NAVEI Inc - Board of Control

Mr Tevita Vaikona - Chairperson

Tevita is a professional rugby player who now lives with his family in Paris, France after spending 14 seasons in the UK where he played both rugby codes; League and Union. He has represented New Zealand rugby league at University level, Junior Kiwi and selected for the New Zealand Kiwis.

Tevita played for his country of birth; Tonga - in both rugby league and rugby union. He has captained the Tonga National Rugby League Team and has also represented Tonga in the Commonwealth Games. Tevita was once voted the best rugby league winger in the world.

He is currently reading Theology, and has a degree in Management Accounting. Tevita has been involved in organising community based sports tournaments in Tonga since 1997 and is currently developing rugby programmes in the Ha’apai Island group.

Dr Tule Fanakava Misa - Vice-Chairperson

Dr Tule Misa lives with her husband and their son in Christchurch, New Zealand. She is a Senior Dental Officer currently working for the School and Community Dental Services under the Canterbury District Health Board. Dr Misa grew up in Tonga and after high school embarked on her dental surgery training in the Fiji School of Medicine, where she graduated with her basic dental surgery degree in 1998.

From 1999 - 2001 Dr Misa worked in Tonga spending time in the outer islands as a Dental Officer for the Tonga Ministry of Health. She received her Post Graduate Diploma in General Dental Practice from Otago University, New Zealand in 2002. Dr Misa is finishing her specialist training in the area of public health dentistry.

Dr Tule Misa regularly gives health seminars to; high school students in Christchurch, Pacific Island communities, churches and small group discussions; informing them of key preventative actions to avoid loosing teeth and maintaining good dental health.

Mrs Kalolaine Moeaki - Secretary

Mrs Kalo Moeaki works for the Tonga Government Ministry of Education as a Senior Education Officer. She has an MBA from the University of the South Pacific, Fiji. Kalo has been responsible for many Education Development Projects that are funded through foreign countries aid programmes such as, NZAID, AUSAID, Japan and European Union.

Kalo either sits on the committee that manage many of the Ministry’s Partnership Projects or she is the Officer in Charge. Some of these projects includes: Vava’u Sector Program (2003), NZAID In-Country Scholarship Review (2005/2006); PRIDE Project - Pacific Regional Initiative for Delivery of Basic Education (2005 to date). She has been the Officer in Charge for projects such as; the World Bank and NZAID funded School Grant Programme under the Tonga Education Support Programme (2007 – 2009).

Kalo is also involved in local community organisations. She is an advisor to the Catholic Fe’ofo’ofani Youth, and has been a Tutor for the Tonga Gospel Youth Rehabilitation Programme.

Mr Tu’ivaita Ueleni - Assistant Secretary

Tu’ivaita Ueleni holds an MA degree in Physics from Massey University New Zealand. He is a full time teacher. Tu'ivaita has also been a rugby coach for almost fifteen years, and currently holds an IRB level three coaching qualification.

He has coached at all national levels culminating in 2002 when he took over as head coach of the Tonga national Rugby Team ‘Ikale Tahi. He took time off briefly from national coaching, but is back as a member of the National Coaching Team for the Rugby World Cup 2007 in France.

Tu'ivaita is the Operational Director of the Lavengamalie Rugby Club, one of the most successful local rugby clubs in Tonga. He was manager of the Lavengamalie Cup, one of Tonga’s biggest rugby tournaments, for many years and was the tournament coordinator for the IRB Pacific Cup in 2006 - its launch season.

Dr Viliami Uasike Latu - Treasurer

Dr Latu sits on many governing boards; The Tonga Universities Association, The Vava’u Food Security Inc , Vava’u National Board for Bridges and Public Roads Inc, Member of the International Convention of Asian Scholars, The Tonga History and Lo’au  Association, amongst many others.

His interest and expertise is Asia-Pacific politics where he was awarded a Doctorate (Asia-Pacific Studies) in 2006 from Asia Pacific University, Japan. He has taught in local high schools, and a guest lecturer in social, political and cultural issues in the Pacific and Asian Universities. Dr Latu has many published and unpublished works focusing on Tongan politics.

Dr Latu has worked for the Tonga Prime Ministers Office since the year 2000, where he is involved in many of the Government International affairs such as the Government Satellite Delegation, Developing Policy and Regulatory Framework for Developing Economies of the South Pacific. Dr Latu is a Principal Assistant Secretary in the Prime Minister Office.

Dr ‘Emeline Fonua - Assistant Treasurer

She started working at Palmerston North Hospital as a Junior House Surgeon the same year she graduated, where she took special interest in Cardiology. At the beginning of 2006 through a series of coincidences Dr Fonua move to Tonga and start working at Vaiola Hospital.

‘Emeline is an active member of her former high school (Queen Salote College) Ex-student Association and heavily involved with fundraising to help the school. Although relatively young, Dr Fonua has valuable experience and knowledge of health issues in the Kingdom of Tonga.

Mrs 'Ilimalei Kalaniuvalu

‘Ilima has a wealth of cultural experiences having studied in London, Wesley College New Zealand and Queen Salote College, Tonga. Between 1987 and 1990, ‘Ilima studied at the Youth with a Mission campus in Kona, Hawaii before going to New Zealand where she earned a diploma and a degree from Auckland Institute of Technology in Youth Development.  In 1998 she returned to Tonga where she began her career at the Ministry of Education.

Mrs ‘Ilima Kalaniuvalu is an Assistant Senior Training Officer for the newly established Ministry of Training Employment Youth & Sport.  Her work aims to provide skill sets to Tongan youth who struggle to find employment.

`Ilima is responsible for the ‘Youth Micro-enterprise Project’ which is one of the main initiatives of the Ministry of Employment and Training. Its aim is to encourage and train youth in entrepreneurial skills which hopefully generate new avenues of employment and encourage local businesses.

Mr Bryan Mason

Bryan Mason is a Physical Education specialist from Loughborough University with a Masters degree in Education from Leeds University. He taught in secondary schools for 30 years taking early retirement as a Deputy Headmaster in order to join ‘Christians in Sport’ as their National Coordinator for Church Sports Ministry. He is now the European Director for C.S.R.M (Church Sports and Recreational Ministry), an American based sports ministry with international vision.

Bryan, together with his son Ben, has recently pioneered ‘Higher Sports’ – an 8 week coaching and Christian teaching course for churches. The first sport to be launched in the summer of 2007 is ‘Higher Rugby’. Bryan is the author of ‘In to the Stadium’, an active guide to church sports ministry and a university text book in many U.S.A Bible Colleges and Universities.

Elizabeth Baker works for the National Reserve Bank of Tonga as Manager for the Bank IT and Administration department. She went to Tonga High School and was the school’s Girl Head Prefect. Pesi went on to Massey University in Palmerston North, New Zealand graduating with a degree in Computing and Technology.

Pesi is highly regarded for her singing ability, a talent that makes her a well known figure in the Tongan communities. She has recorded gospel music throughout the years and has taken music groups to New Zealand, Australia and the United States.