NZ award celebrates legacy and authenticity in Pacific leaders

The recipients of this year’s New Zealand Pasifika Leadership Award say they are honoured to be recognised and highlight the importance of ancestral sacrifice, authenticity, and indigenous leadership.

The award was presented at the New Zealand Leadership Awards in Auckland on Thursday night, marking the programme’s second year. Organised by Robert Walters in partnership with the Graeme Dingle Foundation, the awards recognise leaders across various sectors who drive excellence, growth, and innovation.

The Pasifika Leadership Award included joint recipients Pacific Media Network (PMN) Chief Executive Don Mann and Dagmar Vaikalafi Dyck, the Assistant Pro Vice-Chancellor Pacific at Auckland University of Technology (AUT), and nominee Maseina Koneferenisi, of the Masterton District Council.

Speaking with William Terite on Pacific Mornings, Mann highlighted the importance of the recognition for the Pacific community. He says this “wonderful recognition” belongs to everyone who has contributed to PMN’s long history, which spans more than 30 years.

“It's due recognition for everyone who's been a part of PMN but also for Pacific people who take up leadership spaces right across various sectors. I was fortunate to be standing alongside Dagmar and Maseina last night. It’s recognition for a lot of things and gratitude to be there as well,” Mann says.

Dyck says the award honours the sacrifices of her parents and grandparents, who were part of the first wave of Pacific migrants alongside Mann’s family. She says this purpose drives her into spaces that can feel “uncomfortable or sometimes unwelcoming”, but she carries the knowledge of a deeper purpose.

Watch Dagmar Vaikalafi Dyck and Don Mann’s full interview below.

“I'm honoured to receive the award. It speaks to our parents' sacrifices and to our grandparents that came here. There's a legacy here. Just honouring the work of our ancestors that have come before us,” Dyck says.

“There's that added layer to the work that we do. I have to say, the Kingdom of Tonga was in the house last night, and not only Tonga, but Vava’u so we were pretty wrapped about that.”

Dyck reflects on her role at AUT, stressing that the visibility of Pacific leaders gives students a sense of belonging and achievement. She says that when students attend the university, they should come “fully as themselves”.

Mann emphasises PMN’s identity as “by Pacific, for Pacific”, distinguishing it from mainstream outlets. He highlights the network’s role in shaping Pacific representation across the country, and that PMN does not “try to be anyone else”.

From left, PMN General Manager of Content Susana Guttenbeil, Don Mann, Chair of the National Pacific Radio Trust Board Saimoni Lealea, PMN’s Chief Financial Officer Sabrina Weggen and PMN Executive Assistant Anna Dougal.

Indigenous ways of leading

Both leaders offered advice to Pacific youth, with Dyck urging for authenticity, saying, “We don't need to be anything other than ourselves.” She says Thursday’s event highlighted a shift, where leaders, both Pacific and non-Pacific, focused on community, connection, and values-led leadership in their speeches.

Dyck says this reflects “indigenous ways of leading”, which, regardless of heritage, is being recognised as an effective approach to leadership. She praised the judges and Tupu toa and its chief executive, Aroha Armstrong, who sponsored the Awards’ Pacific category.

“They are doing equally important work in the corporate sector where they are opening and almost breaking down walls of inequity to make sure that our Māori and Pacific corporate young people [have] their presence felt in those parts of our sector.

“We don't need to be anything other than ourselves and we just need to make spaces for our young ones to come through. All of us are involved in this. It's not anyone on our own island or siloed. The more we're connected and doing the work together, the stronger our nation will be.”

Dagmar Vaikalafi Dyck and Don Mann. Photo/Supplied

Visibility, humility and gratitude

Mann emphasised the importance of humility and courage, referencing a Tongan proverb about gratitude: Ko e koloa ‘a Tonga ko e fakamālō, meaning the expression of gratitude is the treasure of Tonga. But he says that gratitude and humility are not passive qualities.

“The thing about being grateful, is that it doesn’t relate to inaction, or being happy with your lot. Because gratitude requires action, requires courage, and you stick up for yourself. If we think about some of the troubles around the world, the notion of peace requires quite courageous action,” Mann says.

“You have to have a go. What you have now and what you are with now, doesn't have to be that way. Don't settle for people telling you it always has to be that way, break the mould. [Pasifika judges] Leo Foliaki, Pauline Winter and Sir Michael Jones played an important part last night.

“Without people like them pushing themselves into the space, it wouldn't allow for Maseina, Dagmar, and I to be in the room and it wouldn't allow a portal for others to come behind us," Mann says.