Jacquie has been at the Ministry most of her career which has included postings to Beijing and Paris, where she was the Deputy Permanent Delegate to UNESCO. In Wellington, Jacquie has held roles in the Public Affairs, Sth Pacific, Development Cooperation and Audit Review Divisions. She joined the development group of the Ministry in 2005, where she has remained in a range of roles including Deputy Director, Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea and Nauru. Jacquie is now Divisional Manager for the Global Development and Scholarships Division, within the Pacific Development Group of the Ministry.

Name: Vaetoeifaga Apelu
Ethnicity: Born and raised in Samoa
Year of Study: 2nd year
Degree: Bachelor of Arts in International Relations and Political Science at Victoria university of Wellington
Current Role: Security Studies PASS Leader and Student Ambassador for the University
Alumni: Pacific Cooperation Foundation (Manaaki Internships) 

Vaetoeifaga has been a part of our Manaaki Scholar Advisory Team since July 2023 and a proud Manaaki representative.

2022 Young New Zealander of the Year, Ezra is a visionary entrepreneur dedicated to making significant social changes. Determined to find solutions for whānau without power, Ezra co-founded Nau Mai Rā, a purpose-built, kaupapa Māori energy retailer, delivering affordable, “always-on” power after discovering how many families lived in power poverty.

Recognised for his efforts to help thousands of Kiwi homes, Ezra's work revolves around the powerful idea that "power changes people". His commitment and dedication to his cause are unwavering. He has become a symbol of resilience and a champion for the underprivileged, constantly striving to make a tangible difference in people’s lives.

In 2023, Ezra successfully negotiated with a major power generator to supply electricity at a lower cost, furthering his mission to assist over 130,000 households struggling with power poverty. His story is not just about entrepreneurial success; it's a testament to the impact one can have when they dedicate themselves to a cause greater than themselves.

Formerly an international student, Ziena is an award-winning business and public sector leader, focused on deepening New Zealand’s engagement with the Asia Pacific, and improving outcomes for those with diverse cultures, abilities and experiences. She is Chief of Staff at Te Pūkenga, a board member for Education New Zealand, a Toka Tū Ake EQC Commissioner, and a Trustee of the Asia New Zealand Foundation.

Recognised by Campaign Asia Pacific as part of its 2020 Women to Watch, a group of 40 outstanding women in the Asia Pacific, Ziena is a sought after MC and facilitator, and a keynote speaker on leadership, Asia business, international education, and diversity, equity and inclusion.

Ziena has received several international awards for her work promoting New Zealand trade and education in Asia, where she was based for 10 years as Regional Director (South and Southeast Asia) for Education New Zealand, New Zealand Trade Commissioner to Singapore, and Head of North Asia Marketing and Communications for New Zealand Trade and Enterprise.

A Professor in the Department of Management and International Business, Brigid holds the Fletcher Building Employee Educational Fund Chair in Leadership. She teaches broadly in the area of leadership, organisational theory and qualitative research methods at undergraduate, postgraduate and executive level and does extensive cross sector leadership development work with corporate, community, professional, and youth organisations.

In her development work Brigid has specialised in whole system, collaborative and cross organisation leadership development alongside a focus on leadership identity, mindset, and practice. Brigid has recently begun a series of research and development work involving participatory, grassroots, and adaptive governance, and complex, multi-sector collaboration. 

Ongoing research themes revolve around identity work, power and resistance, leadership development, distributed and collective leadership and discursive/ narrative approaches. Ultimately Brigid is interested in leadership as a discourse, identity, and practice and in exploring how it is constructed and shaped between people, spaces, and artefacts in different organisational contexts. 

Anne has a significant background in Pacific health, not-for-profit, advocacy and leadership; she has worked across numerous district health boards and NGOs, with a special focus on growing and developing the Pasifika workforce in the health sector. Prior to entering the health sector in 2006, Anne worked for AUT University, teaching in the Faculty of Business and looking at ways to improve completion and achievement rates for Māori and Pasifika students in an Equity role. She is also an alumnus of the Global Women Breakthrough Leaders Programme.Her professional and voluntary work reflects her passion for affecting positive change for Pasifika people in business, education, and health. Anne embodies the ideal Pasifika woman of the 21st century – she values education, culture, and work ethic. Her vision is to see these ideals reflected in the next generation of Pasifika women.

Michael is of Ngāti Whātua and Te Uri o Hau tribal descent. He is the Kaiarataki Deputy Pro Vice-Chancellor Māori at Waipapa Taumata Rau, University of Auckland. 

He provides high level leadership and service across all aspects of university engagement with māori staff, students and communities. He provides cultural leadership for the University and has extensive forum presence within the university to ensure Māori ways of knowing and being are present. He also leads the development of the university’s indigenous framework, Toitū Waipapa. Prior to his current role, Michael was the inaugural Kaiārahi (Principle Māori Advisor) in the Faculty of Science for 9 years. He is an active member in tribal activities and is a leader in the Whare Tū Tauā (Māori martial arts school).

Jacqueline Beggs is a Professor at Waipapa Taumata Rau, the University of Auckland's School of Biological Sciences. She is an ecologist and a committed advocate for Aotearoa New Zealand’s unique biodiversity. Her PhD (University of Otago 1999) was on the ecology and control of introduced social wasps and I continue to research and publish in this area. Jacqueline is on the Marsden Fund Council and convener of the Ecology, Evolution and Behaviour panel. She is co-Executive Director of Ngā Ara Whetū (www.ngaarawhetu.org), UoA’s flagship research centre on Climate, Biodiversity and Society, and Director of Centre for Biodiversity and Biosecurity (www.biodiversity-biosecurity.auckland.ac.nz).

Jacqueline worked for Manaaki Whenua-Landcare Research (and its predecessor DSIR) in Nelson for 20 years, before moving to the School of Biological Sciences in 2003. She has English, Scottish, Irish and Ngāti Awa ancestry and a strong interest in Mātauranga Māori and ensuring a Te Ao Māori perspective is applied to her research and teaching.

Prasanna Gai is Head of the Departments of Economics, Accounting & Finance and Property at the University of Auckland.  He is a member of the Monetary Policy Committee of the Reserve Bank of New Zealand and Acting Chairman of the New Zealand Financial Markets Authority.  Prasanna studied economics at the Australian National University and Oxford.

Prasanna began his career at the Bank of England, where he held increasingly senior positions before becoming a Professor at the Australian National University.  He has been Visiting Fellow at All Souls College, Oxford, a member of the Advisory Scientific Committee of the European Systemic Risk Board, Frankfurt, and Special Advisor to Governor Mark Carney at the Bank of Canada.

Prasanna’s research spans international economics, central bank policy, and political economy. He is the author of two books on financial crises and systemic risk, both published by the Oxford University Press.