Christine Finau Nurminen
Christine(Chris) Nurminen has a pioneering spirit and is a Pacific development executive with extensive governance and management experience in the not-for-profit sector in Aotearoa New Zealand. She is Tongan and the Director of Manava Partners – a consultancy she and her sister co-founded based on seeing the need to support Pacific women to lead. Using her MA(Hons) in Education, Chris has served as a CEO for a Crown-appointed charity, served as Chair on various charitable Boards and she now consults Pacific organizations to support strategy, funding and professional development. Chris values partnerships and the interface between Pacific and Māori women in protecting Pacific languages and cultural identities. She is married with two young children and is a published children’s book author.
Area of Expertise: Pacific women, indigenous knowledge, education, governance.
Website: www.manavapartners.co.nz
Favorite Quote:
“Take care of our children. Take care of what is ahead of us”
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Mark lives in New Zealand. He works as an orthopaedic and spinal surgeon in Wellington, New Zealand. He trained in medicine at the University of Otago, NZ where he met his wife, Dr Ate Moala. Mark completed specialist training in Auckland and Melbourne in adult and paediatric spinal surgery. For over 20 years, he has worked at the highest level of orthopaedic and spinal care. Mark sees his medical career as a profession and as a calling and a stewardship from God.
Lynn Rolston is a DISC Human Behavior Consultant and Communication & Leadership Coach who helps people feel seen, heard, and valued—at work and in life. She equips leaders, teams, and women in business with the tools to communicate with clarity, reduce conflict, and lean into their natural strengths with confidence.
Fononga Vainga Mangisi‑Mafileo is a Pacificleadership expert and Senior Advisor on Ocean Governance with nearly 20 yearsof national and regional experience. She has been at the forefront of Tonga’socean governance reforms, including drafting the Tonga National Ocean Policy andguiding the passage of the Ocean Management Act 2025, which establishesenduring governance arrangements, statutory institutions, Marine SpatialPlanning, and mechanisms for sustainable financing. These reforms provide areplicable model for integrated governance and long‑term resource stewardship.
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