Introducing the Ministry's Strategic Leadership team ... ...

The Chief Executive

Dr Colin Tukuitonga

Colin Tukuitonga has been the Chief Executive of the Ministry of Pacific Island Affairs (MPIA) since June 2007, moving it through a new era of development.  He provides strategic leadership for the Ministry, building effective bridges between government, agencies and Pacific communities.

Dr Tukuitonga’s senior executive positions in New Zealand’s public health and tertiary education systems have equipped him with a broad knowledge of senior management within the state sector. 

He came to MPIA from a position as Associate Professor of Public Health (Pacific and International Health) at the University of Auckland, where he played a key role in establishing the Department of Māori and Pacific Health and Pacific Health Research Centre.

In his home country of Niue, Colin began his health career as the National Medical Officer and following this, held positions at the Fiji School of Medicine, Auckland Area Health Board and Northern Regional Health Authority.  He was appointed Director of Public Health and Medical Officer of Health at New Zealand’s Ministry of Health in 2001.

In 2003 he became Head of Surveillance and Prevention of Chronic Diseases for the World Health Organisation in Geneva. He has held advisory posts with other international agencies including the Secretariat of the Pacific Community and the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific. 

Colin’s postgraduate qualifications include a Master of Public Health and a Harkness Fellowship in Health Care Policy and Practice which he undertook at the University of California San Francisco.

The Directors

Magila Annandale

Director, Communications and Relationships

Magila Annandale was appointed Director of Communications and Relationships at the Ministry in May 2008. 

In this position, she leads a national team that focuses on building strategic communications, internal communications, and maintaining our vital relationships with key stakeholders.

Magila has extensive experience of strategic communications, writing for publication, media management, human resource and relationship management, especially with Pacific people.  In her role as co-director of a business focusing on communication for social change, she numbered amongst her clients public sector agencies such as the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Health. 

Her background in general management has encompassed organisational reviews and financial management. 

Magila is of Tongan and Samoan descent.  She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree and a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from Victoria University of Wellington.

Wayne Jack

Director, Corporate Services

Wayne Jack is the Ministry’s new Director of Corporate Services. 

He leads a diverse team, and plays a pivotal role in strengthening our management systems, information technology services, and human resource policies.  Units within the corporate team also have responsibility for governance issues, meeting ministerial and formal reporting requirements.

A Chartered Accountant, Wayne moved to MPIA from a position as Strategic Development and Business Support Manager at the Ministry of Civil Defence and Emergency Management.  He brings a wealth of logistic management experience from his role in New Zealand’s Defence Force, where he was a Supply Officer in the New Zealand Navy.  During this time he undertook a tour of duty as a United Nations Military Observer in East Timor, and operational deployments to the Arabian Gulf.

Dr Debbie McLeod

Director, Policy and Monitoring

Debbie McLeod is the Director of Policy and Monitoring. She was appointed to this position as a permanent staff member in December 2008, after a term on secondment from the Ministry of Social Development (MSD).

Debbie is an experienced public sector manager.  Before joining our Ministry in May 2008, she had been at MSD for four years, for most of that time as Manager of the Older and Working Age Research and Evaluation team in the Centre for Social Research and Evaluation.  She moved to the public sector from a position as Research Director for the Department of Primary Health Care and General Practice, University of Otago, Wellington.

Debbie’s team at MSD worked with internal and external stakeholder groups to provide research and evaluation evidence to support policy and delivery initiatives. The focus of their work was on families, people with ill health or disabilities, living standards, employment and barriers to employment.

In the Ministry of Pacific Island Affairs, she is leading a team that works on policy development at both central and local government level and is also involved in implementing and monitoring the effectiveness of strategies aiming to improve outcomes for Pacific peoples.

Debbie’s qualifications include a PhD and a Diploma in Public Health, both from the University of Otago.