About Us
Te Poutoko Ora a Kiwa is a University Research Centre dedicated to capacity strengthening, collaboration, and leadership in Pacific and global health, based at Waipapa Taumata Rau, University of Auckland. Te Poutoko’s purpose is to advance health equity for Pacific peoples in Aotearoa and across Oceania, while contributing to global conversations on health, wellbeing, and resilience. Guided by Pacific values, knowledge systems, and community partnerships, Te Poutoko works alongside researchers, policymakers, clinicians, and communities to generate evidence that is relevant, impactful, and transformative.
Our work spans infectious diseases, non-communicable conditions, climate change, with a strong commitment to building the next generation of Pacific researchers and leaders. Te Poutoko also provides a platform for collaboration regionally and globally, ensuring Pacific perspectives and solutions are central to shaping health futures. In essence, Te Poutoko is both a gateway and a beacon: a place where Pacific health knowledge is nurtured, shared, and amplified for the benefit of communities across our Blue Pacific Continent.
Meet Our Team
Our Team
Our Co-Directors
Professor Sir Collin Tukuitonga
Professor Sir Collin Tukuitonga is a leading Niuean and Pacific public health physician and an inaugural Co-Director of Te Poutoko Ora a Kiwa at Waipapa Taumata Rau, University of Auckland. He has held senior roles across New Zealand, the Pacific, and internationally, including Director-General of the Pacific Community (SPC) and Chief Executive of the Ministry of Pacific Island Affairs. His work focuses on health equity, non-communicable and infectious diseases, climate change and health, and Pacific workforce development. In 2022, he was appointed a Knight Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to Pacific and public health.
Professor Judith McCool
Professor Judith McCool is a Co-Director of Te Poutoko Ora a Kiwa and Head of the School of Population Health at Waipapa Taumata Rau, University of Auckland. A public health researcher with extensive experience in tobacco control, health promotion, and the commercial determinants of health, she has led major studies on youth, vaping, and health communication in Aotearoa and across the Pacific.
Her research focuses on reducing health inequities through effective policy, regulation, and advocacy, particularly in relation to harmful commodity industries such as tobacco and alcohol. She has also been a long-standing advocate for Pacific and Māori health equity, with a strong emphasis on evidence-based approaches to prevention and regulation. As Co-Director of Te Poutoko, Professor McCool is committed to advancing interdisciplinary, Pacific-led research that strengthens community wellbeing and informs global health debates
Li'amanaia Dr Roannie Ng Shiu
Dr Roannie Ng Shiu is a Senior Research Fellow in Pacific Health and Co-Director of Te Poutoko Ora a Kiwa at Waipapa Taumata Rau | University of Auckland. She is originally from Samoa (villages of Savaia, Leone, Apia, and Lefaga) and holds the chiefly title Li’amanaia. After completing her PhD in Community Health at the University of Auckland, she served as the inaugural Pasifika Australia Research Fellow at Australian National University, leading capacity-building work in the Pacific. In 2021, she returned to Auckland to support Pacific research strategy, student recruitment, and equity initiatives. Dr Ng Shiu also contributes regionally as Working Group One Lead for the Lancet Countdown’s Small Island Developing States (SIDS) Regional Centre, bringing insights on climate change and health to small island contexts. She has published on topics including health equity, Pacific health systems, and climate impacts on island health. In her role as Co-Director, Dr Ng Shiu helps guide Te Poutoko’s strategic direction, strengthen Pacific research partnerships, and mentor emerging Pacific health researchers and students.
Dr Karaponi Okesene-Gafa
Dr Karaponi Okesene-Gafa is a Niue-born Senior Lecturer and Head of the Pacific Health Section at the University of Auckland, with clinical duties in obstetrics and gynaecology at Middlemore Hospital, and serves as Co-Director of Te Poutoko Ora a Kiwa. Of Niuean, Samoan, and Cook Islands heritage, her work focuses on Pacific women’s health, particularly gestational diabetes, maternal obesity, and improving reproductive health outcomes for Pacific and Māori women. She has been honoured with the RANZCOG Excellence in Women’s Health Award and recognized for her research into the experiences and challenges faced by Māori and Pacific women with endometrial cancer, highlighting late-diagnosis and systemic barriers in care. Her doctoral research led the Healthy Mums and Babies trial, a culturally-tailored dietary intervention during pregnancy that showed promising reductions in total pregnancy weight gain and strong community reception. As Co-Director, Dr Okesene-Gafa plays a central role in shaping Te Poutoko’s agenda in women’s health, clinical research, and building pathways for Pacific clinicians and researchers in reproductive health fields.
Our Operations Team
Nalei Taufa
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Vake Taufa
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Raymond Taufa
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Lois Chu Ling
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Luisa Taufa
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Lisi-Malia Pereira
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Dr Jason Tautasi-Chen
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Leila Rex
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Dantzel Tiakia
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Become an Affiliate
If you would like to be more involved or connected to our research, we welcome traditional knowledge holders, University of Auckland staff, students, academics, honorary academics, District Health Board staff, health professionals, and Pacific leaders to sign up as affiliates.
Our Partnerships
Our research is carried out in collaboration with an extensive and growing network of partners across the Pacific region and beyond.
Our Partnerships
Our research is carried out in collaboration with an extensive and growing network of partners across the Pacific region and beyond.
