Pacific alumni challenged to turn their success into opportunities for the next generation

MIT and Unitec’s Pacific alumni have a powerful opportunity to shape the future of Pacific success by connecting their professional achievements with the aspirations of the next generation, says Pacific Business Trust CEO and Unitec alumna Tracey Alenepi.

Ms Alenepi made these remarks during her keynote address to nearly seventy alumni and guests gathered for the Unitec Pacific Alumni event celebrating 50 years of Pacific success on Wednesday, 21 October 2026 at Mt Albert Campus.

Tracey reflected on her own experience studying at Unitec and how the support she received helped shape her confidence, sense of belonging and future career.

Now leading the Pacific Business Trust in Manukau, having graduated with a Bachelor of Business in 2011, Tracey urged alumni to look beyond celebrating their own achievements and actively create opportunities for those following in their footsteps.

Advocating for Pacific alumni networks to be more than just a meeting of graduates every year or so. They should be living communities that connect professional experience, business relationships, leadership and influence with the aspirations of current students.

“When one of us moves forward, we create the opportunities for others to move forward with us. That’s what makes a Pacific alumni community so powerful,” Ms Alenepi says.

Nearly seventy alumni and guests gathered to celebrate 50 years of Pacific success at Mt Albert Campus.

Tracey’s challenge was grounded in her own student journey and the difference a supportive learning environment can make.

As a young mother coming back to study in 2008, she recalled the support of the Pacific Centre staff being crucial in sustaining her during study.

“Looking back, it was a space where I could truly belong and work towards the future, I had imagined for myself and my family.

“Sometimes success begins by making someone feel like there is a place for them. It may be encouragement or someone saying they believe in you.”

Urging alumni to remember the students who may still be questioning their abilities or uncertain about where their education will take them.

“A student sitting in the Pacific Centre today may not know where their journey will take them or if they are good enough. Maybe they don’t need someone with all the answers but someone they can relate to who has walked in their shoes and can tell them just keep going.”

For Tracey, this is where the value of an alumni networks becomes tangible. Graduates who have navigated similar challenges can help open doors for others through providing opportunities they may not otherwise have received.

Pacific alumni were told they have a powerful opportunity to shape the future of Pacific success by connecting their professional achievements with current learners.

Tracey Alenepi says Pacific success goes beyond individual achievement and receiving a qualification, it had generational impact on families and communities.

“We don’t journey alone, we carry our parents, our children, our families, our communities, our churches, our villages – we carry the sacrifices of people whose names never appear besides ours on a qualification, or on our job titles, but whose love, prayers and encouragement, and sacrifice, helped us get there.”

Looking around the room, Tracey pointed to the wealth of knowledge, relationships, leadership, businesses, careers and professional networks represented among attendees that could be connected back to the current students.

Her challenge to alumni was to return to the institution with a purpose beyond attending an annual event.

“Those of you who have walked through these doors and gone on to establish careers, businesses, networks and positions of influence have an opportunity – actually, I would call that a responsibility – to come back, not just to attend an alumni dinner once a year,” she explained.

“When you’re sitting at a table where decisions and opportunities are being shaped, remember who isn’t sitting there yet. Because Pasifika success doesn’t just mean more of us in the room, success is when more of us create pathways for others to follow.”

The evening also featured a panel of Pacific alumni who reflected on their educational experiences and the support that helped them progress into leadership roles.

2019 alumna Sini Taunaholo-Ropeti Sini from reflects on her journey and how it launched her career in healthcare during the alumni panel session.

Panellists included Dr Linda Aumua, Head of the School of Healthcare and Social Practice; Leuluaialii Arieta Faapesolo Muaulama, Regional Pacific Nurse Case Manager at Counties Manukau Health; and Sini Taunaholo-Ropeti Sini, Health Promotion Team Leader for the National Bowel Screening Programme at Health New Zealand.

Their stories reinforced the importance of personal connection, culturally supportive environments and kaimahi ‘staff’ who understand the experiences of Pacific learners.

Leuluaialii, who studied for Bachelor of Nursing from 2006 to 2008 after moving to New Zealand from Samoa, described her time at Unitec as an “uplifting experience”.

“The staff were my village at the time, helping me to navigate the education system as I had only moved to New Zealand from Samoa.”

Sini, who began studying at Unitec in 2015 as a teenage mother, also recalled the strong sense of community and individual support she experienced.

“It didn’t feel like a uni, it felt like being part of a big family or community because they gave me so much one-on-one attention which helped me through my studies and be the best version of myself.”

Their experiences reflected how Pacific success is strengthened when learners feel supported, connected and able to bring their whole selves to their education.

Former Pacific Director and MC Seulupe Falaniko Tominiko brought his trademark humour and deep knowledge of Pacific culture to the programme. His Pacific Quiz proved a popular icebreaker, prompting plenty of laughter and conversation among alumni.

Attendees were also invited to contribute feedback through a Pacific Alumni survey, helping inform future initiatives, with spot prizes awarded to participants.

Director of Pacific Success Doana Fatuleai described the gathering as a fantastic celebration of Pacific success, connection and achievement, with alumni sharing their journeys and insights since graduation.

“The enthusiasm from attendees to support future Pacific alumni initiatives was a testament to the strong relationships built through the Pacific Centre,” Doana says.

The response also signalled an opportunity to build on those longstanding relationships as MIT and Unitec strengthen connections as a single organisation moving towards a single brand.

“Looking ahead to the MIT Pacific Alumni event on 27 November, coordinated by the Pacific Development Office, there is growing excitement about the opportunities to build a united Pacific alumni network across our merged organisation and strengthen connections for years to come,” Ms Fatuleai says.

The next gathering at Manukau Campus brings the focus to MIT’s Pacific alumni and extending the conversation about how graduates can contribute to future Pacific success.

As Tracey reminded the room, the measure of Pacific success is not simply how far individuals travel, but how many others they help move forward along the way.