Page 16 - IB December 2024

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HOPE LIVES

LEADERS BEHIND THE SCENES

In every Pacific nation, people contribute in meaningful Funaki shows that passion is an invaluable trait in good
ways to the lives of their people. leaders.
We have highlighted some of that work in the pages of
Islands Business, our sister publication, Fiji Traveller, or Ralph Regenvanu – Vanuatu
through electronic media. For more than a decade, Ralph Regenvanu has served the
While some of the best contributions to the Pacific are people of Vanuatu as a Cabinet minister, parliamentarian, and
made by leaders and public figures, there are countless activist.
private citizens who go about their daily lives without fanfare Regenvanu rose to prominence in Vanuatu’s scene as a
while making immense impacts to national development promoter of cultural knowledge preservation and sustainable
through their work. development. Later, he dabbled in painting and drawing but it
We pay tribute to some of these quiet achievers and to was his research that allowed this proud ni-Vanuatu to make
those whose contributions are more public. valuable contributions at the United Nations and international
fora on issues of sustainable development and cultural
Ratu Wiliame Katonivere – Fiji preservation.
When Ratu Wiliame Katonivere was pulled from the relative His brand of politics has been at grassroot level, holding
obscurity of provincial leadership in northern Fiji to become regular conversations with the people about matters of local
Head of State, he was not a well-known person. and national interest.
Chief, farmer and territorial soldier, Katonivere was the In the Pacific, the use of public funds by politicians to
figurehead leader of the political party FijiFirst, in which further personal gain has become a sad reality. Regenvanu,
he was overshadowed by disgraced Prime Minister, Frank however, used his parliamentary allowance to help finance
Bainimarama, and Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum. student scholarships and youth business projects.
Two years into his political appointment as President of He is a model leader, an example to which both old and
Fiji, Katonivere showed his true mettle when FijiFirst was young should aspire if they truly wish to serve their people.
defeated at the polls.
Katonivere’s stoicism in the face of pressure from Ariana Kilner – Marshall Islands
Bainimarama and Khaiyum to reject the election results Violence against women continues to rise across the Pacific,
proved critical to the smooth transfer of power. For two usually at the hands of intimate partners or family members.
years, he showed calm, committed leadership. This is the scourge Ariana Kilner attempts to end through
And at the end of his four-year term, Katonivere did what her work in the Republic of the Marshall Islands, where the
most Pacific leaders find extremely difficult – he gave up his violence of nuclear testing also contributes in many ways to
position and returned to private life. violence against women and girls.
Katonivere is an example of how heads of state must About 70 years after the first nuclear tests on Bikini Atoll,
remain apolitical, despite their political beliefs. the Marshallese continue to face health issues caused by the
fallout.
Aunofo Havea Funaki - Tonga Kilner is one of the few who dare speak out on the national
On Vava’u in Tonga, Aunofo Havea Funaki runs a number of and international scene against the United States and its
small businesses, including whale watching tours for tourists refusal to act justly towards the victims of nuclear testing.
in waters around the island. As chairperson of the Marshall Islands National Nuclear
A central theme of Funaki’s business is respect for, and Commission, Kilner leads the efforts towards achieving better
conservation of, the giant mammals which transit through health intervention for victims and justice for survivors.
Tonga on their journey from north to south or vice versa. She has assembled a young but formidable team to raise
When she’s not with the whales, Funaki tries to keep awareness about an issue many politicians in the US, United
traditional ocean voyaging alive, sailing on board the Kingdom, and France, wish would go away.
Hinemoana II to introduce young people to conservation and Kilner shows through her work that age is no barrier to
navigation. providing credible, thoughtful leadership.
This month, the Hinemoana II is in Auckland after sailing
from Vava’u via Tongatapu with a mainly female crew. This list was compiled by the Islands Business team
The cost of keeping traditional voyaging alive is not
inexpensive, and much of the funding in Tonga has been
provided by Funaki because of her love for the ocean and
tradition.

16 Islands Business, December 2024