Josiah Tualamaliʻi

Josiah Tualamaliʻi
Tualamali'i in 2025
Born
Dunedin, New Zealand
EducationUniversity of Canterbury (BA, MA Distinction)
OccupationFormer New Zealand Children's Commissioner
Board member ofTe Hiringa Mahara

Josiah Tavita Tualamaliʻi is a Samoan New Zealand governor, health, and social justice advocate.[1] He was a co-founder of the Pacific Youth Leadership and Transformation Trust and was a member of the New Zealand Government Inquiry into Mental Health and Addiction.[2] He is a former New Zealand Children's Commissioner of the Children and Young People's Commission and a current board member of Te Hiringa Mahara - the Mental Health and Wellbeing Commission.[3] [4]

Biography

Tualamaliʻi was born in Dunedin and was educated at Middleton Grange School.[5] He is a graduate of the University of Canterbury where he gained a Bachelor of Arts in 2019.[6] As a member of Christchurch's Pacific community, Tualamaliʻi helped establish the Pacific Youth Leadership and Transformation Trust (PYLAT) and has served as its treasurer and chair.[7] Concurrently, Tualamaliʻi supported the development of iSPEAK, a forum for Pacific youth to discuss issues affecting people in New Zealand, such as Christchurch's recovery from the 2011 earthquake, justice and housing.[7][8] Tualamali'i retired from the PYLAT board and programme in December 2025 after 15 years service. In July 2023 he was appointed as a New Zealand Children's Commissioner of the Children and Young People's Commission and served for two years. He is the youngest person to ever be a New Zealand Children's Commissioner and first of Pacific and Samoan descent. [9] He completed his Master of Arts in History with Distinction at the University of Canterbury in 2025. His dissertation research focused on his great-grandmother and her life - it is titled; Charlotte Leslie: Private Citizen and Unintentional Public Figure. [10] In 2026 as part of the Antarctic Heritage Trust (New Zealand) Inspiring Explorers programme he travelled to the Antarctic peninsula. [11]

Health and wellbeing leadership

While serving on the board of Pacific wellbeing charity Le Va, Tualamaliʻi was appointed as a member of the New Zealand Government's Inquiry into Mental Health and Addiction.[2] Subsequently, he was appointed as a member of the Psychotherapy Board of Aotearoa New Zealand in 2019 and in 2020 became an advisor with lived experience for the Lancet Commission on Depression.[12][13] The commission's report showed evidence that depression has become one of the leading causes of avoidable suffering globally.[14] In October 2025 the New Zealand Government appointed Tualamali'i as a board member of Independent Crown Entity Te Hiringa Mahara - The Mental Health and Wellbeing Commission. [15]

Social justice advocacy

In 2020, Tualamaliʻi co-brought a case to the Broadcasting Standards Authority against broadcaster Sean Plunket.[16] While discussing an iwi roadblock intended to protect its elderly members from the COVID-19 pandemic, Plunket levelled accusations that a Māori iwi "did not care about child abuse".[16] Tualamaliʻi's case was upheld and the Broadcasting Standards Authority fined Plunket's employer MediaWorks New Zealand and ordered it to issue an on-air apology for the “offensive and harmful” interview.[17]

Tualamaliʻi and Benji Timu co-led the youth component of the campaign for the New Zealand government to issue a formal apology for the Dawn Raids after describing the actions as "government‑sanctioned racism".[18][19][20] On 1 August 2021, a formal apology was given by New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern in a public ifoga ceremony before 1,000 Pasifika guests at the Auckland Town Hall. As part of the apology, the government announced that it would provide resources for schools to teach the dawn raids, $2.1 million towards academic and vocational scholarships for Pacific communities and $1 million towards Manaaki New Zealand short term scholarship training courses for delegates from Samoa, Tonga, Tuvalu, and Fiji.[21] One year after the apology Timu directed and Tualamali'i produced a documentary on the Polynesian Panther Party Legacy Trust "How We Made it to 50 years." [22] [23]. He has continued advocating for broader aspects he and community leaders see are still to be addressed.[24] [25] In 2025 his Grandmother received her New Zealand citizenship as a result of the community campaigning to address the impacts of the Dawn Raids through taking Falema'i Lesa's case to the Privy Council in 1982. The returning of the citizenship was a result of the Citizenship (Western Samoa) (Restoration) Amendment Act 2024

Tualamali'i has also been part of advocacy teams in 2020 who successfully advocated against routine arming of the New Zealand Police and in 2022 to remove library fines in Christchurch, New Zealand. [26] [27] [28]

Recognition and awards

Tualamaliʻi won a Civic Award for Youth Advocacy from the Christchurch City Council in 2016 and was nationally recognised the same year with the Prime Minister's Pacific Youth Leadership and Inspiration Award.[7][29] He received the Pacific Emerging Leadership Award in 2020.[30]

Tualamaliʻi was named as a semi-finalist for the Young New Zealander of the Year Awards in 2018 alongside fellow University of Canterbury alumnus Logan Williams [31] and in 2022 alongside fellow University of Canterbury alumnus and author, Abbas Nazari.[32] He was a finalist in the 2024 awards.[33]

In 2018 Apolitical named Tualamali'i as one of "100 Future Leaders: The World's Most Influential Young People in Government." [34]

Bibliography

  • Government Inquiry into Mental Health and Addiction. (2018). He Ara Oranga : Report of the Government Inquiry into Mental Health and Addiction. Government of New Zealand
  • El Omrani, O., Carmen, V. A., Bionat, J. F., Ghebreyesus, T. A., Fore, H., & Wickramanayake, J. (2021). COVID-19, mental health, and Young People's engagement. Journal of Adolescent Health. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jadohealth.2021.03.02
  • Radio New Zealand. (2020). Episode 15: Josiah Tualamaliʻi. Radio New Zealand. Retrieved April 12, 2022, from https://www.rnz.co.nz/programmes/the-outliers/story/2018746471/episode-15-josiah-tualamali-i-the-outliers.

References

  1. ^ Ministry of Social Development, Bridging the Gap - An interview with Josiah Tualamaliʻi. Ministry of Youth Development, retrieved 2022-04-12
  2. ^ a b "The Panel | Mental Health and Addiction Inquiry". mentalhealth.inquiry.govt.nz. Retrieved 2022-04-11.
  3. ^ Te Hiringa Mahara, Josiah Tualamali'i - Biography. Te Hiringa Mahara, retrieved 2026-03-12
  4. ^ Mana Mokopuna, [1]. Mana Mokopuna - Children's Commissioner, retrieved 2026-03-12
  5. ^ "Former Pupil wins Prime Minister's Award". Middleton Grange School. 2016-12-15. Retrieved 2022-04-12.
  6. ^ "Young Alumni Stories - Josiah Tualamaliʻi". The University of Canterbury. Retrieved 2022-04-12.
  7. ^ a b c "UC student wins PM's Pacific Youth leader award". The University of Canterbury. Retrieved 2022-04-11.
  8. ^ Steele, Monique (2016-12-07). "Empowering young 'Pacific champions' leads to PM award". Stuff. Retrieved 2022-04-12.
  9. ^ Mana Mokopuna, [2]. Mana Mokopuna - Children's Commissioner, retrieved 2026-03-12
  10. ^ Inspiring Explorers, [3]. Antarctic Heritage Trust, retrieved 2026-03-12
  11. ^ Carrying Christchurch south: a young historian to Antarctica, https://www.christchurchnz.com/about/news/christchurch-historian-antarctica. Otautahi Christchurch, retrieved 2026-03-12
  12. ^ "Appointments to the Psychotherapist Board of Aotearoa - 2019-go3153 - New Zealand Gazette". gazette.govt.nz. Retrieved 2022-04-12.
  13. ^ "An introduction to governance for Pacific people | IoD NZ". The Institute of Directors. 2021-04-23. Retrieved 2022-04-12.
  14. ^ Herrman, Helen; Patel, Vikram; Kieling, Christian; Berk, Michael; Buchweitz, Claudia; Cuijpers, Pim; Furukawa, Toshiaki A.; Kessler, Ronald C.; Kohrt, Brandon A.; Maj, Mario; McGorry, Patrick (2022-03-05). "Time for united action on depression: a Lancet–World Psychiatric Association Commission". The Lancet. 399 (10328): 957–1022. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(21)02141-3. ISSN 0140-6736. PMID 35180424. S2CID 246830234.
  15. ^ The Beehive.govt.nz, New Mental Health and Wellbeing Commission Board appointments. New Zealand Government, retrieved 2026-03-12
  16. ^ a b "BSA orders broadcast statement and $3000 costs against Magic Talk Afternoons with Sean Plunket". Broadcasting Standards Authority. 22 December 2020. Retrieved 2022-04-11.
  17. ^ McConnell, Glenn (2020-12-22). "MediaWorks fined for 'offensive and harmful' Sean Plunket interview with iwi about level 4 lockdown roadblock". Stuff. Retrieved 2022-04-11.
  18. ^ Anderson, Vicki (2021-06-14). "Pasifika petitioner moved to tears by 'surprise' dawn raids apology". Stuff. Retrieved 2022-04-11.
  19. ^ "Petition of Josiah Tualamaliʻi and Benji Timu : Apologise for the 'Dawn Raids' and enable education in Aotearoa about them - New Zealand Parliament". www.parliament.nz. Retrieved 2022-04-11.
  20. ^ Tualamali'i, Josiah (2021-06-15). "Advocacy, apologies, and new beginnings". Newsroom. Retrieved 2024-04-10.
  21. ^ "Government offers formal apology for Dawn Raids". The Beehive. Retrieved 2022-04-11.
  22. ^ Lewis, Lydia; Hawkins url=https://www.rnz.co.nz/international/pacific-news/472073/aotearoa-to-mark-first-anniversary-of-dawn-raids-apology, Koroi (2026-03-12). "Aotearoa to mark first anniversary of dawn raids apology". Radio New Zealand. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |url= (help); Missing pipe in: |last2= (help)CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  23. ^ Benji Timu and Josiah Tualamali'i, [4]. Youtube, retrieved 2026-03-12
  24. ^ Tualamali'i, Josiah (May 31, 2022). "A precious week, but I still hope for one more step to full inclusion".
  25. ^ Stuff.co.nz, [5]. Stuff.co.nz, retrieved 2026-03-12
  26. ^ Melissa Lama, [6]. New Zealand Parliament, retrieved 2026-03-12
  27. ^ Tina Law, [7]. Stuff.co.nz, retrieved 2026-03-12
  28. ^ Tina Law, [8]. Stuff.co.nz, retrieved 2026-03-12
  29. ^ "UC students vie for 2018 Young New Zealander of the Year award". The University of Canterbury. Retrieved 2022-04-11.
  30. ^ "Pacific Emerging Leadership Award". SunPix. 2019-06-20. Retrieved 2022-04-11.
  31. ^ "Entrepreneur makes 2018 Young NZ of the Year award shortlist". Te Ao Māori News. Retrieved 2024-03-04.
  32. ^ "Introducing your 2022 Semi-Finalists". nzawards.org.nz. Retrieved 2022-04-11.
  33. ^ Hartson, Gladys (2024-02-22). "Pacific people recognised as finalists in the New Zealander of the Year Awards 2024". TP+. Retrieved 2024-04-10.
  34. ^ Apolitical, [9]. Apolitical, retrieved 2026-03-12
  • Profile on Ministry of Youth Development website
  • Profile on the Institute of Directors website
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