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.
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 201. 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
Cultivator & Gardener
Ana has roots split between the Kingdom of Tonga and humble Cambodia. Born in Aotearoa, Ana is a keen learner who believes no matter how old you are, there is always something to learn. She is a lover of all things nature and has a passion for biodiversity. She started her journey with PVA after attending a Bokashi workshop back in 2019, with the ambition to return her food scraps to the whenua - doing her part to support and regenerate the natural circle of life.
Caragh Doherty
Ōtara Papatoetoe Eco Neighbourhoods Project Lead
Caragh Doherty is a teacher at Sir Edmund Hillary Collegiate Senior School and also an avid learner. Her aiga is continually striving to live a more sustainable lifestyle. Originally from Scotland, she now proudly calls Ōtara her home. Caragh is a server who enjoys connecting with others, sharing experiences and learning through meaningful actions. You will find her outside whenever she can be, the beach is her ultimate happy place.
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.