Jigsaw is a social service that offers home-based social work, family and whānau programmes, family harm programmes and young parent support.
She was formally nominated through PACIFICA Incorporated (established 1977) and selected as part of New Zealand’s Government non-government organisation (NGO) delegation to CSW70.
Her work across community leadership, governance, and international policy submissions – particularly in areas of gender equity, racial discrimination and as an accredited Justice of the Peace – contributed to that selection.
Taonui said it was both an honour and a responsibility to be selected.
“To represent Pacific women and women in general, regional communities like Whanganui, and the social sector at a global forum is something I carry with humility,” she said.
“This appointment reflects not just individual leadership, but the collective work of many women and communities who continue to advocate for equity.”
Taonui has contributed to the UN before, through PACIFICA’s national leadership and international submissions work, by being involved in the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD) and UN processes addressing violence against women and girls and pay equity.
Taonui was born in Auckland during the era of the Dawn Raids in the 1970s, where the Government would raid homes of “over-stayer” immigrants to convict and deport them.
Pacific island families were largely targeted.
Taonui said it was a time that “tested the dignity and belonging of Pacific peoples in Aotearoa New Zealand”.
She was then raised in the village of Satoalepai on the island of Savai’i, Samoa, before returning to New Zealand in time for intermediate school.
Taonui later moved to Christchurch, completing a double major in Māori Development and Education and a Master’s degree in Māori law and philosophy.
In 2014, Taonui relocated to her current home of Palmerston North and joined the Palmerston North City Council’s community development team.
She co-founded Niuvaka Charitable Trust with Whanganui-based Lakina Sione and established a Pacific NGO provider in Palmerston North.
Taonui said her year involved with Jigsaw has reinforced that leadership is structural and relational.
“Women’s empowerment requires more than representation. It requires fair systems, sustainable funding models, cultural competence embedded in practice, and courageous governance that is prepared to make long-term decisions – not just short-term fixes,” she said.
“Relationally, transformation begins internally – our staff cannot operate at yesterday’s level in today’s environment.”
Taonui said trust is important in teams, family, funders and between governance and operations.
“As I often say at work, ‘you can only travel at the speed of trust’,” she said.
“Sustainable transformation does not happen through urgency alone – it happens when people feel safe, valued, and capable of stepping into the next level of leadership.”
Taonui said women’s equality is important to her because it is foundational to community wellbeing.
“I have worked across government, local government, iwi partnerships, and international frameworks,” she said.
“In every context, the evidence is clear – when women are safe, economically secure and in leadership, communities thrive."
She said her passion is intergenerational and is grounded in Māori and Pacific worldviews that see women as holders of knowledge, culture and collective stability.
At CSW70, Taonui will act as a liaison between New Zealand NGOs and the Government delegation, engage in Pacific, Indigenous and civil society caucuses, and speak on topics such as gender equality, violence prevention, economic empowerment and leadership representation.
She hopes to bring back to New Zealand international policy insights so that “what happens in New York strengthens what we build in Whanganui and across Aotearoa”.
“This is about translating global commitments into practical impact at home,” she said.
She also hopes to strengthen global networks and connections.
“I will be taking Jigsaw Whanganui and the mahi we do to an international platform – the work we do here is very much relevant to what CSW760 is all about,” Taonui said.
Fin Ocheduszko Brown is a multimedia journalist based in Whanganui.
