WOMEN OF THE ISLANDS - KOULA TUITUPOU KUTU

KOULA TUITUPOU KUTU

DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS, MEDIA & MARKETING FOR THE MINISTRY FOR PACIFIC PEOPLES

TONGAN

On Monday the 8th of November, the New Zealand Public Service Medals were awarded to ten people in a special presentation at the Governor General of New Zealands house. The New Zealand Public Service Medal is awarded to public servants who have given meritorious service. The medal recipients are people who demonstrate an outstanding commitment to New Zealand and New Zealanders, are exemplary, or a model for other public service employees, bring significant benefit to New Zealand or the public service and are exceptional and otherwise worthy of recognition.

Of the ten people awarded this year, one young woman - Koula Tuitupou Kutu - was the only Pacific Island recipient this year and the only Tongan recipient ever.

She shares a bit about herself and her journey into public service with us here ...

I was born in Auckland and raised in the South Island (Nelson & Christchurch) and I am of Tongan descent. I attended the University of Canterbury, graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Mass Communications. Following University, I went to Broadcasting school and completed a Diploma in Broadcasting and Radio. Over the past two years I have been working at the Ministry for Pacific Peoples (MPP) where I am the Director of Communications, Media, and Marketing. I connect people and communities through communications in digital channels, print and marketing - driving engagement to tell the story for our Pacific peoples.

Congratulations on the Public Service Day Awards honour you've just received! What were the pathways that led you to working for the Ministry for Pacific Peoples?

Malo ‘aupito! I am deeply honoured and grateful to have been chosen as a recipient of the Te Tohu Ratonga Tūmatanui o Aotearoa | The New Zealand Public Service Medal for meritorious service in the Public Service.

The Public Service Medal, established by the Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, was awarded to only 10 New Zealanders by Her Excellency, The Rt Hon Dame Cindy Kiro, GNZM, QSO, Governor-General of New Zealand and Deputy Prime Minister Grant Robertson.

Koula getting ready before the presentation with her family

My pathways that led me to working at the Ministry, was through my older sister Sela. She works in the Policy space in government, and I was always interested to see how I can contribute through the communications space.

I started off in the media industry working as a Radio announcer for NiuFM. In my role as a Radio announcer for NiuFM, I led and hosted the weekend shows and the night show. Where I had the privilege of leading discussions with our community around Pacific current affairs. I also had the opportunity to draft marketing campaigns for various stakeholders and as a result built some long-lasting relationships with the key Pacific media stakeholders, most of whom I am still friends with today.

Prior to working at the Ministry, I had been working in the private sector in both marketing and advertising roles. Here I gained experience in drafting communication and marketing plans and strategies etc. I believe that the combination of these skills and my experience has built me to lead the Communications space at the Ministry.

I joined the Ministry because I wanted to part of an organisation that helps creates better outcomes and opportunities for our Pacific peoples in Aotearoa.

What has been one of your most challenging moments working in the ministry?

COVID-19 Delta is a challenging time for our communities including my communications team especially with the change in alert levels. As a communications team our job is to ensure that we provide clear messaging on any changes made by the government and I am thrilled that we get to work alongside providers to ensure that this is done in different Pacific languages.

What do you love most or makes you most passionate about working for the Ministry for Pacific Peoples?

I love the people and culture at the Ministry – we are a small Ministry however we are the proverbial big fish in a small pond. Which means we have high visibility across key projects across government.

Being part of the Ministry, I get to advocate for our Pacific peoples and make sure we communicate the right information on a variety of platforms to support our Pacific peoples to grow in Aotearoa.

Koula at work with the Minister for Pacific Peoples Aupito William Sio and Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern

What is the best piece of advice you've been given?

At a young age my parents have taught me to work hard but more importantly to be kind and to give without expecting anything in return.

What do you love about being a Tongan woman today?

As a proud Tongan woman, I love that I can navigate the world through a Tongan and Mainstream lens. Each lens is adaptable to the other – but in all my work and engagements the foundation of which I work from is based on the Fa’i kavei koula aka the four core values of the Tongan culture:

Faka’apa’apa: acknowledging and returning respect
Anga fakatokilalo/loto tō: humility, and open to learning (evident in being teachable)
Tauhi vaha’a/vā: to be prepared to fight/take on the challenges of maintaining relationships (keeping the relationships ongoing, alive and well)
Mamahi’i me’a: loyalty, devotion and passion.

I love that I can take my cultural values into any aspect of my work and home life. I always hear people talking about the different hats that they wear and when they put them on or take them off etc. But in every role I have had I ensure I wear every hat! Because that’s my point of difference as a Tongan woman today.