Professor Sir Collin says it’s an honour to join the ranks of his University of Auckland colleague, Professor of Pacific Health Vili Nosa, also from Niue.
“I’m not a true-blue academic. I didn’t do a PhD and stay in the university forever. I gained a lot of practical experience elsewhere, so it’s nice to be accepted by my peers in academic medicine,” says Sir Collin.
He is a director of Centre for Pacific and Global Health at the University, was knighted in 2022. His ‘practical experience’ spans everything from being chief executive of the New Zealand Ministry of Pacific Affairs from 2007 to 2012 to developing a global strategy to improve diet and physical activity that was adopted by the World Health Organisation (WHO) in 2004.
Addressing health inequities faced by Pacific and Māori people has been the motivating force behind Sir Collin’s career over the past 45 years.
He became Director of Public Health at the New Zealand Ministry of Health in 2001.
His overseas roles have included three years at the World Health Organisation in Geneva, Switzerland, and seven years in New Caledonia, where he was director-general of the Pacific Community.
More recently, he played an important role in advising the New Zealand government and communicating with Pacific communities during the Covid pandemic.
However, in December 2023, he resigned from his role as chairperson of Te Whatu Ora Pacific Senate and spoke out regarding his concerns about the new government’s direction.
Through the hard times, Sir Collin has been buoyed up by Pacific people thanking him for looking out for their wellbeing and speaking up for them.
These days, the 67-year-old father of five is enjoying mentoring and supporting young people at the University, while much of his spare time is spent developing and planting native trees on his family’s lifestyle block near Pakiri.
“There’s no set retirement age these days and I love working with my many clever colleagues at the university.
