Championing Pacific voices

Avondale University research academic Professor Tracie Mafile’o has been appointed a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit (MNZM) in recognition of her outstanding contributions to Pacific and tertiary education.

Professor Mafile’o is associate dean for research and research training at Avondale, a Seventh-day Adventist university located in Cooranbong, New South Wales. Over more than 30 years, she has worked across universities in New Zealand and the South Pacific and has advocated for Pacific communities to lead their own research and tell their stories.

Reflecting on the recognition, Professor Mafile’o said the appointment affirmed work done in collaboration with others.

“This recognition is certainly an honour, and I thank God for His faithfulness and goodness in my life and career journey,” she said. “It is an affirmation that decades of work, not only in New Zealand but in the South Pacific region, and not alone, but in collaboration with other researchers, colleagues and research students, is making a positive difference. It means a lot that we all get to have this moment of gratitude and celebration!”

For Professor Mafile’o, faith is foundational to how she approaches research, leadership and working with people. “I have always sought God in major career decisions and bear witness to God’s leading in ways I never expected or imagined. My faith also has a lot to do with values of service and justice that underpin my approach. My Christian faith is a foundation from which my vision, passion and commitment flows,” she said.

Professor Mafile’o hopes the recognition will encourage broader support for Pacific research and emerging researchers across the region.

“We have so much untapped research potential across the Pacific—sometimes because of lack of opportunity to pursue research-based postgraduate degrees and sometimes because there has not been due recognition of Pacific research methodologies and knowledges. I hope that my recognition encourages the adoption of broader views about research and opens up more opportunities for emerging Pacific scholars to pursue their calling as researchers.”—Juliana Muniz