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Our team

Melanie-Rose (Mel) Toailoa
Trustee
BCom

Mel is employed at the Return to Paradise Resort and Spa and plays a pivotal role in the face-to-face liaison with our students in Samoa. Our students will often need to ask a question or ask for help to sort out a problem, and Mel is always on hand to assist. Mel also attends the monthly support sessions with students, helping them to develop their "soft skills" and set(and achieve) personal goals. Mel is the daughter of Ramona Su'a Pale Gilchrist and Tolu Gilchrist who established Return to Paradise Resort and Spa in 2007. She and her husband Tom have begun transitioning into managing the operational aspects of the Resort.

Saini Tuitupou
Trustee

Saini joined the Board of Trustees in 2022. Saini has a long association with Samoa, through her parents Ramona Su'a Pale and Tolu Gilchrist who established Return to Paradise Resort & Spa in 2007. Saini manages content creation at Air New Zealand where she’s worked for more than 15years and brings to the Board a wealth of tourism, content marketing experience, and a broader appreciation of the Samoan culture.

Traci Sietu
M.EdLd, PGDip EdLdAdmin, GradDipSpecEd, BEd(Tchg)MoE No: 1043
Trustee

Traci works across education sectors and organisations through her consultancy business. She fosters a community of practice where she supports others as a Ministry of Education Accredited Professional Learning & Cultural Capabilities facilitator and NZ registered teacher. This includes roles as a content creator, designer and writer for educational initiatives with national projects. Her focus areas include Pacific advisory, community engagement, leadership advocacy, change management and development of inclusive practices

 

In addition, she supports undergraduate, postgraduate and new teachers to the profession through mentoring and evaluative lecturer roles with The University of Auckland and Auckland University of Technology (AUT). Traci has extensive management in community engagement, non-for-profit sporting clubs, and liaison roles alongside current board / community roles and responsibilities.

Andrea McKenzie
B.Com, B.HSc, CMinstD
Founding Trustee and Chair

Andrea has a long commercial history with large corporates and local Government organisations. She spends the majority of her time in commercial and not-for-profit Governance roles. Andrea is a Founding Trustee, having known Tala and visited Samoa on many occasions, and understanding both the need and impact of education in a developing country.

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