Our Board
Tofa Suafole Gush
Chair
Tofa serves on NET Trust as a Chair. Of Samoan descent, Tofa has been a public servant for over 30 years and has had various senior roles in government and the NGO sector. A strong advocate for Pacific issues with extensive public sector experience in health, social development, housing, disability and with organisations involved in Pacific development.
Tofa holds a Master’s in Public Management degree from Victoria University.
Holona Lui
Member
Holona Lui is co-director of Catalyst Pacific, a NZ-based Learning and Development and Pacific engagement practice. With over 25 years of experience as an independent consultant, public sector senior manager, TV professional, teacher, and sports coach, Holona specializes in high performance team development and cross-cultural communication.
Passionate about fostering Cultural Intelligence, he views it as crucial for 21st-century leadership. Of Niue descent, Holona is dedicated to supporting Pacific peoples' professional growth. He authored 'Mentoring with Cultural Intelligence, Keeping it REAL' and is featured in 'Don’t Worry about the Robots' by Dr. Jo Cribb & David Glover.
Holona also serves on the boards of the National Pacific Media Network Trust and the Wellington Pasifika Business Network.
Lo’i Lilah Volē
Member
Born and raised in Wellington, Lo’i Lilah is a staunch, Christian Pacific woman of Samoan, Chinese and German heritage who has an extensive career in the public service, primarily under the auspices of Oranga Tamariki and/ or the Ministry of Social Development.
Lo’i Lilah is a qualified and registered social worker who brings a wealth of experience in child protection, youth justice, clinical supervision, restorative justice, Pacific cultural expertise, governance, strategic thinking/ planning, board/committee membership and management/ leadership.
Lo’i is the Director of VolēNique Consultancy & Advisory Services.
Keli Livingston Filipo.
Member
Born and raised in Petone, Keli has spent the past 22+ years living and working in the Hutt Valley as a registered nurse. Currently, she holds a full-time managerial position at Whānau Āwhina Plunket, alongside part-time work as an authorised vaccinator for Te Awakairangi Health Network.
Keli, a dedicated professional, balances her career with the joys of motherhood, raising four children spanning from 12 to 28 years old, and cherishing her beautiful 9-year-old granddaughter.
Teresea Olsen, QSM
Member
Of Ngāti Porou descent, Teresea Olsen is based at the Kōkiri Marae in Seaview, where she leads a large team of social and health workers.
Teresea Olsen who is the current Manager of the Kokiri Marae Hauora, formalised this service in 1980 by offering support, counselling and advocacy for and on behalf of Māori individuals and their whānau.
This service has grown over the years to a point where Kokiri Marae now offers a wide range of social services to at risk Māori and their whānau.
Lili-Marina Stanley
Member
Lili-Marina is an experienced Family Lawyer born and bred in Wellington. With over 10 years experience in family law, she is a staunch legal advocate for her clients.
As a senior family Court Lawyer, Lili-Marina undertakes all areas of practice of family law, for both legal aid and for private paying clients. The client base served by Lili-Marina covers the Hutt Valley, Porirua and Wellington regions and the Masterton Court.
Currently Lili-Marina is the only Samoan Lawyer in Wellington on the Lawyer for child and Counsel to assist Lists. She is often appointed to act not just for Samoan children and families, but also Pacific children and families due to her ability to quickly develop a positive rapport with the Pacific clients.
As a team member of Reids Family Law, Lili-Marina works alongside a “powerhouse of family lawyers” all who are passionate in fighting for the underdog.
Lili-Marina is actively involved in the community. In 2023, Lili-Marina was appointed a coach for the Pasifika Victoria University First year Law students’ pilot programme which requires weekly sessions with the students, quality and assurance checks on assignments, and study sessions for exams. Between 2012 – 2014, Lili-Marina was an executive member of the Wellington Samoa Rugby Union, a Union she still actively supports.
In 2019 Lili-Marina became a Partner of Reids Family Law.
Lili-Marina is a New Zealand born Samoan, who is proud of her heritage. She loves spending time with her family and friends and supporting rugby at all levels. She also enjoys travelling.