In 2026, Le Va welcomed four new emerging Pacific leaders to join our established Youth Advisory Group (YAG). Their mission – to help embed the youth voice into Le Va’s work that supports youth to unleash their full potential.
We’d like you to meet these exciting young people who will help guide Le Va on our continued journey to better support the wellbeing of Pacific youth in Aotearoa New Zealand.
Maya Blackman
Kia ora, my name is Maya Blackman, I’m a rangatahi Māori from Rotorua and I’m super passionate about supporting our young people, especially in ways that honour our ahurea (culture), tuakiritanga (identity) and hauora (wellbeing).
Through kapa haka, cultural advocacy and volunteering, I’ve learned how to connect with rangatahi and support them to thrive. To me, mental health is about the holistic hauora of rangatahi. It’s about having the support, understanding and safe spaces needed to navigate these challenges.
I’m committed to listening, amplifying rangatahi voices and creating solutions that resonate with not just my people and my culture, but the diverse range of cultures we have here in Aotearoa.
My hope for the Youth Advisory Group is to develop initiatives that support rangatahi wellbeing and to work alongside other young leaders to make a meaningful difference in our communities. I want to contribute in ways that are culturally relevant, inclusive and empowering for our rangatahi.
Levi Fa’amita Fa’ausuusu
Talofa lava, my name is Levi. I’m 23 years old, born and bred in Manurewa, South Auckland, New Zealand.
I work with the organisation Mapu Maia, where we provide free confidential counselling services relating to mental health, gambling harm and other addictions. I love the work that I’m doing, love the mahi and I feel like it really aligns with the mahi that Le Va has.
In terms of the youth role and what mental health means to me, I feel like our rangatahi today and our youth today, especially Pasifika, we battle a lot with cultural identity, expectations, shamefulness and stigma, as well as socioeconomic barriers. All these four things are a huge challenge for us Pasifika.
I believe that a solution to this is creating a system or creating tools for our rangatahi, for our youth to thrive as Pacific and Māori people.
Rouru Daisy Fuavao
Hi, my name is Rouru. My Papa is Tongan and my Nana is Cook Islands, and I am the eldest daughter of many siblings. One of my biggest blessings in life would be being the eldest – it’s given me a sense of responsibility and a lot of joy watching my younger siblings grow and supporting them whenever I can.
I first started working for the Tongan Youth Trust when I was in high school and it was such an eye opener to the struggles Pasifika youth face. It was then that my passion for youth advocacy ignited.
My hope for YAG is real change led by youth, for youth. I want to make sure the solutions that we create aren’t just theoretical and that they reflect the lived experiences of actual young Pasifika people. I want to leave a legacy of action, accountability and meaningful impact instead of words just on a paper.
Uelese Jason Motusaga
I’m a proud Samoan youth, Pasifika and community advocate, spoken word artist, writer and student leader. I come from the villages of Iva Tuana’i, Salagi and Saleilua.
For Pacific communities, mental health is still treated like a taboo topic, but I believe it’s essential to our identity and strength as tagata Pasifika. Now more than ever, especially for our young people, we need to prioritise and nurture it. We carry the hopes of our ancestors as we are the answers to their prayers. Part of honouring that is breaking silence, confronting trauma and building a future where wellbeing is openly supported.
Overall, my hope is that this Youth Advisory Group grows into a powerful platform where young people are safe, valued and culturally grounded and supported to lead real change, not just for ourselves, but for the future generations and for the Pasifika communities we represent now and in the future.
Learn more about Le Va’s Youth Advisory Group.
Le Va welcomed new and returning members to its Youth Advisory Group (YAG) at a two-day event on the wild west coast of Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland last weekend.
The event aimed to capture the collective voices, ideas and aspirations of all YAG members, to support their leadership journeys and create opportunities to further engage Pacific youth across Aotearoa.
Le Va chief executive Mati Dr Elizabeth Mati noted, “Our youth are deeply valued at Le Va. We honour their voice by ensuring they help shape the wellbeing spaces created for them, and we show that value by nurturing the vā, walking alongside them as they grow in confidence, leadership and purpose.”
A traditional Samoan Ava ceremony to welcome the youth set the tone for everything that followed, honouring cultural roots and adding solemnity and weight to the work ahead. It was a timely reminder that what the group does is more than just advisory, its service.
For many of the young people in the room, being welcomed in this way felt meaningful and mattered deeply. It proved that culture was the foundation the retreat was built on.
Throughout the two days, YAG members showed they were there to create positive change, to help design solutions that uplift youth and make a real difference.
When asked about the power of Pasifika youth, their responses spoke of family as their motivation, faith as a source of guidance, and collective strength as a community.
What was evident after the retreat was that our youth are the leaders of today – passionate, insightful and hungry for change.
Their reflections highlighted a shared sense of purpose and the desire to see young Pacific people in Aotearoa empowered, visible and thriving.
Learn more about Le Va’s YAG: Youth Advisory Group
New YAG members
Maya Blackman, Māori, Waikato/Rotorua
Uelese Jason Motusaga, Samoan/Tongan, Auckland
Levi Faamita, Samoan, Auckland
Rouru Daisy Fuavao, Māori/Cook Islands/Tongan, Auckland/Dunedin
Junior Lemalu, Samoan, Auckland
Returning YAG members
Athalia Moala-Oliver, Tongan, Auckland
Austin Laulu, Samoan, Auckland
Ceilidh Brown, Niuean, Waikato
Epeli Prescott, Tongan, Auckland/Dunedin
Gemma Elbourne-O’Rourke, Fijian/Wallisian, Auckland
Jessica Tupai, Samoan/Tongan, Wellington/Dunedin
Joshua Taefu, Samoan, Auckland
Le Va’s Youth Advisory Group came together at the end of July to talanoa about youth engagement on social media, putting together a plan to highlight International Youth Day on 12 August.
One of the key insights from our youth survey at Polyfest 2024 earlier this year was that our Pasifika young people often turn to social media to seek wellbeing support.
Instagram and TikTok were the top two platforms, receiving more votes than services like church, youth groups or face-to-face counselling.
As a result, the Youth Advisory Group (YAG) with support from Le Va’s Niu Wave team formulated a plan to relaunch Le Va’s TikTok account with some fun content to appeal to their peers.
In the countdown to International Youth Day, they worked together to bring their ideas to life, filming ‘get ready with me’ videos to share a snapshot of their daily lives.
International Youth Day 2024 arrived and the team launched a video they had filmed and edited themselves, in celebration of youth and talking about the legacy they want to leave behind.
Niu Wave project manager, Sonia Pope, said, “It was great for Le Va to see how our young people valued this collaboration and how they wanted to exercise their youth voice.
“It is important for us to celebrate young people and to continue collaborating with our YAG on Le Va initiatives. With their help, we can ensure we continue to connect with our young people in the digital spaces they occupy.”
At Le Va we are grateful to benefit from the advice of our dedicated Youth Advisory Group, and are excited to see the impact of their creative ideas in making our online presence even more vibrant and engaging.
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Check out our TikTok channel to get to know our YAG members!
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