PEP Talk

In this episode of PEP Talk, we speak with Ruta Tonumaivao — community leader, systems navigator, and co-founder of Tapasā Navigating Futures.

Ruta shares how her leadership journey didn’t begin in an office or a boardroom, but in a busy West Auckland home where multiple generations lived together and service to family was simply a way of life.

From helping her parents navigate systems as a child to supporting communities today, her story shows how leadership often grows quietly through responsibility, culture, and care for others.

This conversation explores:

• How culture shapes leadership identity

• Why service is stronger than status

• Navigating two worlds as a Pacific New Zealander

• Turning lived experience into community impact

PEP Talk shares real conversations with purpose-driven leaders building stronger communities.

Subscribe for more conversations with leaders creating impact.

(c) 2026 Purpose Empowered People Ltd

Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

In this episode of PEP Talk, Suitauloa Simon Young sits down with organisational coach and facilitator Colart Miles to explore what it really means to bring humanity back into business.

Colart shares his journey from sub-Saharan Africa to New Zealand, his experience working with startups and large organisations, and why he believes modern companies are still running on a 300-year-old operating system.

The conversation explores:

• Why many organisations treat people like parts in a machine

• How purpose shapes decisions and leadership

• The difference between mechanical organisations and human systems

• Why experimentation and failure are essential for finding purpose

• The “scout and pioneer” mindset that drives innovation

If you’re interested in purpose-driven leadership, organisational culture, or building more human businesses, this episode is for you.

(c) 2026 Purpose Empowered People Ltd

Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

In this episode of PEP Talk – the podcast for purpose-empowered people, we sit down with Tuilaepa Tumama Tu’ulua to explore what it truly means to build legacy and break barriers.

Born and raised in Ōtautahi (Christchurch), Tumama shares his journey from sport and education into consulting, community leadership, and anti-racism work — all grounded in a commitment to creating meaningful impact for future generations.

In this conversation, we discuss:

• The responsibility of legacy

• Breaking systemic and personal barriers

• Leading with values

• “Know better. Do better.” in action

• Building pathways for the next generation

This is a powerful conversation about purpose, leadership, and stepping into impact.

🎙 New episodes every week.

🔔 Subscribe for more conversations with purpose-empowered people.

(c) 2026 Purpose Empowered People Ltd

Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

Something powerful is growing in West Auckland — and this is just the beginning.

In this episode of Pep Talk, we share a major update:

• Salā Marie Young steps into the CEO role at PaCIVICa

• The vision to see a Pacific Prime Minister within 20 years

• How PaCIVICa was incubated through Purpose Empowered People

• Why leadership pathways must begin early — from prefect to Parliament

PaCIVICa exists to create the conditions for greater Pacific representation in civic leadership — not by accident, but by design.

As Marie shares in this episode, Prime Ministers don’t “pop out of thin air.” They are shaped by pathways, governance experience, and community support  .

We believe leadership should be normalised from a young age — so that Pacific voices are present at every table where decisions are made.

Purpose Empowered People (PEP) continues its mission to build strategy, systems and story — incubating bold ideas like PaCIVICa into reality  .

If this resonates with you:

Like. Subscribe. Share.

Because this is only the beginning.

(c) 2026 Purpose Empowered People Ltd

Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

Twenty years ago, Fonoti Pati Umaga broke his neck.

In a single moment, everything changed.

Paralysed from the chest down, he faced not just physical loss — but the loss of identity, independence, and certainty.

What he discovered next changed his life forever.

In this powerful episode of PEP Talk, Pati shares:

• The mindset shift that helped him rebuild

• The moment he confronted his own ableism

• How serving others gave him renewed purpose

• Why adversity doesn’t cancel calling

• And what YOU can learn when life doesn’t go to plan

If you’re serious about finding and fulfilling your purpose — especially when life feels unfair — this conversation is for you.

Purpose doesn’t disappear when life changes.
Sometimes it becomes clearer.

🔔 Subscribe for more conversations with Purpose Empowered People.

#PEPTalk #Purpose #Resilience #DisabilityAdvocate #Leadership

(c) 2024 Purpose Empowered People Ltd

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Season 2 of PEP Talk is here! 🎉

We open with a powerful kōrero featuring Lee Timutimu — Māori tech advocate, storyteller, and social equity leader.

In this episode, Lee shares his journey from reluctant leader to trailblazer, how his lived experiences shaped his advocacy for Māori data sovereignty, and why creating safe, empowered digital spaces for our people is more urgent than ever.

🌱 From founding Te Hapori Matihiko and Te Matarau to shaping kaupapa with Health NZ and universities, Lee reflects on identity, digital equity, and what it means to step into leadership when nobody else will.

🔍 What we talk about:

• How social justice pushed Lee into leadership

• The role of Māori data sovereignty

• Building digital communities for and by Māori

• Navigating the tech world with purpose

• Lessons from confronting NZ Tech

🎧 Listen now on Spotify, Apple, and wherever you get your podcasts.

📹 Watch full episodes on our YouTube channel + follow for more Purpose Empowered People.

#LeeTimutimu #PEPTalk #MāoriTech #DigitalSovereignty #IndigenousLeadership #KaupapaDriven #Trailblazer

(c) 2024 Purpose Empowered People Ltd

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Season One of PEP Talk wraps up with a reflective conversation on purpose, governance, community work, and what we’ve learned along the way.

In this episode, Simon and Marie look back on a year spent working alongside purpose-led businesses, social enterprises, churches, and community leaders — people doing meaningful work, often under pressure and with limited resources.

We talk about:

• Why clarity matters more than more ideas

• The hidden governance load carried by Pacific and Indigenous organisations

• What it really takes to move from vision to proof of concept

• Lessons from launching PaCIVICa as a civic leadership pilot and trust

• Why learning by doing beats theory alone

This is a conversation about purpose in practice — not perfection, not hype, but real people building real things in real communities.

Thank you to everyone who has supported PEP Talk through Season One. Season Two returns in 2026.

(c) 2025 Pacific Enterprise People Ltd

Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

Capitalism promises progress — yet many of us feel the system is breaking under its own weight. In this episode of PEP Talk, Simon and Marie explore a different way forward, inspired by Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer.

Drawing from Indigenous worldviews, the Honorable Harvest, and our relationship with whenua, they unpack what a values-aligned, relational economy might look like — one that honours people, planet, and purpose.

You’ll hear about:

• Why capitalism leaves so many behind 

• The Indigenous principle of reciprocity

• What it means to treat land and resources as kin

• The Honourable Harvest and its everyday relevance

• How business and Indigenous values can absolutely co-exist

If you’re exploring purpose-led leadership, social enterprise, or Indigenous thinking in modern business — this one will resonate.

✨ Join the PEP community: https://pep.nz

(c) 2025 Pacific Enterprise People Ltd

Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

Former Manu Samoa rugby player Pesetā Fa‘amātuainu To‘oto‘olea‘ava Lama Tone shares how a career-ending neck injury on the field redirected him toward a life of design, teaching, and cultural leadership. Now a Professor of Architecture at the University of Auckland and founder of New Pacific Architecture, Lama opens up about identity, resilience, and how Pacific concepts shape his work.

In this PEP Talk special (recorded in the Covid era, still completely evergreen), Lama reflects on:

• Growing up between Auckland and Samoa, and how village life shaped his values

• The injury in 2001 that left him briefly paralyzed and ended professional rugby

• Returning to university as a mature student, relearning essays, and rediscovering curiosity

• Being the only Pacific student in his architecture class and turning that tension into purpose

• His Master’s thesis, “Designing with Pacific Concepts,” and why culture belongs in contemporary design

• Navigating rejection during the global financial crisis and launching New Pacific Architecture

• The Pacific legacy of navigation — from wayfinding on the ocean to charting a career on land

If you’re looking for a story about reinvention, cultural pride, and creative grit, this one’s for you.

(c) 2025 Pacific Enterprise People Ltd

Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

What happens when faith meets strategy? In this episode of PEP Talk, hosts Salā Marie and Sui Simon Young share the behind-the-scenes story of how EFKS Sandringham partnered with PEP to transform their unused car park into a community-minded income stream.

You’ll hear how cultural values, smart partnerships, and a spirit of stewardship led to one of Aotearoa’s most inspiring social enterprise initiatives.

👥 Featuring:

Rev Dr Featuna’i Liua’ana & EFKS Sandringham

Stellar Car Parking

PEP (Pacific Enterprise People)

🌐 Learn more

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#PacificEnterprise #SocialEnterprise #SamoanChurch #PEPTalkPodcast

(c) 2025 Pacific Enterprise People Ltd

Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.