Samoas representative to the 2025 Young Pacific Leaders conference, Hidoria Onesemo-Tuilaepa shared her reflections on the prestigious regional gathering in an interview with The New Atoll.
By Losa Huntington for The New Atoll
KOROR, Palau: When Hidoria Onesemo-Tuilaepa arrived in Palau for the 2025 Young Pacific Leaders (YPL) Conference, she came not just as Samoa’s delegate, but as the product of two worlds: one rooted in the rural villages of Lepa and Vavau, and the other shaped by years of academic and professional development in New Zealand. In both, she’s forged a sense of purpose that is deeply personal and unapologetically political.
“I am deeply driven by injustice,” she told The New Atoll in an interview. “It’s such an injustice to live and grow up alongside my childhood friends in Lepa and Vavau, knowing that, not at any fault of their own, we will have very different endings.”
That statement cuts to the core of her leadership. Her story is not just one of personal success, but of persistent awareness of the disparities that divide children who were once indistinguishable in church choirs, schoolyards, and village celebrations.
“You live with them, grow up together, attend the same church, aoga aso Sa, village events, yet end up worlds apart due to not having the same access and ability to pursue their dreams and aspirations,” she said. “It’s not that they were any less smart or capable, it’s the systematic injustice and failures which prevent them from achieving their fullest potential.”
At the YPL Conference, which brings together young leaders from across the Pacific to explore leadership, policy, and collaboration, she found something rare: a space where Pacific values were not just respected, but central.
“It’s a rare and special space where our identities as young Pacific leaders are honoured while we’re equipped to lead,” she reflected. “That gives me so much hope.”
In preparation for the gathering, she read the bios and work of every fellow delegate. “I have stalked and read up on every participant’s amazing work,” she laughed. “I’m excited to dive into those conversations and see how we can implement what’s worked elsewhere in Samoa.”
But she didn’t just observe, she acted. Since the conference, Onesemo-Tuilaepa has taken concrete steps to channel the YPL momentum into national advocacy. With elections looming in Samoa, she wrote to every political party asking about their priorities for youth. In a country where young people make up nearly half the population but are largely absent from political leadership, she’s pushing for structural change, including the establishment of a Youth Parliamentary Advisory Group to ensure that youth voices are reflected in policy decisions.
This conviction is not theoretical for Onesemo-Tuilaepa. It shows up in everything she does, from her postgraduate studies in Clinical Psychology at Massey University to her current work as Monitoring and Evaluation Lead at Le Va, a New Zealand-based organization working to prevent sexual violence and promote mental wellbeing among Pacific communities. There, she leads national-level initiatives, including roadshows, ministerial visits, and community engagement efforts. Her portfolio spans issues from child sexual abuse to suicide prevention, always with a community-first approach grounded in data and cultural insight.
She’s also submitted a YPL small grants proposal for a youth-focused initiative in Samoa that would combine scholarships for tertiary study with rural youth mentorship through sports and life skills training. Her goal is to support vulnerable families in sustainably improving their living standards, tackling issues of education, health, and economic inclusion all at once.
Much of her worldview was shaped by the women in her life, her mother, a role model of service and professionalism, and her grandmother, whom she credits as the “OG kua kid” who worked unimaginably hard to give her children and grandchildren a better future.
“The gifts, talents and wisdom we are blessed with is not for our own good,” she recalled being told. “It’s to ensure we use them to bless others.”
That ethos defines her approach to leadership: rooted in empathy, accountability, and deep humility. Though her professional achievements, are impressive, she is quick to deflect praise.
“I am blessed that I am surrounded by exemplary women to draw wisdom, courage, inspiration and passion from, mum being a significant pillar of strength for me,” she said. “There is success in Western palagi spaces, but it is no more important than the wisdom and tofa found in our own people and villages.”
As she looks ahead, her vision remains sharply focused on access, especially for youth in rural communities who, like her, have dreams but not always the means to reach them. Her hope is to become one of Samoa’s few mental health specialists, contributing to a sector she says is in urgent need of support. “Samoa currently does not have a psychologist, only a psychiatrist,” she noted. “This is extremely alarming given our increasing statistics in violence, suicide, mental health and drug issues our youth are facing.”
With a clear voice and grounded sense of purpose, Onesemo-Tuilaepa is proving that leadership is not just about rising up, it’s about reaching back. As she said simply, “This injustice is what motivates me. It’s the hope that the work we do can contribute to improving the access and ability, not only for kua kids, but for all young people in Samoa.”
The New Atoll 
Leave a comment