Our People
Reverend Ifalame Teisi
Minister of Waste, Spiritual Leader & Gardener
Reverend Ifalame is of Tongan, Samoan, Fijian, Niuean and Uvean descent. Born and raised in the Kingdom of Tonga he came to Aotearoa in the 1970’s to complete his plumbing and gasfitting trade certificate. By the mid 80’s he was ordained as a Minister and later began his Ministry with the Free Church of Tonga as the Minister for Youth, Family Social Services under Taulanga U. He wears many hats - as a spiritual leader, cultural and indigenous advisor, family therapist and counsellor, social worker, and a social environment support worker.
Christine Nurminen
Board Member
Christine Nurminen is a Pacific Women’s Advocate with Tongan heritage. She is a Director of Manava Partners Ltd, a consultancy that she and her sister co-founded to create great spaces for Pacific women and girls to lead and grow. Christine has centred her career on making a difference with Pacific communities which started following her postgraduate studies in Education. In the last 10 years, she has held governance and executive roles for different Pacific charities and she has also worked on international development and climate projects across the Pacific region. Christine enjoys time with her young family, and is an advocate for social justice. She is a member of the NZ Institute of Directors and she aspires to one day start her doctoral studies.
Sam Tu’itahi
Board Member
Sam was born in Aotearoa and is of Tongan heritage. Sam joined PVA in 2020. Through a combination of growing up in Auckland’s north, and strong family influence of cultivating food, Sam has enjoyed the privilege of time and space to develop a deep appreciation and wonder for the natural world. After working in education and community development spaces, Sam’s interests led him back to restoration projects in Auckland’s north with the Kaipātiki Project. As life-long learner, Sam continues to explore indigenous science and has interests deepening his understanding of these bodies of rich knowledge.
Lotonui Naisali
Board Member
Lotonui was born in Tuvalu and is proudly of Tuvalu and Tokelau heritage, and has called Auckland home for the past 27 years. Guided by the lived experiences of her whānau and communities facing the impacts of climate change, she is deeply committed to climate resilience and climate justice for Pacific peoples. She believes in the power of community-led solutions that honour Pacific knowledge while contributing to wider regional and global climate action. With a background in Strategy, Partnerships and Engagement, Lotonui aims to support Pacific Vision Aotearoa in strengthening partnerships, uplifting Pacific voices, and advancing collective action toward a thriving and sustainable future for our communities.
Therese Mangos
Environmental Navigator
Therese was born in Aotearoa NZ, and umbilically connected to the islands of Rarotonga, Mangaia, Ma’uke, England, Ireland and Greece. She is also a founding Director of PVA. She is passionate about working within her community and across the Moana to rekindle resilience. She is on a journey of deepening her indigenous knowledge in order to best ignite, support and sustain behaviour change within our Pacific communities. Her current work is founded on two decades working in the NZ film industry, publishing a book, and voyaging the ‘big blue’ ocean to her homeland Rarotonga.
Kathleen Ng Shiu
People Weaver, Caring for Creation Facilitator
Kathleen is of Māori American descent, joining PVA in 2001. She is a Mother, a wife, keen gardener, weaver of harakeke and people. Kathleen delivers workshops that inform, challenges and motivates change to our cultural and everyday norms. She is passionate about empowering the community and emanates the essence of true compassion for those most in need. Kathleen has great knowledge in the area of permaculture and building community sufficiency.
Sera Schwalger
Caring for Creation Facilitator
Sera spent her early childhood with her grandparents in Lufilufi Samoa, coming to Aotearoa NZ at the age of eight. She has lived overseas and travelled extensively, through Europe, Africa and parts of Asia. She has a passion for the environment and living well without it costing the earth (literally). She loves to grow food, cook food and look after the fonua, caring for creation by recycling, re-using and repurposing. She has an events background and also runs her own clothing recycling business, selling at Auckland Markets.
Ana Ung
KaiWaka, Admin & Social Media Cultivator
Ana has roots split between the Kingdom of Tonga and humble Cambodia. Born in Aotearoa, she believes that we are all inextricably connected to te taiao; we are nature; we each have a purpose. And lives by: no matter what you know, there is always something new to learn. She is a lover of all things creation and has an undeniable passion for the millions of plant species which Papatūānuku provides in abundance when treated with care. Ana’s focus is on doing her part to support and regenerate the natural circle of life, being mindful and resourceful as our ancestors were, and uplifting the others to do the same.
Jessica Tyson Kaihautū Atutahi
Jessica was proudly born and raised in Whanganui and is of Te Atihaunui-a-Pāpārangi descent. She moved to Tāmaki to study at AUT University, where she also began her te reo Māori journey. She brings more than a decade of experience across Māori media, journalism, communications and community advocacy, with a strong focus on building meaningful connections and creating positive social impact. In her career, Jess has been passionate about amplifying Indigenous voices, celebrating culture and connecting people with the issues that matter to their communities, especially te taiao. She is also the founder of Brave Charitable Trust, a sexual harm prevention charity supporting rangatahi to develop safe and healthy relationships.
Lourdes Parehuia
Manava for Climate Action Project Lead
Lourdes hails from Nuhaka on Aotearoa’s east coast, the Cook Islands, and Samoa. She has been involved in activism for pretty much her whole life. In recent years she has worked in climate action locally, internationally, as well as time in politics, running as a Green Party candidate in 2020 for Manurewa. More recently, her focus has been on research and community outreach while studying a Bachelor of Arts in Māori and Pacific Studies in Tāmaki Makaurau. She tries to bring kōrero about Te Tiriti justice into all the spaces she is in.
Tuilaepa Leauanae Zeprina Fale
Community Connector
Zeprina is of Samoan descent and brings extensive experience in Pacific community engagement, research, programme evaluation, and leadership development across Aotearoa and the Pacific. As Director of Bluespur Consulting Ltd, she has worked alongside local government, churches, community organisations, and Pacific communities to strengthen relationships and support community-led solutions. Through her role as Community Connector with Pacific Vision Aotearoa, she focuses on connecting faith communities, strengthening partnerships, and supporting initiatives that promote resilience, wellbeing, food security, and environmental stewardship.
Destiny Harris
KaiWaka Kaimahi & Community Engager
Kia ora koutou, ko Destiny Harris tōku ingoa. He uri ahau nō Ngāpuhi, me Ngāti Tūwharetoa, Waikato hoki. Engari, Te Tonga o Tāmaki-Makaurau ahau. A rangatahi Māori brought up in both the taiao & city, she carries a deep love for the regeneration of 'community'. Community to her is not just the people, but everything that inhabits the world. Destiny holds a wealth of knowledge in waste regeneration, workshop facilitating, community building and climate & youth justice. Being involved in climate action on the local level to the international stage. But she believes there is always more to learn! 'Our tūpuna were curious learners and I hope to continue that value.'