New SPC Director-General [1]
Friday, January 31, 2014 - 10:15. Updated on Friday, January 31, 2014 - 10:43.
Dr Colin Tukuitonga
Dr Colin Tukuitonga is the new Director-General of the Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC) based in Noumea, New Caledonia effective on January 23.
From Niue, Dr Tukuitonga has been the Director of SPC’s Public Health Division since December 2012, He was a member of a team that carried out an independent external review of SPC in the first half of 2012 giving him a sound understanding of SPC's operations, the SPC stated.
“He has first hand appreciation of the development challenges facing the Pacific and has more than 27-years experience after working in a variety of roles including as a clinician, academic, program manager and consultant adviser,” SPC stated.
Dr Tukuitonga has worked in Niue, Fiji, New Zealand and Switzerland, in senior roles including Chief Executive Officer of the Ministry of Pacific Island Affairs of the New Zealand Government; Associate Professor of Public Health and Head of Pacific and International Health at the University of Auckland, and Head of Surveillance and Prevention of Chronic Diseases with the World Health Organization in Geneva.
The outgoing SPC Director-General Dr Jimmie Rodgers has completed eight-years in the position.