Sir Collin Tukuitonga KNZM FISC is a Niuean-born New Zealand doctor, public health academic, public policy expert and equity advocate. He was appointed a Knight Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit, for services to Pacific and public health, in 2022.
Sir Collin is a Niuean Public Health Medicine Specialist currently Associate Dean Pacific at the University of Auckland Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences, Co-director for the University of Auckland Research Centre for Pacific and Global Health (Te Poutoko Ora a Kiwa) and Associate Professor of Public Health. Sir Collin is a career public servant with extensive experience in NZ, the Pacific and internationally.
Sir Collin has held several highly influential offices, including Director General of the Pacific Community (SPC), Commissioner and Co-ordinator for WHO Geneva, Chief Executive of the Ministry of Pacific Island Affairs and Director of Public Health, Ministry of Health. He was also instrumental in establishing Pacific Language weeks as an Aotearoa New Zealand government initiative, and in his home of Niue, he established the biannual Niue Culture and Arts Festival.
Sir Collin is one of our most prominent Pacific figures in the health sector in Aotearoa and globally. His voice was crucial in advocating for Pasifika during the Covid crisis in Aotearoa, and he has been consistently vocal in pointing to inequities for Pasifika in the health system and pushing for policy to impact Pasifika in better ways. He is currently Associate Dean, Associate Professor of Public Health and Co-Director for the Centre for Pacific and Global Health in the University of Auckland.
The page has been updated in October 2024.
