Sefa Joseph Faletanoa’i: A Journey of Innovation and Community Leadership
Sefa Joseph is a dynamic and multifaceted leader whose career spans across business development, media, and community initiatives. Sefa’s journey is demonstrated through the power of resilience, innovation, and the importance of community.
From a young age, Sefa’s aspirations were driven by a desire to overcome challenges he saw in his family. Initially motivated by the goal of financial success, his path led him to study theatre and film at Canterbury University. However, it was his foray into sales and business that ignited his passion. Working for YooBee, Apple’s representative in New Zealand, Sefa discovered a love for technology and business development, which paved the way for his current role as the Business Development Manager at Ara Institute of Canterbury.
Sefa’s career is marked by a series of adventures and pivotal moments. One such moment was his unexpected entry into the world of children’s television, which opened doors to the film industry. Another defining experience was his decision to embrace a mainstream role over a Pacific-focused one, guided by the wisdom of a mentor who saw his potential to lead beyond cultural boundaries.
Throughout his career, Sefa has faced challenges and rejections, each serving as a learning opportunity. His ability to build strong relationships and his innovative mindset have been key to his success. Sefa’s leadership extends beyond his professional roles; he is deeply committed to uplifting the Pacific community through initiatives like the Pacific Business Collective and The Pacific People’s Trust.
Sefa’s story is one of continuous growth and giving back. His mother describes him as “filemu”, a term that encapsulates his quiet strength and adaptability. As Sefa continues to inspire and lead, his journey reminds us of the importance of perseverance, community, and the courage to pursue one’s dreams.
“From a very young age, my career aspiration, to be honest, was just to be rich. I wanted to have a lot of money because I saw struggle in my family and viewed money as a way out.”
The six pou of Mata Ārahi Manomano drive the questions we have used to profile Māori & Pacific role models, in the Service sector.
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Representing the levels and forms of aroha that can be found throughout our lives across our many communities. We acknowledge the wide range of obstacles and the journey it takes to overcoming everything that stands in our way to expressing aroha within.
My name is Sefa Joseph Faletanoa’i. I have nine siblings, and I was adopted when I was born by my lovely auntie and uncle.
My parents are from Samoa. They came in the 70s and have been a massive inspiration in my life. I lived predominantly in Christchurch, and I went to Shirley Boys High School.
I have several roles. Firstly, I am Business Development Manager for Ara Institute of Canterbury, the largest polytechnic in the South Island. We create relationships with industry.
My friend Sam Latu and I started Sam Sefa for Radio almost seven years ago, creating informative podcasts for Pacific people’s information. It now has a presence on Facebook and a website.
My business partner Dante Fyfe and I are co-directors of the Pacific Business Collective, an agency that collaborates with Pacific businesses in Canterbury. We help people who want to grow a side hustle.
As the co-founder of the Pacific Peoples Trust, we address social issues in Christchurch, predominantly around financial literacy. Last but not least, my current favourite role is co-owning Kiwi Style Kickboxing in Christchurch with my cousin.
I think my biggest strength is that I’m very innovative. I can look at something and see almost an end picture of where it could be. However, I have weaknesses with technical ability. I can start projects, but I struggle with the technical details needed to complete them. One of my strengths in leadership is that I’ve been able to attract people to handle the technical aspects of work.
Seeking guidance from our kaitiaki Hiwa-i-te-rangi, we take a journey through our different aspirations, goals and dreams. This tohu acknowledges hard work, wisdom, the reach of ones goals and the desire that comes from this mahi.
From a very young age, my career aspiration, to be honest, was just to be rich. I wanted to have a lot of money because I saw struggle in my family and viewed money as a way out. Now I’ve matured, I understand money isn’t everything, but it certainly helps.
My career aspiration was to be in film. That’s why I studied theatre and film at Canterbury University. Looking back, I should have gone to the New Zealand Broadcasting School instead. I fell into the university path because I didn’t do the research. Despite this, my dream of getting rich to help my family remained. I wanted to buy things for my mum and dad to repay them for the love they’ve given me.
My aspirations shifted to business while studying. Part-time, I worked for YooBee, Apple’s representative in New Zealand. I became interested in sales and technology, inspired by people like Steve Jobs. This led me to think about business, sales, and business development.
I created the Pacific Business Collective because I want to see the Pacific community thrive with side hustles and businesses. That’s the way to get out of the rat race—by making your own money.
With adventure comes challenges as well as obstacles to overcome. We stand proud as we overcome these obstacles. This tohu draws inspiration from the Niho Taniwha and Aramoana patterns. We acknowledge reaching our destination and preparing ourselves for the many new adventures ahead.
One notable experience was stumbling into work for a production company. My major was in theatre and film, and I created a promotional video for the university. A studio in Christchurch saw it and contacted me to be a host for a children’s TV show, and I got the job. This adventure introduced me to the film industry, and I still do a bit of editing and writing.
At the same time, my adventures in business began while working for YooBee. I worked with like-minded people who wanted to grow in their positions and technology. Traveling to different countries and seeing how they use technology inspired me to bring those ideas to Christchurch.
One significant adventure was getting into podcasting and radio. Despite having no background, I applied for an interview, took a friend along, and we both got roles. We created podcasts, and seven years later, we still work for that company and get paid to create content on the side.
The adventures I’ve had are thanks to the people around me. I’ve been lucky enough to experience a lot in my career, which has now branched into five different paths.
These patterns represent bravery and being strong in the face of adversity. We strive to be persistent and positively challenge anything that threatens to alter, restrict, and put a barrier in the way of our desired pathway.
I started eight years ago at Ara as a Business Development Representative. I did a little bit of work with the University of Canterbury, then moved into tech. I wanted a job that was Monday to Friday, so I looked into education.
I got rejected the first time for the Pacific Business Development role, but they offered me the mainstream Business Development role instead. After two or three years, I became team leader, and now I’m Business Development Manager, looking after multiple teams.
A mentor of mine – relationships are extremely key to me – gave me the best piece of advice. He said, “It’s better to be a Pacific person thriving in the mainstream space than to be a Pacific person thriving in the Pacific space.”
He saw I was not just a Pacific leader for Pacific people, but a Pacific leader for all people. This advice changed my career path, and I’m very happy it did. I want more Pacific people to thrive in the mainstream, not just stay in the Pacific space. Pacific people are normal people with specific talents, and I would love to see more Pacific people move towards thriving in the mainstream as Pacific leaders.
Here we are drawing inspiration from the Pūhoro pattern. The pūhoro is used here to represent the strength, speed and agility needed to move forward and accomplish ones goals.
I work with a team of 11 as Business Development Manager. If Ara needs something from the industry, we facilitate that relationship, and vice versa. If businesses need something from Ara in terms of training, education, or our students, we facilitate that relationship.
To get into my role, you need to be very people-focused. It’s all about having coffees, building relationships, and keeping in touch with people. You need to be an extrovert and attend business events. Education-wise, it’s about administration and team leadership.
Business management is key, but common sense is also important. My role involves talking to people and ensuring they are doing fine and meeting the business needs.
Feedback is extremely important because it’s a way to grow and learn from opportunities to make things better. If done correctly, feedback comes from a place of love. People give feedback to shine a light on where your product or service can improve. This means you have to take the personal out of it and receive it as constructive criticism.
Sometimes feedback isn’t as constructive as it could be, but it’s crucial to see it as a way to avoid repeating mistakes and to continue improving.
Success, best mentioned in the whakatauki “Tūwhitia te hopo, mairangatia te angitū!” Feel the fear and do it anyway!
One of my biggest losses was writing a TV show, getting four episodes shot, and then being canceled. I felt like I wasn’t funny enough or didn’t write good content.
When I got rejected from this, I started to excel in sales because I kept building good relationships. This perceived failure allowed me to focus on something more about me. This led me to my current work.
That massive rejection turned into a learning experience. Now, I still work in film and am much smarter about it. You win or you learn.
My wins throughout my professional career have been seeing people succeed. Seeing everyone thrive is a win for me because it means I’m doing a good job as a leader.
Another win is being able to buy my mum whatever she wants. Unfortunately, my father has passed; I wish Dad was here too, as it would have been fun to buy him whatever he wanted.
I think Mum would say she’s always described me as “he’s very filemu (quiet).” I know my business partners and friends wouldn’t say that about me, but I have a tendency to switch modes—business mode, family mode, son mode, and so on. Mum has seen me in front of business conferences before and has been like, “I did not know he could speak like that.”
I think my career paths, and the careers I have in front of me, come down to two things: self-confidence, and the circle of friends or contacts. There’s a famous saying, “Show me your friends, and I’ll show you your future.”
