Tongan excellence shines at Research Excellence Awards

Research Excellence Medals are the premier awards in the 2025 Te Taumata Rangahau Celebrating Research Excellence Awards, recognising the important role of research at Waipapa Taumata Rau, University of Auckland.

Early Career Research Excellence Awards were presented to Senior Lecturer in Curriculum and Pedagogy (Faculty of Arts and Education) Dr Jean M Uasike Allen and Dr Siobhan Tu’akoi, Research Fellow in Pacific Health (Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences).

Pro Vice-Chancellor Pacific Professor Jemaima Tiatia-Siau congratulated both academics, adding the Research Excellence Awards acknowledged outstanding research and is a promising start for both Pacific academics of Tongan heritage, to be recognised early in their careers.

“Congratulations to Dr Allen and Dr Tu’akoi, the work undertaken to serve our communities has seen you both shine and we celebrate you. Recognition for your excellent research bodes well for your future and also lights the path for others to follow in your steps.”

Dr Allen (Makaunga, Kolovai, Tongatapu, Tefisi, Vava'u - Tonga and European) was recognised for her groundbreaking research in Pacific youth well-being, decolonial health education and digital relationality.

Dr Tu’akoi (Holonga, Tongatapu – Tonga, Pākehā) was recognised for her outstanding mahi to address rheumatic fever inequities. She has co-designed research with Pacific communities, health professionals and researchers to create interventions and approaches to improve well-being for Pacific communities.

Addressing rheumatic fever inequities
Tu’akoi was awarded a $487,000 Pacific health postdoctoral fellowship last August to address rheumatic fever inequities with a series of innovative community co-design interventions over three years.

Current updates include completion of a survey on Pacific people in Auckland and exploring how much is known about rheumatic fever. She says social media was highlighted as a big opportunity and a platform where many Pacific people are accessing health information.

“Results from the survey align with a lot of the talanoa from our communities in the co-design workshops. We are working to create a social media approach led by our communities,” says Tu’akoi.

"I am honoured to receive this award, and it’s something I share with my family, community, research team and everyone who has supported my career. Together with the community we are slowly but surely making meaningful progress towards learning more about rheumatic fever and how it affects Pacific families.

“I hope this award will help build more awareness around our work and this condition that greatly impacts our communities."
 

Exploring the digital vā
Allen recently secured a Marsden fast-start grant of $360,000 for her research - Virtual Voyagers: Amplifying Pacific Girl Gamer Voices. The project focuses on Pacific girl gamers to understand more about how online gaming contributes to their well-being and relationships.

Young people are increasingly turning to digital spaces, rather than physical spaces, to socialise and build connections. Online gaming platforms can provide a safe and accessible environment for youth to interact, collaborate, and form meaningful relationships. A recent Aotearoa New Zealand study of 1,923 people found that 79 percent are gamers, with 48 percent being girl gamers.

Allen says youth engagement in online gaming is not a new phenomenon and over the last decade interest and engagement has grown. This is particularly evident in the growth of indigenous scholarship focused on relationality within the digital space, also known as ‘digital vā’.

“It is really important to explore digital vā. I believe that research with Pacific communities should include Pacific worldviews and concepts as a means of making sense of our experiences.”

She was honoured to receive the award and the opportunity to shed more light on her area of research.

“The work that I'm undertaking has a lot of relevance for our young people living in the digital era, I understand how important it is not only to examine this phenomenon but to also produce insights that will help support them as this is their reality, and navigating the digital world is a much-needed skill in all areas of life.

“I'm humbled to have received this award but I also acknowledge the many people who stand with me, supporting and caring for me, as I walk this path as an academic.”