Mamere Sialaoa

“Put your best foot forward and just do it. Persevere through any challenge. Te Haerenga is a space that lifts you, reminds you who you are, and helps you become who you want to be.”

Mamere Sialaoa (Samoa — Vaimoso, Solosolo, Siumu) is the first-ever recipient of the Lalaga o le Moana Award, introduced this year in partnership with Deloitte to celebrate Pasifika excellence and to support tauira with both funding and mentoring.

“What motivated me to join was that it helped bring my confidence back. From the first session, I realised I was in a safe, comfortable environment where I could use my voice. Being surrounded by Māori and Pasifika tauira made me feel at home.”

Coming from Samoa and adjusting to a new environment, Mamere hadn’t expected her cultural identity to play such a central role in her professional journey.

“I never thought to integrate my Pasifika values into my academic or career
life. I thought I just had to fully immerse myself into the Western environment. But Te Haerenga reminded me how important my community and values are.”

Relflecting on Te Haerenga, Mamere describes it as the turning point in how she perceived her future.

“It was the launchpad for my professional development. Learning about interviews, CVs, networking. It made me realise I needed to take this seriously. I started reaching out more, getting involved in spaces like Velocity and Te Mana Pakihi. It changed the way I saw my academic and personal journey.”

The programme also helped her grow in confidence and connection.

“It taught me how to appreciate people’s perspectives and how to deal with
different personalities. More than anything, it gave me back my confidence to
speak.”

One aspect that stood out deeply was how Te Haerenga wove in history and whakapapa.

“There was so much in the programme that connected us to our ancestors and
how we carry them into our own journeys. That meant a lot to me.”