Pacific Women’s Sports Leadership Programme Expands: On-Island Workshops Coming To Fiji & Tonga

The Pacific Women’s Sports Leadership Programme, backed by the New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT), is taking a major step forward in June 2025 with on-island leadership workshops in Fiji and Tonga.

Delivered by Pasifika Sisters in Sport (SiS) and Women in Sport Aotearoa (WISPA), this initiative strengthens New Zealand’s commitment to gender equality, social inclusion, and leadership development through sport in the Pacific.

Building on Success: More Women, More Impact

The inaugural programme in March 2023 saw 10 trailblazing women from Fiji, Tonga, Samoa, and the Cook Islands come together in Auckland, New Zealand. Since then, many have launched grassroots initiatives, proving that leadership in sport goes beyond national organisations and it starts in the community.

With growing demand and continued MFAT support, the programme is scaling up to empower 40 more women in Fiji and Tonga through mentorship, cultural knowledge exchange, and leadership development that directly benefits their home communities.

On-Island Leadership Workshops: Removing Barriers, Deepening Impact

The next phase of the programme will engage 20 women in Tonga and 20 in Fiji, ensuring leadership training is accessible, culturally relevant, and embedded in local communities. Alumni from the 2023 cohort will work alongside local leaders, government bodies, and civil society organisations to drive sustainable impact.

These workshops aim to achieve the following goals:

• To support the development of women sport leaders by creating and cementing local networks, fostering connections, and communities of practice that champion improved equity for women and girls in sport and physical activity.
• To connect women sport leaders to local expertise, knowledge, and lived experiences, while inspiring grassroots action and change that benefits women and girls in these communities.

Pasifika SiS Chair Moana Leilua shares the excitement:

“Pasifika SiS are incredibly excited about the prospect of conducting workshops in the Kingdom of Tonga and the Friendly Islands of Fiji. The immersive experience will offer a unique opportunity for our sistas to equip themselves with tools to amplify their work, foster collaboration, and deepen connections on the island. We cannot wait to lean in with our sistas, as we centre our ways of being and knowing as Pasifika women who serve in sport.”

Women in Sport Aotearoa CEO Nicky van den Bos shares:

“WISPA look forward to sharing with a wider pool of women in Fiji and Tonga, the unique tools, frameworks and approaches to ‘leadership’ from our programmes and practices here in Aotearoa that will inevitably resonate and provide alternative ways of thinking and practicing leadership in their respective communities. We are appreciative of the support and trust of MFAT to co-design and co-deliver knowledge exchange initiatives for Pacific women driving positive change in grassroots communities’

Programme Dates

• Tonga: Tuesday 3rd – Thursday 5th June 2025
• Fiji: Tuesday 10th – Thursday 12th June 2025

Strengthening Leadership in the Pacific

Aligned with New Zealand’s bilateral development goals, the programme supports key priorities in both Fiji and Tonga:

• Tonga: Strengthening governance, vocational skills, and climate resilience through leadership in sport.
• Fiji: Boosting economic resilience, social well-being and gender empowerment, and governance and leadership.

About the Organisations

Pasifika Sisters in Sport (SiS) is a culturally driven collective committed to advocacy, leadership, and mentoring for Pacific women and girls in sport. Our mission? To elevate, inspire, and create equal opportunities across Aotearoa and Oceania.

Women in Sport Aotearoa (WISPA) is a leading voice for gender equity in sport, working to ensure all women and girls in Aotearoa New Zealand have fair opportunities to participate, compete, and lead in sport and recreation.

© Scoop Media