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Challenging the international development sector to re-think values

Challenging the international development sector to re-think values

  • 03 Nov 2019
PKC cover image

The recently established Māori and Pacific thought-leadership group Pacific Koloa Collective is the first of its kind for the international development sector in New Zealand.

Chairing the unique group is former Pasifika Education Centre (PEC) Chief Executive Christine Nurminen, who towards the end of last year, left PEC to start a new journey as the International Portfolio Manager (Pacific) at Oxfam New Zealand.

When Christine, a former Ministry for Pacific Peoples (MPP) employee, initially arrived in the development and humanitarian sector, she says she immediately saw a need for the international development sector in New Zealand to re-think its values, assumptions and understanding of Pacific peoples in the region. 

At the same time, Christine accepted a role to lead a new scoping project involving Pacific peoples living in New Zealand.

“I worked to set up the Pacific Koloa Collective as a response to seeing the combination of both a serious sector need, and an opportunity with a scoping project,” Christine says.

Together with qualified and experienced indigenous Māori and Pacific development and humanitarian practitioners with experience around the Pacific region, the Collective has been born, and includes members based in Auckland, Christchurch, Wellington and Samoa. 

“The first of its kind for the international development sector in New Zealand, we deeply value the importance of coming together as indigenous peoples to reflect, talanoa and meet as peers,” Christine adds.  

As a Collective, the group provide thought-leadership by reframing and using key Pacific values and principles to shape doing development differently; as well as acknowledging Te Ao Māori principles and work to partner with Māori.

A Collective such as this one, is essential in New Zealand, Christine says.

“There is a lot at stake for New Zealand when defining the Pacific, especially when looking to deepen New Zealand’s influence and relationships within the region. 

“For the first time in the international sector here in New Zealand, indigenous Maori and Pacific development, humanitarian practitioners and advocates have been drawn together from different organisations to represents the value of diverse Pacific worldviews, different Pacific language skills to share our years of service and expertise to Pacific peoples to shape doing development differently.”  

For now, the Collective is busy working towards releasing its first set of working papers to the sector in 2020, which Christine mentioned in a presentation at the annual Council of International Development (CID) Conference in Wellington, in October.

The Pacific Koloa Collective includes another former MPP staff member, Dr Odette Frost-Kruse.

Odette and Christine are joined by Sahara Anae; Kylie Enoka; George Faalogo; Tuu'u Maeata'anoa Luamanu; Finau Leveni; Fuialelagi Natanielu; Mareta Tana; Dr Junior Ulu; and Andre Whittaker.

Contact Christine - [email protected] for more information