Honouring Tukuitonga: New era of leadership in Pacific health at the Auckland University

Health leader and Pacific advocate, Sir Collin Tukuitonga, says Aotearoa New Zealand is facing a “terrible” political environment that “clearly attacks equity and fairness”.

He urges academics, researchers, and the Pasifika community to continue their pursuit of equity.

Tukuitonga’s comments follow his inaugural lecture at the University of Auckland this week, where he was celebrated as an incoming professor.

With over 40 years of experience, Tukuitonga has been a cornerstone of Pacific health, leading research, community initiatives, and policy in various roles.

In an interview with PMN News, Tukuitonga reflected on the university's appointment as a significant milestone in his career, which has focussed on addressing inequities in Pacific health.

“We've got a terrible political environment at the moment. They're clearly attacking equity and fairness.

“There's no recognition, and that's why it's really important for academics, researchers, and the Pasifika community to continue to press the issue of equity. Politicians will come and go, communities endure,” he says.

A proud Niuean, Tukuitonga has committed his career to improving Pacific health across the region and within Pacific communities in Aotearoa.

His roles have included Chief Executive of the Ministry of Pacific Islands Affairs, Director of Public Health at the Ministry of Health, and Director-General of the Secretariat of the Pacific Community.

Watch Sir Collin Tukuitonga's full inaugural lecture below.

In 1987, he established The Fono, one of New Zealand’s largest Pacific healthcare providers.

Prominent figures from academia and health attended the celebration, including some of Tukuitonga's mentees, such as former Director-General of Health, Sir Dr Ashley Bloomfield.

Bloomfield works alongside Tukuitonga as Chair at Te Poutoko Ora a Kiwa - the Centre for Pacific and Global Health.

Bloomfield told PMN News that Tukuitonga is a mentor and advocate for Pasifika, emphasising his courage in expressing often unpopular views.

“I first got to know Collin maybe 20 years ago when I was starting my public health training, and he was my mentor for a year. It was a time when he was Director of Public Health,” Bloomfield says.

Sir Collin Tukuitonga delivering his inaugural lecture as professor at the University of Auckland. Photo/supplied

“To see him achieve this, this accolade, and the heights of becoming a professor here at the university, is wonderful.

“He's made that global health contribution, but always with that absolute focus on how he can benefit the health of the Pacific.

“He's someone who's well known in Wellington for his advocacy for the Pacific, for speaking his mind, and sometimes that gets him on the front page of the paper for saying things that maybe others may not want to hear,” Bloomfield says.

Tukuitonga’s dedication to addressing healthcare inequities, especially for Māori and Pasiifka, was evident in his closing remarks during his inaugural lecture, where he stressed the need for a broader focus on demographic changes as young Māori and Pasifika populations grow.

He criticised the lack of policy action in response to widening inequality.

From left, Sir Collin Tukuitonga, Pro Vice-Chancellor Pacific, Jemaima Tiatia-Siau and Dean of Medical & Health Sciences, Warwick Bragg. Photo/Andre Fa'aoso

In light of political opposition to equity initiatives like the university’s Māori and Pacific Admissions Scheme (MAPAS), senior leaders at Auckland University, including Tukuitonga, reinforced the importance of equity and improving Pasifika representation in academia and public health.

Judith McCool, Head of School, Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences, at the university, says MAPAS remains pivotal to increasing the representation of frontline healthcare workers.

“The University of Auckland, our faculty, our school, is absolutely supportive of the MAPAS scheme. [It’s] pivotal to closing the gap, in terms of building a Pacific workforce that reflects Pacific populations and demographic changes in Aotearoa,” she says.

When asked whether Tukuitonga should have received a professorship earlier, McCool says that while it couldn’t have come sooner, the delay reflects the bureaucracy that can hinder the progress of strong advocates and leaders.

“I don't think the university was prepared for somebody like Sir Collin. He operated in a way that is perhaps unfamiliar to the academic process,” she says.

Judith McCool and Sir Collin Tukuitonga at the conclusion of his inaugural lecture at the Fale Pasifika. Photo/supplied

“He doesn't agonise over the minor details. He has a vision, he's got a plan, and he works with his colleagues, and he just wants to get things done.

“And a university, like many big organisations, can get bogged down in systems and bureaucracy,” McCool says.

Tukuitonga, who is set to begin a five-year contract with Auckland University, says he wants to create opportunities for Pacific students to thrive.

“I want to inspire young people, mentor young people, and create opportunities for them to pursue an area that they're interested in,” he says.

“I will continue to speak to community leaders to promote the needs of our communities in a number of ways.”