Wise Group trustee Josiah Tualamali’i started with the group in December 2015 on the board of Le Va, and joined the boards of Te Pou and BluePrint in November 2020. He is most proud of the work across the group in leadership and care he has seen for those most left behind experiencing mental health and addictions challenges, and their whānau and communities.
Josiah is an activator for mental wellbeing, equity and Pasifika leadership, he is the youngest person to have been a panel member of a Government Inquiry (Mental Health and Addictions 2018) and that same year accompanied Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern to Samoa, Niue, Tonga and the Cook Islands to represent New Zealand’s young Pacific people. In 2016, he received the Prime Minister’s Pacific Youth Award for Leadership and Inspiration. Born in Dunedin and of Samoan Pākehā heritage, Josiah’s goal is to foster social agency, ensuring all New Zealanders’ voices are heard. A postgraduate student, he co-led the petition to parliament to #TautokoThePanthers calling for recognition of the dawn raids and successfully sought an apology from the Government.
