Meritiana Lolesio
Council Member - Pasifika
I am fortunate to have been elected as the Pasifika member and hope to bring added value and strength to the council. Appreciating the uniqueness of my culture has been foundational in navigating the educational terrain that many of our Pacific children travel.
I have been part of leadership teams and governance roles in the early childhood, tertiary and community spaces, advocating for children: in particular, equity for Pacific children and services.
I
commend Te Rito Maioha for placing high value on diversity at the helm
and look forward to new learnings, challenges and celebrations.
I am the ‘caretaker’ of our Pacific early childhood services based in Mangere Auckland. Our centres have been Te Rito Maioha members for many years. Te Rito Maioha is uniquely placed to deliver on its bi-cultural mandate, upholding its bi-cultural practises.
Teaching and learning the ‘business’
of early childhood has given me a wider perspective and appreciation of
the layers in leadership at all levels. This aligns strongly to my
belief that it takes a whole of village approach to nurture and empower children to be successful.
My teaching role has evolved into leading the ‘ship’ and establishing services to fulfil the mission that our children know there is a place for them that places high value on identity, language and culture.