After 25 years’ working in public health, Carmen Collie found a new outlet for her skills and passion.

During her years in public health, Collie had carved out a niche for herself in alcohol harm reduction, which she had done at a local, regional and national level.

A move south from Auckland then saw her continue with project management and included leading the development of an alcohol action plan for Christchurch and co-leading a study on tertiary wellbeing in the South Island.

Three years into the role as General Manager at Tangata Atumotu, Collie continues to bring her public health expertise to the organisation.

“We have a really committed board and staff.”

Collie is passionate about Pacific culture, with her own husband and two daughters being Samoan.

“With the support of my aiga Samoa and the wider Pasifika community, I hope I can make a meaningful contribution towards better outcomes for Pasifika here in Canterbury.”

Seiuli brings his vast corporate experience in operational and senior technical roles. Whilst Seiuli started in the banking industry, he says the most rewarding role however was during his time at EQC during his involvement with the development of the settlement process following the 2010-2011 Canterbury earthquakes.

Although he is thankful for the professional growth from his career, his affinity to his culture has always been a constant. “This opportunity is part of my evolution, merging the two worlds of my professional life in mainstream, and my life outside of work as a proud Samoan. I am grateful to TAT for opening this door”.

In his spare time, Seiuli enjoys being surrounded by his family, playing poker and having a round on the karaoke machine.

Claire works as Carmen Collie’s Executive Assistant. Within this role, Claire liaises with Carmen to organise her professional work. This then has a flow on effect of helping other people within Tangata Atumotu.

Prior to working at Tangata Atumotu, Claire worked in early childhood education.

“I enjoy working with this team. It’s a lot of fun and we have a diverse team of people. Everyone’s enthusiasm is contagious! There’s a variety of work in my role and while I like routine, it's also good that there's different challenges coming up and that keeps it fresh and exciting."

Claire enjoys working and learning about health within a diverse setting.

“It's quite diverse, which keeps it exciting! Learning about health in general and coming from an education background, there's a lot of similarities in the health sector. TAT is very people focused. I have already experienced new things. Helping to set up our COVID vaccination clinics, understanding how these work, there is a lot of preparation.”

Claire is originally from Warkworth which is north of Auckland and lived in Auckland for a short time after school. After this she moved to Christchurch where she met her husband and then started a family.

In her spare time Claire enjoys spending time with family and friends. She also loves reading, watching tv and has two sisters who live in Christchurch so I see them quite often.”

“As a family we like to go camping. We've got an old caravan, she's from 1978 and her name is Jenny. We have a dog named Elsie who is an important part of the family. When we can, we all go away in the caravan. We went to Mokihinui just after New Year’s and it was amazing - just so beautiful! We've had the caravan for four years and I think that is the best trip that we’ve had!”

Meet Rosenna!

Rosenna first joined TAT as our Island Wealth coordinator and is now working as our Tamaiti Healthy Homes Team Lead.

In this role, Rosenna will be working alongside Te Puawaitanga ki Ōtatahi Trust to support our community into homes that are warm, safe, dry, and healthy.

“Helping our community is a passion of mine."

"In our Tamaiti Healthy Homes service, we will be helping our Pasifika people achieve positive health outcomes through their environment."

When she's not working, Rosenna enjoys reading a good book and gardening.

Sala was born and raised in Otara, Auckland, which he jokingly believes is the “biggest village of Western Samoa”.

Growing up as a New Zealand-born Samoan, Sala shares that he spent most of his life trying to identify between the two different cultures, as to which he truly belonged. “It wasn’t until my early adult life that I realized I had the best of both worlds”.

Sala has worked in the youth sector for 30+ years, with his work taking him from Auckland to Porirua to now Otautahi. He believes that with the extensive knowledge and experience he has gained over time, it was a great decision to step out from the youth sector and into healthcare, where he believes he can now focus on serving our Pasifika community.

In his spare time Sala enjoys cleaning, watching movies, and resting…in that exact order!

As our Clinical and Health Services Team Lead, Megan brings 30+ years of nursing experience to our leadership team.

Born and raised in Ōtautahi Christchurch, Megan has a love for helping her community. That sense of connection and friendliness that everyone shares is one of her favourite things about working in a Pasifika organisation.

In her spare time, Megan loves to catch up with friends and family.

As our Malu-Kaiāwhina, Sina's role is pivotal in improving the health and wellbeing of Pasifika people at risk of poor health outcomes.

Previously working in early childhood education, Sina says that her time at TAT has been a good change for her.

“While I miss the children, it’s been a good change with a lot of new things to learn and do”, Says Sina.

Christchurch born and bred, Sina is the 6th child out of 10 siblings. She is family orientated and says that working at TAT has provided her with the opportunity to support our Pasifika community and families.

“Some people aren’t as comfortable with reaching out for help, so it’s important to let people know that we are here,” Says Sina.

When she's not working, Sina likes to spend time with family and friends, go out to the movies or for dinner and play volleyball and cards.

Junior joins Tangata Atumotu as one of our Covid Support Workers within our mobile clinics. Alongside this, Junior is part of our Island Community Care team which assists with the delivery of essential care packages to families in isolation who are needing support.

Junior has a background in construction and security.

"TAT encompasses a team environment. There is a real sense of helping others. Being able to physically see the help you are giving, and the appreciation people have, reinforces that you are doing something good for the community,” says Junior.

In his spare time, Junior enjoys spending time with family and friends, playing volleyball or cards, and working on fixing cars.

Josie is one of our Partnership community workers!

In partnership with Pegasus Health, Josie provides cultural support for clients in addressing the wider needs that are impacting their health, assist people in attending their appointments, and connects people with support services.

Josie took the opportunity to work at TAT because of our connection to the community.

"I'm passionate about working with our Pasifika community to empower them to be independent, live happy and healthy lifestyles," says Josie.

When she's not helping our community to flourish, she spends quality time with her family and friends, keeping active by playing tennis, or cooking and baking delicious meals and treats.

In her role as a Pasifika Senior Community Nurse, Lisa does health checks in homes and at events while providing a holistic wrap-around approach.

A strong advocate for clients in the psycho-social context, Lisa is also very involved in our mobile vaccination space.

"I help our community to navigate their way through a very complex health system, providing individuals and aiga with information on topics relating to their health," says Lisa.

Lisa first became part of the TAT mobile nursing team in 2017. When a full-time opportunity at TAT became available, Lisa left her previous part-time position at Te Whatu Ora and jumped at the opportunity.

"The team is exceptional, incredibly caring, and supportive. Someone is always laughing and there is always a positive vibe - The staff at TAT are dynamic and serve our Pasifika community well," says Lisa.

Lisa enjoys being out in the community and is excited to work closely with the Bowel and Cervical Equity Advisory Teams.

When she's not working in the mobile nursing space, you'll find Lisa traveling, watching documentaries, sports and going to anything in the performing arts space.

Meet Maureen!

Maureen is one of our Pasifika community nurses who will be supporting our community through home visits, at our mobile clinics.

Maureen chose to join the team because Tangata Atumotu's values align with hers.

"Navigating the waters together and working to ensure our Pasifika community are healthy, strong, connected and thriving is my passion."

"I'm excited to build up my skills and relationships in the community," says Maureen.

When she's not working, Maureen enjoys bushwalking, cooking, and catching up with friends for coffee.

Meet Lusiana!

As the Administration Assistant for Tangata Atumotu, Lusiana works alongside our Business Support Team Lead, to ensure that the daily office operations run smoothly and efficiently. With TAT’s strong dedication to the health and well-being of our Pacific Community, Lusiana knew this role would work for her.

"I am passionate about serving our Pacific community and know that I can reach out to help through my work."

"I'm looking forward to contributing to the TAT Team, supporting my team members, and aligning with our core values to support and serve our Pacific community," says Lusiana.

In her spare time, you'll find Lusiana singing, helping people, and spending time with her family - "I always love to be with my beautiful children."

Avau first joined TAT as a Partnership Community Worker and now works as an Assessor for our Tamaiti Healthy Homes service.

The role involves creating and nurturing relationships with families who are using our Tamaiti Healthy Homes service.

With an accountancy background and a B-com from the University of Canterbury, Avau has worked in various roles, from office administration, community worker, temp worker, and medical centre receptionist.

She has great experience to pull on to support our community into homes that are warm, safe, dry, and healthy.

Married to Peter Tito, a Samoan Church Minister, Avau is actively involved with the church and spends her days helping her Samoan community.

“I just love helping people”.

Originally from Samoa, Avau came to New Zealand over 20 years ago.

“I know how it feels when you first come here, and you don’t know what to do and maybe feel too shy to ask for help.”

Gafatasi is one of our Tamaiti Healthy Homes Assessors. As a full-time mum with a strong background in support work and admin, supporting people is what Gafa does. She says she learnt it from her family, her biggest motivators.

“My parents are amazing. All their sacrifices, their hard work to give me the best life. This work is me giving back and representing my family – they’re my reason. Especially being a mum. That’s been life-changing.”

Recently joining our team as a house assessor for Tamaiti Healthy Homes, Gafa brings a unique passion and dedication to the team.

“This job is a real cup-filler for me. The best part of it for me is connecting with families and actually making a change – not just sitting in the office. If there’s a door that needs to be fixed, we can fix it, and that’s one less thing for the family to worry about.”

Clarissa is our Business Administrator and Financial Capability Mentor.

Raised in Suva, Fiji before moving to Invercargill, she finds real fulfilment in helping Pacific families achieve their goals; even ones that might not seem possible at first.

She says community and collaboration are the key, quoting a Pacific proverb: 'If you want to go fast, go alone; if you want to go far, go together'.

In her spare time, Clarissa enjoys doing arts and crafts, watching documentaries, and baking.

As a staunch Kiribati woman with family roots to the Island of Nikunua, Keetia proudly supports the Kiribati Federation Aotearoa, a national body that enhances the well-being of Kiribati families in New Zealand.

Keetia also keeps busy by being actively involved in the Tuvaluan Congregational Christian Church as its treasurer.

Her enthusiasm and passion for the Pasifika community demonstrate why she is a champion in her role at TAT as a Covid Navigator connecting with clients.

"Helping my community during their time in isolation with Covid-19 through my work at TAT was special,” says Keetia.

Keetia enjoys the simple things in life, and nothing makes her happier than to serve food in a warm home while surrounded by her family.

Meet Vaili'a!

Vaili'a is one of our Community Health Support Workers.

In this role, Vaili'a helps clients with their health and social service appointments, this might include translating for our Samoan clients and providing transport to GP, hospital, dentist and WINZ appointments.

"I'm passionate about the health of our community and I look forward to helping our matua each day."

"We grow our relationships with the community through our work and the services we provide."

Vaili'a chose the TAT team because of our focus on the health of our community.

"The services we provide help our community to flourish and the relationships we make ensure that we stay connected."

When she's not working, you'll find Vaili'a gardening, cooking delicious meals or spending time with her family.

Bale has a passion for helping others that makes her the perfect fit for her role as a Smokefree Practitioner and Health Promoter. Bale's role includes building referral rates into our Stop Smoking programme and providing support to those who want to quit smoking.

She says her faith and family are her grseatest sources of strength, and that coming from a large family she appreciates the 'vuvale' atmosphere of TAT and her fellow Smokefree Practitioners in Te Waipounamu.

When Bale is not at work she spends time with my family, and if things get overwhelming, she takes time out by retreating a good book!

Also known as Tee, Tiueli is a Healthy Lifestyle Advisor determined to uplift, empower, and motivate our community to live a healthy life.

Drawing from a vast background in Youth Justice, Customer Service, and Residential Care, Tee is well-versed in forming connections with people and providing the support they need.

Tee's motivation is clear – he has an unwavering commitment to creating exceptional outcomes for individuals, by individuals.

Siaosi has joined the TAT Team as one of our Healthy Lifestyle Advisors.

In his role, Siaosi will be working closely with our clients in achieving healthier lifetyles through nutrional advice and tailored physical activity plans.

He says, "I'm very grateful and blessed to be given the opportunity to work in the Pasifika healthcare space, as I am very determined to give back to our community".

Other than being a passionate rugby player, Siaosi enjoys spending time with his family, jamming to music, and catching up on some anime in his spare time.

Aleni is one of our Healthy Lifestyles Advisors, with a background in social services, adventure therapy and whānau support work. She's also spent a lot of time in the aviation industry, having worked as a flight attendant.

Born and raised in Ōtautahi Christchurch, she's now a full-time mama to a beautiful baby girl, while still playing netball and basketball in her spare time!

She's excited to work in a space where she can create more equitable health outcomes for our Pasifika Community.

In her own words: "Being a second-generation NZ-born Samoan, I can see the need for services that are both culturally safe and committed to creating healthier lifestyles for our people."

As Pacific Kaiārahi for Mana Ake, Sina is passionate about equitable supports for Pacific people.

In the Mana Ake space, Sina provides guidance to kaimahi and kaiārahi on serving Pacific students. Beyond Mana Ake, Sina is also involved with Tangata Atumotu, where she explores programmes and resources, aimed at improving mental health, well-being, and educational engagement among Pacific learners and their families.

"It is great to be in a Pacific organization that can understand the needs of my community. It means that we can tailor our approach to make a difference, ensuring support is not only accessible but also culturally relevant and effective.“

In her spare time, Sina enjoys spending time with her family, friends, playing with her dog, Iroh, and collecting board games.

Hezron brings to the team a wealth of experience in working with our tamaiti and rangatahi. Born and raised in Samoa, Hezron truly understands the ties that bind aiga closely together as he migrated to Aotearoa for this very reason. Whilst currently undertaking study at the University of Canterbury, Hezron has worked in kura with akonga from the early childhood system to tertiary level. He is a strong believer in the power of positive thought, “It’s not what you achieve, but what you overcome” is his mantra of being.

Hezron feels a sense of connection with Tangata Atumotu as he also believes that no one should be left behind when it comes to access to assistance. When he’s not working, Hezron enjoys volunteering with our tamaiti at West Rolleston School as well as playing table tennis.

Born and raised in Samoa, Percy has been residing in Ashburton, Canterbury for more than a decade now, alongside her incredibly supportive aiga.

"Being a part of the TAT team resonates deeply with me, echoing one of the fundamental values instilled in me by my grandparents: kindness and respect. These virtues shape how we perceive and interact with others, irrespective of their background or standing."

Percy is very passionate about community service. Whether it's lending a helping hand or spearheading initiatives, she's deeply committed to making a difference in the lives of those around her.

"I firmly believe that this role will empower me to inspire fellow Pacific Islanders to foster positive changes in their lives."

In her free time, you'll often find her cheering on her children at their sport events or cherishing moments of family time.

Born and bred in the Kingdom of Tonga, Fifita moved to Ashburton more than 10 years ago.

Having been a teacher aid and administrator, she's now a Community Pacific Outreach Navigator / Malu-Kaiāwhina connecting people in the Ashburton Pacific community to the services they need.

With strong personal connections to the Islands, Fifita was drawn to working for TAT as she firmly believes in the significance of social services.

In her spare time Fifita enjoys attending church related events as her faith plays a huge role in her life.

Lisa-Maree is our Communications Advisor. Whilst being a full-time mum, Lisa-Maree comes from a background in corporate communications and public relations. Originally raised in Wellington, Lisa-Maree has a passion for helping others and jumped at the opportunity to work at TAT.

"There's a sense of fulfilment knowing that your work actually makes a difference in the lives of our Pasifika people. Who wouldn’t want to wake up every day & do that for a living?"

When she's not working, you'll find her either watching a history documentary, playing netball, or screaming on the side of a rugby field.

Havana moved to Ōtautahi in 2005 for new opportunities with her family. Havana states that the transition came with cultural challenges, but she embraced this change with determination to make a better life for herself.

Havana found her passion in caregiving and pursued nursing at the Ara Insitute while working as a caregiver. Her work ethic and commitment led to her new role at Tangata Atumotu Trust as one of our student nurses, where she will continue to serve the community.

She says that her new role marks a significant milestone in her professional journey, and she is grateful to be a part of an organisation known for it's commitment to community and cultural enrichment. "I am grateful for the support from God and the team at TAT".

Outside of work, Havana enjoys quality family time, attending church and bible study sessions as well as playing volleyball.

Akosita has had the privilege of working in various roles predominantly in customer service, and in the meat industry. These diverse experiences have prepared Akosita with a broad skill set and a deep understanding of different environment for our community members.

“I am profoundly grateful for the opportunity to serve our Pasifika community through an organization that upholds strong core values and ethics. It is both humbling and an honor to work alongside a supportive team that embodies positive Pasifika practices and serves with compassion”.

In her leisure time, Akosita enjoys listening to RnB music, cooking, spending quality time with family and friends, and taking relaxing trips with her fāmili’. These activities provide a perfect balance to her professional life and allow Akosita to stay connected with loved ones.

Raised in a vibrant family of ten in Samoa, Kelematina deeply values family, which drives her commitment to improving health for herself and others. Her dedication to nurturing connections and fostering trust has been crucial to her success, especially during her ten years in the banking industry, where she progressed from teller to manager.

Since moving to Ashburton with her family in 2019, Kelematina proudly embraces her Samoan heritage, sharing it with her daughter to strengthen their cultural roots.

“Being a Stop Smoke Practitioner is a wonderful opportunity that I wholeheartedly embrace. I am eager to work alongside those seeking support on their journey. By understanding, accepting, and valuing one another, we can create fair access and opportunities for our community, helping each person become their healthiest and most authentic self.”

Outside of work, Kelematina is actively involved in the Congregational Christian Church of Samoa, dedicating her weekends to church activities and community service.