Project Manager with more than 8 years of experience in the education sector as a secondary school teacher, more than 2 years of experience in the business development sector as a business manager in development banking and more than 10 years in the field of environment, climate change and disaster risks management and resilience building working with donors, development partners and stakeholders. I have over 10 years experience in project management working in 15 countries in the Pacific region. These experiences includes capacity building, business developments, disaster risk management/reduction and climate change adaptation, mitigation and finance, climate science information, biodiversity and land degradation.
I have represented Nauru, Fiji and SPREP at the UNFCCC Conference of the Parties (COP) and familiar with the UNFCCC processes and procedures in coordination, monitoring and reporting to the UNFCCC secretariat. In addition, I was the development of the Third National Communication Coordinator for Fiji and experience with building capacity by mainstreaming multilateral environment agreement (UNFCCC, UNCBD and UNCCD) into inter-ministerial structures and mechanisms across Fiji Government and non-government organizations.
Co-founder of Takutea O Kiva Ltd (TOK Consulting), a Cook Islands based consultancy company that works exclusively on projects occurring in the pacific, with a team wholly comprised of indigenous pacific based professionals.
Positions held include CEO of the Cook Islands Chamber of Commerce, Business Operations Manager for Avaroa Cable Limited Cook Islands, Business Improvement Manager for Southern Cross Health Society NZ, and Project Manager for Vodafone NZ.
Passionate about climate change, disaster risk management, business mentoring, and the holistic involvement of indigenous communities in Country planning activities. Advocate at heart for openly sharing knowledge and forming new connections.
James Lewis, Director of Intercoastal Consulting, is a certified practicing civil engineer with over 15 years of experience specialising in coastal engineering throughout Australasia and across the Pacific. He has a broad knowledge of coastal protection design, integrated coastal management and surf amenity. James’s skills extend outside the office where he has led large-scale metocean deployments, analysing the data captured in the field to calibrate numerical models used to inform coastal design.
He has focussed the last 10 years of his career on working in Small Island Developing States (SIDs) in climate change adaptation, concerned primarily with developing climate-resilient coastal protection. James aspires to see the design phase through to implementation; having supported procurement, and contracting and undertaken construction supervision on large projects in remote locations. He aims to provide value and support through the complete project lifecycle including the social, financial and institutional aspects of these projects, endeavoring to understand the administrative, governmental and funding mechanisms specific to each country and community and their relation to the delivery of a successful project.
Using his knowledge of coastal engineering, the ocean and the environment, James’ primary endeavor is to assist coastal communities most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change.
- 4 years in the finance industry
- Large scale project management change projects/programmes across diverse sectors and industry such as education, organisational change, social development, corruption, gender, equality, disability, social inclusion, equity, and Pacific development
- Capability development expertise - training and development proven experience in human centred design and train the trainer concepts.
- Masters in Advanced Leadership Practice (Massey University NZ)
- Specialise in building high performing teams by living ones vision, mission and culture
Safeguard Manager (Consultant) - South Tarawa Water Supply Project (GCF, ADB, WB)
National Climate Change Coordinator - Office of te Beretitenti/ President - Kiribati
Assistant Project Manager - Third National Communication (TNC)
Volunteer - Environment and Conservation Division
Joe is an experienced policy advisor and strategist who has worked on climate issues in Australia, New Zealand, Europe and the Indo-Pacific since 206. He is currently working on the NZ Emissions Reduction Plan, National Adaptation Plan and advising on mitigation, Article 6 and International Carbon Markets for NZ's Climate Directorate.
His previous work includes providing diplomatic, strategic and technical advice for Pacific leaders at the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), providing advice and designing campaign strategies for regional and international civil society organisations (incl. Greenpeace, Caritas, BOGA, Fossil Fuel Treaty), and helping clients achieve their strategic objectives through cross-sector engagement and partnerships.
Joe is a Samoan and has sound understanding of the cultural nuances required to engage with Pacific leaders and communities and has an extensive professional network among Climate professionals, civil society and community groups which enables him to work collaboratively throughout the region to achieve the objectives of his clients and Government partners.
Leanne has 25 years of experience designing and coordinating the successful delivery of projects all over the world in the Pacific, Caribbean, and Southeast Asia, including tracking the implementation of projects to drive successful outcomes. She has a background in natural resource management (community-based conservation and livelihoods), disaster risk management, and adaptation and resilience.
Leanne has worked with a range of government, multi-lateral donor, regional development, local government, and non-government organizations. She has worked as a strategic and reserves planner for the New Zealand Department of Conservation; a Community Development Officer in the Preah Sihanouk UNDP national park project in Cambodia; and spent half her working life working with the UNDP Global Environment Facility (GEF) on the large and Small Grants Programmes (SGP). Initially with the SGP in the Eastern Caribbean, later in the Pacific with co-financing from NZ MFAT and Australia DFAT, and subsequently managing the introduction and implementation of climate change adaptation funding for all SIDS eligible for SGP grants. Leanne has also worked as part of the three-person project management unit for the GEF/SOPAC Integrated Water Resource Management programme in the Pacific. She has also worked on the EU-funded Caribbean Regional Environment Programme establishing amenity areas including design and participatory monitoring frameworks as well as conducting regular monitoring during implementation.
As Senior International Programmes Manager for Disaster Risk Management, Climate Change Adaptation & Humanitarian Response in the Pacific and South Asia, administered by Save the Children New Zealand (SCNZ), Leanne co-designed projects, co-developed monitoring frameworks, conducted regular monitoring and reporting, and facilitated mid-term reviews and external evaluations for SCNZ’s resilience programming. She represented SCNZ on the National Disaster Relief Forum (2016 & 2020); represented SCNZ on the SC International Global DRR technical working group; Pacific DRR technical working group; Asia Regional Office Climate Change DRR technical working group; and the MFAT NZ DRR Working Group. She currently leads monitoring and evaluation for the MFAT Africa Geothermal Facility to ensure the Facility meets targets and advises sub-contractors on developing aligned impact measurement frameworks.
Her experience in the Pacific includes work in Fiji, Tuvalu, Nauru, Kiribati, Samoa, Niue, and the Cook Islands, among others. She has worked from the policy/government to the NGO, CSO and community level and is an advocate of approaches that build local capability and foster local leadership and engagement at all levels.
Leanne has experience in the local context of climate change on Tuvalu: she served as the lead consultant in the Early Warning Early Action project by the IFRC Climate Center 2021 - 2022, conducting research, working with local research teams (remotely), and producing final reports for Tuvalu and Palau. She has also supported Tuvalu counterparts in her regional coordination roles on the GEF IWRM project, GEF SGP, and MFAT Pacific Environment Fund. Leanne understands the reality of human resource limitations within the Tuvalu government, the critical role NGO stakeholders play in resilience and adaptation in Tuvalu, as well as the challenges of communication and travel to the outer islands. Leanne will bring her skills in successfully implementing and tracking programmes, her experience in the Pacific and her many years of experience in international development to support the team in the development of Tuvalu’s National Adaptation Plan.
I'm a trained Environment & Climate Change Adaptation Practitioner/Specialist with over 10 years of practice and consultancy experiences. Provided technical advice to Governments of Fiji, Kiribati, Solomon Islands, Tonga and Vanuatu on policy changes, marine resource use, climate change. Area of expertise includes; policy analysis, environment management systems, V&A, M&E, mainstreaming climate change adaptation interventions into planning processes, MPA, community engagement and workshop facilitation. Authored book on, Climate Change Adaptation and the Coastal Zone of S.Tarawa (2014), "Kiribati: the inter-linkages and the array of adaptation barriers and limits". Co-authored the "Kiribati Second National Communication Report to the UNFCCC" (2013) and other technical reports.
