Sue Taei Ocean Fellows
Each of the Sue Taei Ocean Fellows brings the insights of traditional Indigenous knowledge to some of the most pressing challenges for sustainable development in the Pacific region. They exemplify the love that their villages raised them in, the empathy that is needed when in the face of adversity and the spirit of Sue Taei, whose passion for ocean conservation and dedication to mentoring future generations of Indigenous women leaders in the region carries on through their work.
2023 Sue Taei Ocean Fellow
Naima Te Maile Fifita
(Tuvalu descent)
2023 Sue Taei Ocean Fellow
Naima is a recent graduate of the William S. Richardson School of Law at the University of Hawaiʻi (Mānoa), where she studied environmental law with a focus on Pacific climate displacement and served as President of the Pacific Islander Legal Association. She also received certificates in Environmental Law and Native Hawaiian Rights. With familial roots in Tuvalu and family residing across the South Pacific, Naima is committed to collaborating with communities in the region to combat the effects of climate change with resilience and culturally appropriate restorative justice approaches. Her Pacific Islander and multicultural upbringing and world-embracing views have charged her engagement in numerous environmental spaces and discourses, particularly environmental justice non-profit work, legal research, education, and policy transformation.
The Fellowship supports Naima in documenting the experiences and perspectives of her Tuvaluan and Pacific community on climate change and statelessness. It aims to preserve their traditional ecological wisdom in the face of climate displacement. Naima also plans to pursue a Masters in International Environmental Law, focusing on climate migration and ocean diplomacy. Additionally, she hopes to create a program for collective capacity-building across Pacific communities, empowering them in environmental issues like resilience, advocacy, stewardship, and cultural connection.
2022 Sue Taei Ocean Fellows
Krystal Elizabeth Selwood Juffa
(Papua New Guinea and Samoan descent)
2022 Sue Taei Ocean Fellow
Krystal, a Law and psychology student at the University of the South Pacific, is a climate justice activist, human rights advocate, and champion for indigenous communities across the Pacific. She actively engages with Youngsolwara Pacific and is a Fellow of the Sue Taei Ocean Fellowship aiga. For over 15 years, Krystal has expressed her creativity as a poet, singer- songwriter, and artist. She utilises her artistic talents to raise
awareness on environmental issues and empower Pacific youth, emphasising the crucial role they play in their communities and the world. Krystal promotes unity and change through advocacy, firmly believing that any harm to nature or indigenous beliefs is a disrespectful act and a threat to livelihood. She also advocates for the sovereignty of West Papua, emphasising that no Pacific island nation can be truly free until this is achieved.
Iulah Pitamama
(Lauru Land Community Tribal Of Conference, Solomon Islands )
2022 Sue Taei Ocean Fellow
A provincial Fisheries Officer working in a male-dominated industry. The Fellowship will support her in gaining a post-graduate diploma in climate change, through the University of the South Pacific. The course will greatly increase her skills in navigating what she sees as a disconnect between national, provincial and community policies and actions in responding to climate change in the Solomon Islands.
She’s spent much of the last five years working with the provincial government on protecting and managing biodiversity, and responding to climate change threats and impacts. She also advocates at provincial level for informed choices for sustainable development, supporting the efforts of many local partners who are addressing regional conservation issues.
2021 Sue Taei Ocean Fellows
Te Aomihia Walker
(Ngāti Porou)
2021 Sue Taei Ocean Fellow
The Sue Taei Ocean Fellowship supported Te Aomihia’s participation in the six-month UNESCO Fisheries Training Program in Iceland where she developed her understanding of fisheries management, industry, and resource economics. The learning exchange was definitely two-way, with Te Aomihia sharing her knowledge of Te Ao Māori (Māori worldview) and Mātauranga Māori (Māori knowledge) with her teachers and fellow students.
Since her return, she has instigated a series of consultations to develop sustainable coastal policies and practices for her village and tribe. Her work to protect and advance the interests of Māori in marine environmental management has increasing importance at a local and national scale.
During her time as a fellow, Te Aomihia also spoke widely, at international meetings and in the media, about her work and the Fellowship. Highlights include being plenary speaker at the 2022 Arctic Circle Assembly and on an Indigenous Peoples Panel at COP27.
Tepoerau Mai
(Tahitian and Marquesan descent)
2021 Sue Taei Ocean Fellow
Based in New Caledonia, Tepoe has used the support of the Sue Taei Ocean Fellowship to further research on micro-algae, focusing on the risk of toxic and harmful micro-algae on human health and on shellfish farming. Ciguatera fish poisoning affects up to 200,000 people in Oceania annually. Through her fellowship, she gained the confidence to apply for the Young Talents 2021 L’Oréal-UNESCO Award For Women in Science.
The scholarship allowed her to travel to France for a month to work with specialists in toxic micro-algae at Ifremer laboratories in Concarneau and Nantes, identifying species present in New Caledonia and analysing the toxins produced by these organisms. She also presented her research to a global audience and attended a two-week mentoring intensive. In her final year as a fellow, Tepoe has co-authored four research papers, secured permanent employment in her field in Tahiti, identified a new species of marine sponge, and talked at local schools about the beauty of studying science.
Banner image (French Polynesia) © Photo Rodolphe Holler