About Taranaki Vaimoana Pasifika

Itamua Muaiaoomalo MATAIVA ROBERTSON ONZM is the founder and current Chairperson of the Taranaki Vaimoana Pasifika Charitable Trust. She brings a deep commitment to advancing Pasifika success across all areas of society, reflecting her long-standing international advocacy for human rights and dignity for all.

Mataiva is an active leader within the Methodist Church’s women’s movement, contributing at both national and international levels, and she also serves as a Justice of the Peace.

She holds the matai titles Itamua from her mother’s family in Lelepa, Savai‘i, and Muaiaoomalo from her father’s family in Lalomauga, Upolu, Samoa.

Vaviola is originally from the tikina of Saivou Yasana ko Ra, Fiji. She moved to New Plymouth, New Zealand in 2006 and currently works in a health care role for the Taranaki District Health Board. Vaviola is married to Saki and they have five children. Vaviola has a passion for helping the Pasifika community, particularly the youth. She is also the current secretary for the Taranaki Fijian Community.  

Maualaivao Polaiu’amea JACK KIRIFI originally hails from the village of Iva in Savaii, Samoa. He carries the high chief title of Maualaivao from the village of Malie. He is married to Donna and has five children Kimaea Eseta, Larisa Avei, Du’Plessis Ariu, Polaiu’amea Alegi and Isaiah Maeaeafe and has been living in Taranaki for some 24 years. Jack has a passion for rugby and community and plays a key role in helping mentor young Pasifika rugby players to realise their full potential both on and off the field.  After 16 years working for the Taranaki Rugby Union Jack has recently taken up a new role as Director of Rugby and Pasifika Lead at New Plymouth Boys High School.

Rev SOLO JACK STARK is the Senior Pastor of the City of Refuge church in New Plymouth, having moved from Fiji to New Zealand with his wife Adiwati in 2014.  Back in Fiji Pastor Solo worked as a geologist for a mining company before responding to the call to enter the Lord’s ministry in 2005. Since then he has undertaken formal theological training and served in ordained ministry within the Fijian AOG church before moving to New Zealand. Pastor Solo is a proud father of four sons (Jack, David, Patrick and Nathan) and three grandchildren. Pastor Solo has a compassion for people and knows his calling extends beyond the pulpit, out to the community at large.  

Namulau’ulu Taotua Leaoa JOSHUA ROBERTSON was born and raised in Auckland before moving to New Plymouth in 2002. Since moving to New Plymouth, Joshua has worked in the transportation infrastructure sector for the New Plymouth District Council and more recently for engineering consultancies. Joshua has received matai tiles from his mother’s villages of Fogapoa (Namulau’ulu) and Salelologa (Taotua) as well as his father’s village of Satupaitea (Leaoa), all of which are in Savaii, Samoa.

Fa’amoetauloa Paepaefoa SINIVA ISAIA was born and raised in Auckland before moving to New Plymouth in 2003. Siniva has been bestowed matai titles from her mother’s family in Lelepa, Savaii (Fa’amoetauloa) and her father’s family in Lalomauga, Upolu (Paepaefoa). Siniva has two sons and currently works as a learning assistant at a local primary school in New Plymouth. Siniva has been instrumental in the establishment of Pasifika cultural groups at several schools within New Plymouth and regularly shares her siva / dancing skills with such groups. Siniva has a heart for community, having also spent many years working for the Taranaki Multi Ethnic Council.  It is Siniva’s goal to empower Pasifika communities to get engage with our communities here in Taranaki, Aotearoa but yet to still remember and value their own roots.

Talofa lava, mālō e lelei,  o lo’u igoa o Theresa Upulasi Tongi mai Moata’a, Vaie’e, Alamagoto ma Vailima, Samoa. I am married to Heneli Petuliki Tongi o Leimatu’a, Holonga mo Ofu, Va’vau Tonga. Together we have four children, Victorhea, Heneli, Ofila Si’i and Viola.

I have a background in secondary school teaching as well as 12 years service in the NZ Police before resigning in 2014 to care for our children. I am currently the Hoe Whanake Hōtaka – Te Moana-Nui-a-Kiwa -Pacific Public Programmes Coordinator at the Govett Brewster Art Gallery/Len Lye Centre. This role allows me the privilege to work closely with our Tangata o le Moana here in Ngāmotu which helps to provide opportunities for our communities to celebrate the Creative arts in ways that are relevant and bring value to them. I am graduate of Elam Fine Arts, Auckland University and brings more than a decade’s experience of community engagement within the arts, education and disability sector in Aotearoa.

I was born and raised on the North Shore in Auckland and have proudly called Hāwera home since 2020, where I live with my husband, Apineru, and our children. I am of Samoan (Patamea, Savai’i) and Tongan (Talafo’ou, Tongatapu) descent, and my journey has always been guided by a deep passion for people and community. I work for the South Taranaki District Council as a Project Lead and Community Development Advisor, overseeing projects that span from Hāwera to Waitōtara. My role focuses on strengthening community connections, supporting local initiatives, and creating spaces where people feel valued, heard, and empowered.

My background in education and libraries has given me a strong foundation in connecting people to knowledge, resources, and opportunity. Building on this, my studies in business and leadership have helped me bring a more strategic, collaborative approach to community development bridging vision with action across South Taranaki. I am also part of the South Taranaki Pasifika Online Network, which supports Pasifika and cultural initiatives throughout the district. I enjoy being involved in local events and serve on the Hāwera Volleyball Club Committee, where I continue to contribute to the vibrant and caring community I am proud to call home.