Testimonials

Tautai o le Moana was established in 2019 and here are some of the things people are saying about us.

Mike Savali - St Patrick's College, Wellington

Tautai o le Moana has fortified my position as a Pasifika community leader, underscoring the need for a cultural lens. The insights from the professional development session steered my staff towards the College's mission, focusing on Pasifika student success. This journey has reinforced the importance of cultural awareness in academic settings.

Jazmin Greig, Yendarra School, Auckland

"Kia tae ma te meitaki e te tau" - Arrive safely & in Peace

The most meaningful shift made since traveling to the Hokianga and settling in Opononi to hear about Kupe the great navigator on my Tautai journey has been the privilege to see my amazing team becoming Kupe themselves.

Exploring and challenging their own assumptions
Demonstrating their awareness by participating in the preservation of mana reo and mana tikianga
Noticing their confidence in relationships, connections and attitudes
Walking through confrontation and wrestling with their new learning and our ongoing challenges ‘being strong and steady’ in our tikanga and pepeha

We have been blessed to have Sepora part of our School famili working closely with our senior kaitiaki (senior leaders). Always asking the questions, always reminding us to see the Pacific lens and always encouraging me to ‘know better is to do better’ ensuring that my landing as a tumuaki is rooted in leading with intention and our Pacific values.

I personally recognise that my Tumuaki journey is still ongoing and there will be times I may not find land from the open ocean but it’s important during these times I look for signs that will evolve my leadership from awareness to action as my gift of love to our kids.

Cushla Shepherd - Albany Junior High School, Auckland

Tautua o le Moana has profoundly influenced the way I understand and enact leadership. Through the Wayfinder lens, I have found a leadership framework that grounds me in my Fijian|Pasifika heritage while strengthening how I navigate the complexity and adaptive challenges of school improvement.

It has reminded me that leadership is not simply about setting direction or managing change; it is about service, relationship, courage and alofa. Like the wayfinders before us, we remain anchored in our values, read the changing conditions around us, and navigate alongside others with a clear sense of purpose - re-calibrating as we journey.

For me, this has created a deeper connection between who I am, where I come from, and how I lead. It has given me the confidence to lead change with both courage and love, always protecting the vā, strengthening collective capacity, and keeping the wellbeing and outcomes of our ākonga and community firmly at the centre of the journey.

Tautai o le Moana mentoring and our tumuaki whānau has helped me understand that my heritage is not separate from my leadership; it is one of its greatest strengths.

Jenny Bernard - Otahuhu Primary School, Auckland

Tautai o le Moana provides the compass, but more importantly, it challenges you to look within yourself to navigate the space between where you are and where your Pacific learners need you to be.