Highest academic accolade for 'boy from Māngere'

Public health Professor Dr Vili Nosa devoted much of his Inaugural Lecture introducing the family, community and academia members responsible for his rise to Professor.

Dean of the Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences, Professor Warwick Bagg welcomed the audience to Professor Nosa’s Inaugural Lecture on 11 September at the University of Auckland's Grafton campus; later remarking at its conclusion that the evening was unlike any other he had attended.

Perhaps it was the singing - spontaneous and joyful from members of Professor Nosa’s Niuean family and community, as well as the heartfelt presentations and gifts bestowed upon him marking the special occasion.

Rich with humour, humility and heartfelt tributes, Nosa paid homage to the many who shaped his path — from his grandmother and parents to his mentors, colleagues, wife and children.

Born in Niue and arriving in New Zealand at the age of three, Nosa’s first language was Niuean. He recalled the early challenges of adapting to a new country and learning English. When he returned to Niue he was greatly influenced by grandmother, Nena Hantau Hakeagaiki Santeli and his aunty Keti and uncle Hakupu Fereti.

“My aunty and uncle were my parents in Niue. They taught me a number of Niue traditional and cultural practices and what it means to live here in Niue.”

“My Nena was a strong woman,” he said emphasising the traditional and wholesome lifestyle she led. “She lived to 92, went to church all the time, she ate normal food— she didn’t have diabetes, she didn’t have high blood pressure. She only passed because she was elderly — a classic example of Niuean health and resilience.”

His parents, Hapaki and Hanatautama Hakeagaiki Nosa, migrated to Aotearoa New Zealand seeking better opportunities for their children. Nosa, one of eight children, grew up in Grey Lynn and then later in Māngere.

“I was a Māngere boy, I spent a lot of time at the Māngere Town Centre,” he laughed, recalling the adventures embarked on… and the ones he probably shouldn’t have.

He found his spiritual home within the Māngere Pacific Islands Presbyterian Church, that would eventually set him up for a life in academia.

“We spent many years in the church - bible classes, Sunday school. A lot of my upbringing and learnings are from church,” he said.

Education was ingrained early. “My parents made me sit exams from the time I was little - Sunday School exams. That’s really how I learned how to study.”

His academic journey began with a Bachelor of Arts in Education and Sociology. “It seemed like a fun degree,” he joked.

But it was during this time that he noticed a troubling pattern: most research about Pacific communities was written by non-Pacific scholars.

“I thought, ‘Man, these Palagi are writing about us - why can’t we write about us?’ I knew in my heart I had to do something.”

That realisation led to a Master’s thesis on Niuean migration, and eventually a PhD in behavioural science, focusing on alcohol use among Niuean men in Auckland.

“Niue men drink until it’s finished — there’s no tomorrow,” he said, referencing the urgency of addressing addiction in his community.

His journey was far from easy. At one point, he was cleaning cars at Hertz and questioning his path.

“My parents didn’t send me to university to clean cars,” laughed Professor Nosa, the audience joining in with him.

Encouraged by mentors like Professor Debra de Silva and Emeritus Professor Cluny McPherson, and supported by family and church, he found the motivation to continue.

“There were many times I wanted to give up, but I didn’t.”

Professor Nosa acknowledged Professor Debra de Silva, who travelled all the way from the United Kingdom to attend his Inaugural Lecture.

“You shocked me when I saw you,” he said. “I’m happy and proud that you’re here.”

Her presence was met with huge applause from the audience, a testament to the deep respect and gratitude Nosa holds for her mentorship.

He also acknowledged Emeritus Professor Cluny McPherson as a pivotal figure in his academic development. A pioneer in Pacific sociology, McPherson was one of the few academics who supported Nosa’s early research into Niuean migration and identity.

It was McPherson’s belief in the importance of Pacific-led research, at a time when few Pacific academics were present in the university system, that reassured Nosa he was on the right path.

“If Cluny hadn’t helped me back then, I don’t know where I’d be,” Nosa said. “He married into a Sāmoan family and speaks the language - he understood the Pacific side of things.”

Throughout the evening, Nosa spoke warmly of his wife Daniella and their children Maya, Graison and Brennah.

“I had two of my kids during this journey, my older daughter and then my son after I had finished,” he said pointing to the photo gallery on the screen above, illustrating the passage of his academic career.

Then Brennah came along a few years later — that’s why she says, ‘Dad, where am I in these photos?’ Brennah, you weren’t even born yet!” The audience laughing with Nosa.

His academic contributions are staggering: 121 research outputs, including 106 peer-reviewed articles, six book chapters, and numerous technical reports.
He has secured over $20 million in research funding, supervised 15 PhD theses and over 52 Master’s dissertations - nearly all with a Pacific focus - and led the Pacific Health section of the School of Population Health for seven years.

Nosa’s leadership extended beyond the university, forming meaningful relationships with Pacific communities locally and internationally, including the Burnet Institute, University of Utah, Queensland University of Technology, The University of Queensland, and the University of Hawai’i.

He is also an adjunct professor in Public Health at the School of Public Health, Faculty of Health, Medicine and Behavioural Science, The University of Queensland.

But perhaps his most profound impact has been in Pacific academic workforce development. Professor Peter Adams supervised Nosa’s doctoral research and was a guest speaker during the evening, outlining the course of Nosa's impressive academic journey.

“Back in the 1990s, the university was a European space,” said Professor Peter Adams.

“Vili came into that space and chose to stay, when many Pacific graduates left for government or corporate roles. His legacy is enormous.”

His latest project, funded by the Health Research Council, explores barbershops as culturally safe spaces for Pacific men’s health interventions.

Inspired by successful US models and local champions like Matt Brown (My Fathers Barbers) and Peleti Oli-Alainu’uese (The Barber), Nosa aims to tailor a model that fits Pacific cultural contexts.

“I’m sick and tired of our men having poor health outcomes,” he said. “We need to look outside the box.”

Phase two of the project will involve interviews with Pacific men from Niue, Sāmoa, Tonga, and the Cook Islands, followed by engagement with barbers and health providers. The goal is to pilot interventions that are culturally grounded and community-led.

“We came to this country for better things,” he said. “But our health profile didn’t go that way - instead, we got sick. I want to change that.”

Nosa’s driving force has been to help uplift Pacific communities particularly around health issues - he has worked tirelessly to bring about transformative change that’s not just personal, but also institutional.

His rise to the professoriate is a triumph of relational leadership, cultural integrity and academic excellence. It’s a legacy set to ripple through generations of Pacific scholars to come.