Tavake Fangupo
Game Development Manager, NRL, Tonga
Bio to come.
Marg Armstrong
VSA volunteer with Nishi Foundation, Tonga
Malo e lelei.
My name is Marg ArmstrongI am a Food and Nutrition Teacher by trade. I have a passion for healthy lifestyles and have always been drawn to information and viewpoints on nutrition and benefits of exercise.
I completed my assignment mid-April 2019, after spending a year in Tonga helping develop a Health and Wellbeing Programme for Primary School students. My main focus was to develop a series of lessons on nutrition complete with teaching aids. This was to help my Tongan counterparts have a structure they could use when delivering lessons to all the Government Primary schools in Tonga including the outer islands. Along with this, I worked with Principals of schools to try and help influence healthier school environments and encourage community involvement.
Through the partnership with National Rugby League, who had a sound track record delivering a programme on Physical Education over the last three years to Primary Schools, we were able to move forward positively and have our new enhanced lessons ready for delivery for 2019.
Andre Whittaker
Director Child Rights, UNICEF
Andre Whittaker is the Director Child Rights at Unicef NZ leading a domestic advocacy & child rights team focusing on tamariki, rangatahi & whānau in Aotearoa.
Formerly held the position of project manager Sport & Corporate Relationships championing sport for development and managing an international partnership between Unicef's global offices & NZ Rugby. A key priority for Andres current work is developing the organisations indigenous engagement framework with tangata whenua & exploring the implications this may have for Unicef's work in the pacific and with other indigenous peoples. He is of Tahitian and Rarotongan heritage, born and raised in Aotearoa. Formerly chaired the Wellington Pacific Leaders Forum.
Dr Rochelle Stewart-Withers
Senior Lecturer, Massey University
Dr Rochelle Stewart-Withers (Te Āti Awa) is an academic with the Institute of Development Studies at Massey University in Palmerston North.
Her research critically explores the potential of sport as a means for improving economic and social outcomes in developing countries, especially at the community and household level.
She has been particularly interested in how sport is used as an entry point into communities when looking to address issues such as gender-based violence. Also the ways athletes and communities see sport to be a livelihood option. All of her research has been undertaken in the Pacific region. She is Chair of one of Massey University’s Human Ethics Committees.
Prior to moving into the development sector she was a registered nurse for 16 years, mainly in the mental health sector and this interest in mental wellbeing continues today with her role as member of the board with the New Zealand Mental Health Foundation.
Most importantly though, she is partner to Pete and mum to 5 amazing young people ages 21-16.
Theo Dorfling
Team Doctor, Hurricanes Super Rugby Team and Sports Medicine Doctor & Registrar, Capital Sports Medicine
Married to Michelle and have three children aged 24, 21 and 17. I did my primary medical training in South Africa before moving to NZ in 1995.
I completed my General Practice Fellowship through the Royal New Zealand College of General Practitioners and is currently in my final year of Fellowship in Sports Medicine through the Australasian College of Sports and Exercise Physicians.
I am the team Doctor for the Hurricanes Super Rugby Team and work as a Sports Medicine Doctor and Registrar at Capital Sports Medicine. As part of the latter I also do work at the NZ School of Dance and Royal NZ Ballet. In my free time I like to read, listen to music and go to the gym.