Sir Collin Tukuitonga becomes first knighted professor from Niue

Alofi, Mataura, Suva, Geneva, and now Auckland. These are not just places on a map - they trace the extraordinary arc of a life committed to serving others.

On 5 June, the University of Auckland’s Fale Pasifika hosted a momentous inaugural lecture titled An Advocate for Equity, delivered by newly promoted Professor Sir Collin Tukuitonga KNZM - a trailblazing figure whose life’s work has helped shape the landscape of Pacific public health on the global stage.

Sir Collin is the first Niuean in history to hold both a knighthood and a professorial title - an unprecedented dual honour that speaks to his lifetime of leadership, service, and scholarship for Pacific peoples. His appointment also makes him one of only two Niuean professors in the world.

Medical and Health Sciences Dean Professor Warwick Bagg launched the event, welcoming distinguished guests to the Fale, remarking that Sir Collin’s promotion had been long overdue. He says few people held Sir Collin’s level of mana, coupled with his style of servant leadership and humility.  

WHO Regional Director for the Western Pacific Dr Saia Ma’u Piukala appeared via a recorded video message congratulating his long-time colleague and dear friend Sir Collin on becoming a professor.

Sir Collin took to the podium welcoming and thanking his guests including dignitaries gathered to celebrate his professorship, but first he acknowledged his wife Lady Suzanna Pak.

“I would like to acknowledge my life companion, supporter and sometimes harshest critic, but in a nice way,” he added light heartedly.

“Thank you. None of this would have been possible without you.”

Born in Alofi, Niue, and raised in a household where love was abundant but resources were scarce, Sir Collin’s journey from ‘Island Rounds’ in Niue to the World Health Organization in Geneva was an extraordinary feat.

However, Sir Collin has never been one to chase accolades - he is a man carrying generations.

“In my case,” he shares, “my mother had 15 siblings - all of them were mums and dads. I was raised by my grandparents - a Niuean tradition. Grandad was tough love. He taught me to work hard and never rely on others.”

This ethic, grounded in community, Catholic values, and a fierce sense of duty, has defined a career spanning more than four decades. From the busy clinics of South Auckland to the policy tables of Geneva, Sir Collin’s voice has championed one cause above all - equity.

“Equity is not equality, he reminds us. “It is recognising that some in our communities need more help than others. And failing to act on that costs us all.”

A former Harkness Fellow, Director of Public Health for Aotearoa New Zealand, and Director-General of the Pacific Community (SPC), Sir Collin has consistently been at the forefront of initiatives that challenge injustice, strengthen systems, and place Pacific communities at the centre of health responses.

He helped launch The Fono, one of New Zealand’s first Pacific-led community health providers, and spearheaded programmes addressing cardiovascular disease, breast cancer, and childhood respiratory illness among Pacific peoples.

More recently, as Co-Director of Te Poutoko Ora a Kiwa – Centre for Pacific and Global Health, Sir Collin has focused on climate resilience, mental health, as well as developing pathways for young Pacific people into the health workforce - particularly through initiatives like Pacific Wayfinders, the PMA Knowledge Hub, and more recently micro-qualifications for adult learners. The latter initiative looks to upskill an experienced Pacific workforce in the health and education fields. However, many lack formal qualifications - a barrier to realising their full potential and aspiring to leadership roles.

Last year in 2024, he played a central role in establishing the Pacific Academy of Sciences, the region’s first scientific academy, officially launched at CHOGM in Sāmoa. As Chair of the Academy Trust, Sir Collin continues to advance Pacific-led research in climate change, health, and ocean protection, while championing young scientists across the Blue Continent. Behind these achievements is a simple, radical idea: that research should serve communities, not distance them.

“Scholarship should be activism,” he reflects. “It should work for the people it speaks about.”

The evening opened with a heartfelt Niuean blessing and hymn, and in true Pasifika style concluded with music, laughter, and a koli fiafia - a joyful celebration of dance and song.

Sir Collin’s legacy is already etched into Pacific health history. But his lecture was far from the final word (Professor Bagg thrilled to announce Sir Collin's recently signed five-year contract)  - it was a call to arms.

A call to activists, students, policy-makers, and every Pacific child wondering if the system sees them. A reminder from Sir Collin that dignity is not negotiable. And that no matter how far one travels, the umu must be watched until the food is ready - Tao e umu ke moho.