Aiga Pouoa (AJ) is a T3 paraplegic who is also a multidiscipline health and fitness professional, entrepreneur, and community contributor. Born in Christchurch, AJ spent time in Australia with her family before returning to Aotearoa. She was a budding rugby and rugby league player, as well as a boxing practitioner, before an accident in 2016 caused a broken back, ribs and puncturing her lungs.
In 2018 AJ won the Pacific Futures Pasifika Award for Health & Wellbeing for her work with Parafed, and was a nominee for the 2019 Attitude Trust Entrepreneur of the Year Award for Wheelie Active. AJ is the owner of Ryze Fitness Adaptive Studio in Avondale, and has featured on mediums such as Tagata Pasifika, The Maori Channel, Womens Days and others.
She hopes to create a fitness facility that is inclusive to people of all disabilities and encourage those who are struggling to find confidence within to uplift themselves.
Lavinia Lovo is a 24-year-old Samoan-Tongan Kiwi who is involved with various social groups as an advocate for the voice for young pacific people with disabilities.
She also works alongside the Ministry of Education to help make New Zealand's education system more accessible, adaptable, and inclusive in all aspects of learning-related resources and provisions. Lavinia's disability condition is called Spina Bifida. She was the Tōfā Mamao Collective Chair person for 2021-2022
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Daniel Te’o is a proud New Zealand-born Samoan who counts himself privileged to be serving and supporting, in the disability space for over 20 years.
Together with his beautiful wife, they are proud parents to 3 children. Daniel was diagnosed with an inherited and degenerative eye condition known as Retinitis Pigmentosa at a young age. Despite everything, Daniel believes that his inability to physically see the world, made room for the discovery what he calls “real vision from within”.
Daniel Te’o is connected to the village of Siumu through his father, and Lalomanu, Aleipata through his mother. Daniel currently serves as Project Advisor for Taikura Trust.
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Samoan born with vision impairment from the age of 17, Jacinta Tevaga is a strong advocate in empowering and encouraging “tagata sa’ilimālō” (Pacific peoples with disabilities) to fulfill their life potentials and dreams.
Jacinta is currently serving as an independent contractor working with Tangaroa Disability Collective as a Pacific Connector. Jacinta is Innovation Project Lead at Vaka Tautua, PIASS Trust representative for the Consumer Consortium (Ministry of Health) and a Board member for Taikura Trust since 2019.
She was a nominee and finalist at the Attitude Trust Entrepreneur of the Year Award 2018 for the Spirit Award, and holds a Bachelor in Social Service majoring in Disability through Otago Polytechnic’s Capable NZ pathway.
Tunumafono Fa'amoetauloa Avaula Fa'amoe, MNZM (Ava) is Chair of the Board of Directors of Vaka Tautua and Vice Chair of PIASS Trust. Ava helped establish the two organisations as well as Taikura Trust, where he is a former trustee.
Ava was an elected member of the Ōtara-Papatoetoe Local Board, Auckland Council; and previously served as the Chair of the Ōtara Community Board, Manukau City Council. Ava is currently a board member of the Community Law South Auckland, the Managing Director for Dauntless Blue and is the founder of Tōfā Mamao Collective.
Kramer Hoeflich was born and raised in the beautiful Cook Islands on the island of Rarotonga. At the age of 15, a spinal cord injury brought him to New Zealand, forever changing his life. Kramer currently works as Team Leader for Vaka Tautua's DIAS Coordinator team.
He is a strong voice for both the Pasifika and disability sector, and aims to bridge the gap between disability, youth, community & government.
Other hats & roles Kramer holds
Chairperson, Fai Va Ora Leadership Group
Panel member, Pasifika Future Makers (Foundation North)
Community Connector, PHAB Pasifika
Chairperson for Consumer Consortium Panel, Consumer Consortium (Ministry of Health)
Maungakiekie-Tāmaki Youth Rep, Youth Advisory Panel (Auckland Council)
Panel member, Disability Advisory Panel (Auckland Council)
Ambassador for Allied Medical Limited
Anele Bamber is of Samoan and European descent who grew up in South Auckland where she still lives today. Anele's background is in Graphic Design and Communications - she currently works at BBM Motivation in the Marketing and Communications team.
Anele's interest and support for the Tōfā Mamao Collective stems from her time working at Vaka Tautua and from seeing limited opportunities for pacific peoples with disabilities over the years.
As a Pasifika person who has a sibling with an intellectual disability, Anele understands the struggle of having to navigate the system and the access barriers that are presented in the disability community.
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