Pacific Expert Advisory Group

Tevita Funaki has served as Chief Executive Officer of The Fono Trust since 2010. He contributes extensively to Pacific health and community development through a range of governance and advisory appointments including serving as Chair of ProCare’s Health PHO Limited, the Ministry of Social Development Pacific Reference Group, and Oceania Career Academy.

Tevita is also a Director of ProCare Network Limited, and a member of the Police Commissioner National Pacific Forum, Waitematā District Commander Pacific Advisory Group and University of Auckland Te Poutoko Ira a Kiwa – Centre for Pacific and Global Health Council. In recognition of his distinguished service and leadership in advancing Pacific health outcomes, Mr Funaki was appointed a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit (MNZM) in the 2024 New Year Honours.

Dr Henry is of Cook Islands Māori (Rarotonga, Atiu) and Pākehā heritage. She is currently a lecturer at the School of Nursing and a post-doctoral research fellow at Auckland University of Technology.

As a registered nurse and researcher, Dr Henry specialises in palliative care, health equity, and culturally responsive healthcare for Pacific communities. Her work integrates Pacific research methodologies with evidence-based practice to address disparities in care.

Dr Tafuna’i was born and raised in Samoa and has both Samoan and Fijian heritage. She is an experienced General Practitioner who has also worked as a Senior Clinical Advisor (Pasifika) at WellSouth Primary Health Network, as well as the Associate Dean Pacific at the Faculty of Medicine - University of Otago (Dunedin).

Dr Tafuna’i has had various clinical roles in New Zealand, Samoa and Australia including having a research and professional speciality in Immunisation such as Covid-19 vaccine, and improving Type 2 diabetes outcomes. She is a board member of Etu Pasifika Canterbury amongst other professional distinctions and memberships.

Nurse Practitioner (NP) Tu’akalau is the first Pasifika NP in Wellington. She has presented at regional and international conferences including the International Council of Nurses (ICN)/ Advanced Practice Nurse (APN)/NP in Ireland, ICN congress in Helsinki and the Tonga Nurses Conference.

NP Tu’akalau also serves as a Director on the Pasifika Medical Association (PMA) Membership Board and was the inaugural recipient of the PMA’s Pacific nursing scholarship. She is dually registered as both a paediatric and adult NP, a certified technical advisor, a global nurse consultant and had led the development of long COVID-19 guidelines for Fiji. NP Tu’akalau has been deployed to Pacific countries as part of the PMA Medical Assistance Team missions.  

Akarere Henry is Cook Islands Māori. She is a respected Pacific community leader with many years of experience across the health and social sectors, focussing on rural communities.

She is currently the Chief Executive Officer for South Waikato Pacific Islands Community Service and is involved in other governance roles related to health, wellbeing and emergency preparedness.

Akarere’s extensive experience in community leadership and governance supports her advocacy work in equitable access, workforce capability, and collaboration between Pacific providers and mainstream systems to meet the unique needs of Pacific peoples in rural and smaller communities.

Dr Alefosio-Pei is of Samoan heritage. He is a young Pacific medical professional from Porirua, Wellington. He is currently a junior doctor at Health New Zealand Capital Coast and Hutt Valley and Wairarapa.