In 2024, Cherie was awarded the Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit and a nominee in the Education section for the 2023 Wellingtonian of the Year. Cherie, a distinguished senior lecturer and scholar, is deeply invested in research areas such as mentoring, human development, identity, cultural change, and leadership within Pasifika and indigenous contexts. In 2000, she founded the highly successful mentoring program for Humanities and Commerce at Victoria University of Wellington. For over 20 years, she has been dedicated to providing leadership training to Pasifika students and various communities at Victoria University of Wellington. By establishing and nurturing valuable connections with Pasifika students and staff in tertiary education, Cherie convenes a leadership network and cluster group specifically tailored for Pasifika students. Her expertise and reputation have afforded her the opportunity to represent her field at national, regional, and international forums, speaking on leader development for emerging Pasifika leaders. Furthermore, Cherie has led leadership development programs for university students and communities throughout the Pasifika region. Her impressive track record includes leading research projects for esteemed organizations such as Ako Aotearoa, NZCER, and the Ministry of Education. Additionally, she has designed cultural training and education programs for a wide range of professionals, including judges, lawyers, optometrists, midwives, doctors, educators, teachers, youth workers, academics, and students.As a highly esteemed Phd and Masters supervisor, Cherie is widely sought after by students across New Zealand for her exceptional expertise in and empathetic approach to supervision. Her transformative research approach not only inspires students but also contributes greatly to pushing the boundaries of knowledge in their respective fields.


Leadership: Being able to operate as a Pacific academic, first and foremost, relies on the ongoing relationships and networks with members of Pacific communities. As a Pacific academic, my leadership is warranted in many external contexts, outside of the university. My work has been evident in government and tertiary reports as well as research-led transformational pedagogies. I am regularly invited to speak and represent in Pacific forums about my work with Pacific learners in schooling, Pacific communities and tertiary education. In line with this, I regularly engage with Pacific communities and use my scholarship to actively contribute to the wellbeing of the people within them. These activities range from attending fono/meetings to advising, advocating, supporting and promoting Pacific educational priorities in local and national forums. I accomplish the latter through speaking to a wide array of audiences, the media, workshops, through my research publications, through attendance at Ministry of Education, Ako Aotearoa, NZCER, TEC, NZQA, MOJ, Dept of Internal Affairs, other tertiary educational organisations, to name but a few.