Beatrice Famouina

BEST Pacific Institute of Education (BEST) today proudly announced that it had recruited Olympic discus thrower and leading New Zealand sportswoman, Beatrice Faumuinā OMNZ, Goodwill Ambassador of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, as Chief Executive of a new leadership academy and charitable foundation dedicated to training Pasifika leaders.

Faumuinā said “Both BEST and I share the vision of growing the number of Pasifika people in leadership positions in New Zealand businesses and community organisations.

“We need to lead our own people to be the solution to our own problems. We need to train and mentor Pasifika to be top leaders. I am personally as well as professionally committed to these goals.”

BEST Executive Director Anita Finnigan welcomed the news that Faumuinā had agreed to come on board to lead two exciting initiatives:

• The BEST Pasifika Leadership Academy will initially offer a Diploma in Pasifika Leadership that has been designed and tailored for Pasifika people. Dr Lester Levy of the University of Auckland Business School’s New Zealand Leadership Institute will be assisting with academic input and programme development; and

• The BEST Pasifika Leadership Foundation, a charitable trust, will provide a mentoring programme to students and others committed to growing their leadership potential and becoming top leaders for the Pasifika community. Mentors will be successful leaders in their own right, and will help aspiring Pasifika leaders to meet their full potential.

“Beatrice is the perfect choice to lead these initiatives because no-one better understands the determination and drive needed to reach the top” said Finnigan.

Today’s announcement builds on BEST’s position as a high performing Pasifika-focused Private Training Establishment (PTE). BEST was established 23 years ago and today serves a student population of over 2000. Pasifika students at BEST achieve qualification and course completion rates well above Pasifika studying at Polytechnics or other PTEs.

Faumuinā started as Chief Executive of the Academy on 8 November 2010.

Contacts: - Mai Chen (021 565709) for questions directed to BEST; or - Beatrice Faumuinā (027 7736321)