the stigma surrounding suicide and mental health.
In 2015 he founded the HopeWalk Suicide Prevention Movement, and, to date, around 100,000 people have taken part in HopeWalk events worldwide. He has also served on the Pacific Advisory Unit for New Zealand Police, published two books on anti-bullying, and, since 2021, has been a member of a governance group whose aim is to reduce substance use rates among young people in Papakura.
He told PMN that youngsters should "keep challenging the status quo".
"Find the space in our community, find the gaps in our community and fill it with all your heart."
There was a family feel to the awards too, with husband-and-wife team Peter and Tili Leilua being honoured for their work in the community, particularly with youth and Pacific peoples.
Peter was a co-founder of the Global Hope Missions Trust in 2010, an organisation providing courthouse advocacy, academic mentoring and youth support groups.
As well as her work with Global Hope Missions, Tili established the Women's Cafe Corner in the Wesley Community Centre, a weekly drop-in for women in the community to connect and seek support.
Speaking to Radio New Zealand the pair had some advice for people in the community.
They said if you are passionate about a project then don't hesitate, do it. Be bold and courageous, you never know, or see the impact, until you step out.
There were three awards given out to people involved significantly in the Cook Island community.
Among them was the president of Cook Islands cultural group, Te Pua Inana, Vaine Puapil Elia, who has filled the presidential role for more than a decade.
In that time, she co-ordinated a multitude of events including Cook Island Language Week, International Day of the Older Person, arts and crafts exhibitions and has still found time to volunteer at the Cook Islands Consulate in Auckland for the best part of 20 years, providing cultural support for many events hosted by the Consulate, and, at the age of 89, shows no sign of slowing down.
All being honoured reflect the diversity in expertise and communities which Pacific people continue to make strong contributions reflecting the diversity of our communities and the face of Aotearoa’s future.
NEW YEARS HONOURS LIST 2025 - PACIFIC PEOPLE HONOURED
Citations for Officers of the New Zealand Order of Merit
SORENSEN, Mrs Debra Mary Delores - For services to Pacific health
Mrs Debra Sorensen is a trained psychiatric nurse who has been a strong voice for Pacific people in the health sector.
Mrs Sorensen has been CEO since 2008 of Pasifika Medical Association Group (PMA), overseeing its growth into a large and effective provider of health services for Pacific people in New Zealand. She has organised fundraising initiatives to fund scholarships for young Pasifika people wanting to study a health programme. She has overseen ongoing support for humanitarian Pacific disaster relief work, including coordinating support for the 2019 measles outbreak in Samoa. She has been CEO of Pasifika Futures, the Whānau Ora Commissioning Agency, since 2014, and the CEO of Moana Pasifika Super Rugby Franchise. She has been an advisor to several Pacific Health Ministers and chairs the Pacific Expert Advisory Committee to the Minister of Health. She chaired the National Pacific District Health Board Committee and has supported Tongan delegations over 15 years to the World Health Assemblies in Geneva. She helped establish a company to deliver the MFAT programme ‘The New Zealand Medical Treatment Scheme’, delivered in Fiji, Kiribati, Samoa, Tonga, Vanuatu and Tuvalu for 15 years. Mrs Sorensen was inaugural Chair of ‘Make A Wish’ Pacific and was a Trustee of the Fred Hollows Foundation and the Consortium of Tongan Organisations in New Zealand.
Citations for Members of the New Zealand Order of Merit
FA'AFIU, Mr Iosefo (Iosefo Joseph Fa'afiu) - For services to mental health, youth and the Pacific community
Mr Iosefo Joseph Fa’afiu founded the HopeWalk Suicide Prevention Movement in 2015, which has inspired people in New Zealand, Australia, and Canada to participate in walking events to break down the stigma surrounding suicide and mental health and help raise awareness.
Across eight years approximately 100,000 people participated in HopeWalk events worldwide. Mr Fa’afiu was the Project Lead for Link4life Health Equity Campaign for Suicide Prevention. He served as a member of the Pacific Advisory Unit for New Zealand Police in South Auckland and on the Counties Manukau Pacific Advisory Board. He published two children’s books on anti-bullying and identity, and the book ‘Little Poppy’ (2017), addressing the issue of ‘tall poppy syndrome’ in New Zealand society. He has been a founder of the Youth Leadership Programmes ‘Inspire’, a leadership workshop for high school leaders, and the Storytellers Public Speaking Programme. He was formerly Co-Chair of Connecting Papakura social service network and is currently Chair of Gateway Community Trust. He was a volunteer Team Xtreme Life Skills Youth Educator from 1999 to 2001, helping to educate 11- to 14-year-olds on how to deal with bullying, peer pressure and other life skills. Mr Fa’afiu has been a member of Planet Youth’s governance group since 2021, a prevention model to reduce substance use rates amongst young people in Papakura.
FITISEMANU, Mrs Anne Maria - For services to business
Mrs Anne Fitisemanu was the Chief Executive of TupuToa between 2017 and 2024, an organisation supporting the growth and development of Māori and Pacific business leaders by connecting graduates to corporate organisations.
Under Mrs Fitisemanu’s leadership TupuToa experienced growth in the number of interns, partners and innovative programmes, growing beyond the Auckland region and creating international opportunities for graduates. Since establishment TupuToa has seen more than 1,000 Māori and Pacific graduates secure roles within the public and private sectors, and now provides between 200 and 350 opportunities for Māori and Pacific graduates annually. She has been a Board member of several organisations, including the Pacific Corporation Foundation, Plunket – Whānau Awhina, the Problem Gambling Foundation and the National Deaf and Hard of Hearing Foundation. She became Chief Executive for Make A Wish Aotearoa in 2024. She served as the President of the Auckland branch of PACIFICA and is the Chair of the Pacific Corporation Foundation. Mrs Fitisemanu has been an invited speaker at international business conferences across the United States of America and Australia.
KATAE, Ms Shelley Aroha - For services to Māori and Pacific communities
Ms Shelley Katae (Te Rarawa, Ngāti Porou) has been the Chief Executive of Tāmaki Regeneration Company (TRC) since 2021.
Established in 2012, TRC is dedicated to providing healthy homes, employment and upgrading the Glen Innes, Panmure, Point England and East Auckland, streets, parks and town centres. Ms Katae has held several roles with the organisation including General Manager of Strategy and Performance between 2015 and 2021. She helped establish the Own It programme with TRC to allow Māori and Pacific families to own their homes and there are more than 20,000 Māori and Pacific families living in Tāmaki, with TRC’s aim to build 10,500 more new houses in shared ownership. TRC also offers a Job and Skills Hub which has helped more than 1,600 Tāmaki residents into employment over the course of a decade and has helped residents with resumes and skills to be prepared for employment processes. She is a member of the National Hauora Coalition Board and serves as the Chair of its Finance, Audit and Risk Committee. Ms Katae was previously a member of the Major Capital Works Advisory Committee for the former Counties Manukau District Health Board, and is a member of the Taupō Moana Holdings Limited Board and Aktive Auckland Sport and Recreation Board.
POUWHARE, Ms Tania Mateohorere-Carole - For services to Māori and Pacific communities, and the environment
Ms Tania Pouwhare (Ngāi Tūhoe) has been contributing to Auckland Council’s The Southern Initiative (TSI) since establishment in 2015.
Ms Pouwhare served as a Social Intrapreneur of TSI between 2015 and 2020 before becoming the General Manager where she co-founded Amotai, an organisation that works with government, iwi and corporate sectors to provide procurement opportunities for Māori and Pacific businesses. In her role of Social Intrapreneur she led TSI’s work on employment, skills and procurement across Māori and Pacific entrepreneurship and labour market policies and ran test solutions for big systems-change challenges. She has worked with Auckland City Council on their Sustainable Procurement Strategy, resulting in the inclusion of a social procurement criteria in the tendering processes, which has enabled Māori and Pacific businesses securing Council contracts and local people securing employment. This has enabled businesses such as TROW Group to win several significant contracts, providing employment opportunities for local Pacific people while providing environmentally friendly services, including diverting tonnes of waste from the landfill and salvaging products to be given new life within the community. She was instrumental in the establishment of Randwick Park Residents Group’s Stepping Stones programme which maintains parks in Randwick, and provides experience for people into employment, in collaboration with Downer. Ms Pouwhare is Co-Chair of the Māori Economic Development Advisory Board.
Companion of the King’s Service Order
TAGALOA, Moeapulu Frances Eileen (Frances) - For services to survivors of abuse in care
Moeapulu Frances Tagaloa has advocated for redress for survivors of abuse in the Catholic Church and other faith settings.
Ms Tagaloa has been a Board member of Te Roopū Toiora Trust, a national collective of survivors of abuse in state care and in faith-based institutions, raising awareness on the impact of their experiences on themselves, their families and communities. She is a Chief of Staff for Campus Crusade for Christ and alongside her husband, helped start Athletes in Action in New Zealand, a sports Ministry of Campus Crusade for Christ and Tandem Ministries. She has been a member of the ‘Survivor Advisory Group of Experts’ (SAGE) for the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Historical Abuse in State Care and in the Care of Faith-based Institutions since 2019. SAGE has helped provide the inquiry with guidance and support to engage with survivors and their representative organisations on their experiences in state and faith-based care. As a member of the Crown Response Unit’s Redress Design Group, she has helped develop a survivor-led design for a proposed new redress system following the report. As co-chair of the Survivor Experiences Service Board, which was established from an inquiry recommendation, Ms Tagaloa has helped provide support and a confidential space for survivors of abuse and their families to share their experiences.
Citations for the King's Service Medal
ELIA, Miss Vaine Puapii
- For services to the Cook Islands community
Vaine Puapii Elia has been President of the Cook Islands cultural group, Te Pua Inano, since 2013.
Elia has coordinated hosting of events for Cook Islands Language Week, celebrations of International Women’s Day, the International Day of Older Persons, and annual end-of-year arts and crafts exhibitions. As President of Te Pua Inano, she has volunteered at the Cook Islands Consulate in Auckland since the mid-2000s, providing cultural support for numerous events hosted by the Consulate. She led the contribution of 150 sarongs to the Cook Islands Students Association in 2018 and translated five papers into the Cook Islands language on 'A Strategy for Academic Advancement of Pacific People at Massey University’ in 2005. She has volunteered with Otara Citizens Advice Bureau since 2011, particularly as a housing/tenancy specialist advocate, continuing to do so at age 89. She has been involved with Otara Seniors Support Group for 11 years. She has been involved in the Seventh Day Adventist Church in Otara since 2008, volunteering with the Sabbath School and Women’s Ministry. Miss Elia has been recognised in the Cook Islands community as Mama Rangatira (Elder Woman of High Rank) and Vaine Rangatira (Woman of High Rank) for Arts and Craft in 2018 and 2019 respectively, presented by the Cook Islands Consul General.
EMILE-BROWN, Ms Rouruina - For services to the Cook Islands community
Ms Rouruina Emile-Brown is a leader in Auckland’s Cook Islands community.
Ms Emile-Brown was appointed Chief Executive of the Cook Islands Development Agency New Zealand (CIDANZ) in 2015 and led the organisation through the COVID-19 pandemic. In partnership with the Ministry for Social Development and community partners, she organised to provide care packages, food and critical supplies to South Auckland families during the lockdown. She mobilised teams to engage with communities and provide support during the 2023 adverse weather events. She led CIDANZ’s involvement in the establishment of the Ta’i Tamaiti Turanga Rangatira ECE, a total immersion Cook Islands early learning centre in Mangere. She is a key member of the Auckland Social Sector Pacific Collective, providing professional support and guidance to community organisation CEOs and government organisations seeking Pacific community interaction. She has assisted with a variety of Vaine Tini (women’s) initiatives in Auckland and sponsored Te Maeva Nui New Zealand, an annual celebration bringing together 10,000 Cook Islanders living in New Zealand to celebrate their culture through dance, cuisine and live music. Ms Emile-Brown also assists families to build their confidence to go into business, generate their own incomes and achieve their aspirations.
KEY, Mr Hans Allen - For services to health and safety and Pacific communities
Mr Hans Key helped established Puataunofo Come Home Safely, a Pacific initiative beginning in 2006 to raise awareness of health and safety for Pacific workers in the manufacturing sector, which has now been extended to high-risk industries and Asian and migrant workers.
Mr Key was a Department of Labour OSH Inspector from 2002, becoming a WorkSafe Health and Safety Inspector in 2013. He has been key in driving growth of the Puatuanofo programme, building relationships across government, employers, NGO and community partners. The Puataunofo programme was formerly adopted by WorkSafe in 2018 and has since expanded. He was appointed National Advisor Pacific Responsiveness for WorkSafe and has since individually or jointly delivered more than 300 Puatuanofo workshops for more than 5,000 workers and community members. He has delivered more than 100 health and safety workshops to Pacific communities, including at churches, schools and other community groups. He has delivered literacy and numeracy programmes outside of work hours. Mr Key incorporates Pacific values and principles to communicate content in a culturally appropriate way, encouraging understanding and a more positive attitude towards health and safety, and has utilised Samoan and Tongan language where possible. Puatuanofo was recognised at the 2009 New Zealand Workplace Health and Safety Awards and won the ACC Best Leadership of an Industry Sector Award in 2012.
LEILUA, Mr Peter Fala Aperila - For services to the community, particularly youth and Pacific peoples
Mr Peter Leilua has contributed in the Auckland region on both a professional and voluntary basis as a youth and social worker, receiving several local community volunteer awards.
Mr Leilua has had extensive youth group involvement, mentoring, and organising camps, after school programmes, and sports teams. He was co-founder of Global Hope Missions Trust in 2010, which provides a range of services including courthouse advocacy, academic mentoring, youth support groups and programmes. This includes a Pacific Young Leaders programme, through which Pacific students organise events in Mt Roskill schools, and the Activate Programme, using Pacific values as the basis for intervention for at-risk students. He has been Pasifika Liaison for several Mt Roskill schools since 2016. He helped organise Pou Pasifika, a partnership between Village Collective and Ara Taiohi in an initiative to champion Pasifika youth workers in the Auckland region. In response to the Auckland Anniversary floods and Cyclone Gabrielle in early 2023, he co-founded the ARK (Act of Roskill Kindness) Trust and emergency hub, through which he led teams to organise food parcels, emergency accommodation, bedding and whiteware donations, social, financial and medical support. He has been a committee member with Puketāpapa Rugby Club. Mr Leilua set up the Global Lions rugby team for youth and organised a match and cultural exchange in Malaysia.
LEILUA, Mrs Tiliilagi (Tili) - For services to the community, particularly youth and Pacific peoples
Mrs Tili Leilua is a youth development and whānau support worker for Global Hope Missions, a community development organisation she co-founded in 2010.
Global Hope Missions Trust provides a range of services including courthouse advocacy, academic mentoring, youth support groups and programmes. This includes a Pacific Young Leaders programme, through which Pacific students organise events in Mt Roskill schools, and the Activate Programme, using Pacific values as the basis for intervention for at-risk students. Mrs Leilua established the Women’s Café Corner in the Wesley Community Centre, a weekly drop-in for women in the community to connect and seek support. She has been active with other community projects such as the Collective Food Hub and Bike Kitchen, a Puketāpapa community bike programme. She works with Roskill Development advocating for housing security, with social enterprise Akina Foundation, and co-leads Puketāpapa Youth Collective. In response to the Auckland Anniversary floods and Cyclone Gabrielle in early 2023, she so-founded ARK (Act of Roskill Kindness) Trust and emergency hub, which organised food parcels, emergency accommodation, bedding and whiteware donations, social, financial and medical support. She helped organise Pou Pasifika, a partnership between Village Collective and Ara Taiohi in an initiative to champion Pasifika youth workers in the Auckland region. Mrs Leilua is currently on the Wesley Primary School Board of Trustees.
TEREPAI, Miss Teremoana - For services to the Pacific community and seniors
Teremoana Terepai has volunteered in the Tāmaki community and supported her Cook Islands community in Auckland.
Terepai became a certified Community Coach in 2011 and runs low-impact exercise classes in public spaces. She has been instrumental in building the participants base of the Te Oro Golden Seniors Group and has promoted their traditional dance programme for seniors. She is involved with the Cook Islands Elderly Support Group, running exercise classes for seniors. Her contributions to the Cook Islands community between 2008 and 2019 were recognised with a service certificate from Vaka Tautua. She was involved with the Mad Ave Community Trust from 2014 to 2019, is a volunteer for Tāmaki Community Patrols, and a member of the PACIFICA Tāmaki Branch. She is a member of the Koru Group, a regular drop-in support group for women living and working in Tāmaki. She helped establish HEART (Healthy Relationships in Tāmaki), a community-led movement of change aiming to reduce family violence, facilitating community conversations and growing supportive relationships in homes, neighbourhoods and communities. She has helped promote health campaigns in her community, including personally transporting people to alcohol and drug education workshops. Miss Terepai has promoted the Money Mates financial capability sessions hosted by Tāmaki Budgeting.
PASEFIKA PROUD congratulates all Pasfika leaders and achievers and we celebrate as you hold this space as Pacific people recognised by the Crown.
Key Pasefika Proud change strategies = Capability Development with Pacific leaders, influencers, practitioners, providers and services + Mobilising Pacific Communities through leadership, engagement/education, community collaboration, messages, resources, tools, support, research, evaluation and expertise.