Mary Jane Kivalu has joined the Transparency International New Zealand (TINZ) team as the Project Manager of our network for South Pacific communities.
She will be connecting South Pacific people and their anti-corruption communities in New Zealand and the South Pacific region, to our anti-corruption messages. The aim is to extend the reach of our common messages on the importance of integrity, accountability and transparency, within a South Pacific context.
Mary Jane is of Tongan descent; her father hails from Noapapu, Vava’u and her mother comes from Nomuka, Ha’apai. She is the second eldest of 7 children and was born and raised in Otara, South Auckland.
She currently holds roles in other sectors such as tertiary education, sports governance, community and also tertiary student networks. Mary Jane holds a Bachelor of Commerce (BCom) and a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Otago, where she is currently pursuing a Doctor of Business Administration (DBA).
During her studies, Mary Jane has held multiple roles in the Otago Tongan Students Association (OTSA), New Zealand Tongan Tertiary Students Association (NZTTSA), University of Otago Pacific Islands Students Association (UOPISA), and Tauira Pasifika (TP).
Her highlights in these roles include leading the movement that resulted in reinstating the Pacific seat back onto the Otago University Students’ Association (OUSA) Executive, and also the progressive development of the national Tongan tertiary student conference called Ama-Taki-Loa.
Mary Jane is passionate about the vision of fostering transparency in Pacific communities. “Transparency is about being honest, which is an important value for Pacific people. This network is an opportunity for our leaders to work together to foster that value in our people. We need to highlight the important purpose of transparency in supporting the greater good” says Mary Jane.
“Often the fear of exposure of truth becomes the reason behind non-transparency, which is common for humanity. But Pacific people have always been about the collective rather than individuals. When leaders realise the true impact of corruption, non-transparency and lack of integrity on our Pacific families and communities, we will be making huge progress.”
Welcome to TINZ, Mary Jane!
