Our Team

Staff

[1]

Mr. Solomone Fifita

Mr. Solomone Fifita was the former the Head of the Pacific’s Regional Energy Programme, housed at the Economic Development Division of the Pacific Community in Suva, Fiji. He has served as Project Manager for regional energy and climate change projects for the Pacific Islands and prior to that he was the Energy Planner for the Kingdom of Tonga. Solomone was a lead author in the IPCC Special Report on Renewable Energy, the IPCC 5^thAssessment Report and was recently a Lead Reviewer of National Communications for the UNFCCC.

Manager of PCREEE

[2]

Sosefo Siuta Saimone Evalisito Tofu

Mr. Sosefo Tofu is the Pacific Island Energy Professional and reports to the PCREEE Manager based in Nuku’alofa, Tonga. Prior to this role, he was with the Tonga Department of Energy for the last 6 years. During his tenure at SPC – PCREEE, he will be assisting the Manager and the SPC Energy Programme with providing support and advice to member countries, private sector and relevant stakeholders in planning and implementing PCREEE activities, focusing on smart mobility and energy efficiency investments.

Pacific Island Energy Professional (PIEP)

[3]

Mr. Paea 'i Muli Tau'aika

We are delighted to introduce Paea Tauaika who joined GEM in Tonga, on 8th November 2022. He started with SPC - PCREEE Team as the Energy Planner (Planning & Policy) with the Department of Energy in Tonga before taking up the post of a Pacific Island Energy Professional. Paea joins SPC as Pacific Island Energy Professional (PIEP) and reports to Solomone Fifita, based in Nuku'alofa Tonga. A graduate of the University of the South Pacific, majoring in Economics and Business & Marketing. He was a former Vice Principal at the St Andrews High School.

Pacific Island Energy Professional (PIEP)

[4]

Sinalauli'i Fifita

Mrs. Sinalauli'i Fifita is the Programme Assistant for the PCREEE. Sinalauli'i was the Stores Controller, Librarian & Administration Officer at the Palu Aviation Services in Tonga for 9 years. She was responsible for managing and delivering high quality and stronger enviroment for the Aircraft Engineering Team. She is responsible for the PCREEE’s financial and admin matters based in Nuku'alofa Tonga.

Programme Assistant

[5]

Ms Estrellita Fulivai

Ms Estrellita Fulivai is the Pacific Islands’ Coordinator for the Solar Technology and Application Resource Centre (STAR-C). She is contracted by the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO) and housed at the PCREEE. One of her tasks is to integrate the works of the STAR-C with that of the PCREEE and related events in the region.

STAR C Coordinator

Previous Staffs & Interns

[6]

Peceli Nakavulevu

Duration: 01/ 09/ 2017 - 31/ 12/ 2018
Mr. Nakavulevu has been involved in a number of energy sector consultancy works in the region. Prior to this role, he was the Director of the Fiji Department of Energy (FDoE) from 2011 - 2014. He has been with the Fiji Department of Energy for the last 20 years. He currently holds a Master of Engineering Management and Master of Business Administration from the University of Technology in Sydney, Australia

Sustainable Energy Private Sector Industry Expert

[7]

‘Eliate Tuhamoelotu Laulaupea’alu

Duration: 01/ 09/ 2017 - 14/ 02/ 2019

Knowledge Management Expert

[8]

'Anasisivaloa Tuivai Tuiafitu Masima

Duration: 01/ 07/ 2017 - 31/ 08/ 2019
'Anasisivaloa Tuivai Tuiafitu Masima was the Administration Assistant for the Centre, based in Nuku'alofa. Anasisi was formerly with MEIDECC, Tourism, Royal Tongan Airline, women groups, fitness centre, etc and is responsible for PCREEE’s financial and admin matters.

Administration Assistant

[9]

Joseph Temakon

Duration: 18/ 05/ 2019 - 18/ 11/ 2019

Pacific Islander Junior Professional

[10]

Sarel Steinauer

Sarel is an Australian New Colombo Plan Scholar and electrical and electronic engineering undergraduate at Curtin University, Perth, Australia. He is on a two-month internship at PCREEE analysing the on and off-grid renewable energy systems operating in the Pacific Islands.

Only a few days into his internship (starting 20 January, 2020) he had the extraordinary opportunity to join Department of Energy staff visiting the Vava’u islands to assess damage to solar-powered infrastructure following Cyclone Tino. The visit allowed a stop at the Ha’apai islands on the way.

New Colombo Plan intern

[11]

Darlen Lovi

Ms Darlen Lovi, a Papua New Guinea (PNG) national is the second Pacific Islander Junior Professional who worked with PCREEE from March – December 2020 based in Nuku’alofa. At PCREEE, she led the development of the Tonga National Qualification on Sustainable Energy, Level 1 to Level 4.

Ms Lovi is a Senior Physics Lecturer at the University of Papua New Guinea (UPNG) in Port Moresby. She holds has a Master Degree in Renewable Energy from Curtin University, Western Australia and is a prominent figure in PNG’s renewable energy sector development.

Pacific Islander Junior Professional

[12]

Jesse Benjaman

Mr Jesse Benjaman was the Programme Delivery Officer at the SPC’s Pacific Centre for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (PCREEE) office based in Nuku’alofa from June 2019 - September 2021. He brrought to the PCREEE a vast experience in the areas of energy and climate change at the national, regional and international level. Mr Benjaman was the former Director of Energy in Vanuatu and recently served as the Director General for the Ministry of Climate Change in Vanuatu from 2016 until June 2019 when he joined the PCREEE.

Programme Delivery Officer

[13]

Nicolas Meier

Nicolas was a Master student at the University of Natural Resources and Applied Life Sciences in Vienna. He completed an exchange programme with the Lincoln University in New Zealand and as part of his studies in "Natural Resources Management & Ecological Engineering", he further developed in his Master thesis in the topic of solar energy. Nicolas completed his Master-thesis on the potential impact of modern solar energy and battery storage systems on the energy generation based in the Kingdom of Tonga.

Intern

[14]

Daniel Hay-Hendry

Daniel was a 2018 Australian New Colombo Plan Scholar and an Environmental Engineering undergraduate at Murdoch University, He completed his internship with PCREEE from June to August 2019. Daniel lead in conducted an energy audit for the Ministry of MEIDECC building where the PCREEE office is housed. He also joined the PCREEE team and Tonga Department of Energy at the Royal Agriculture and Tourism Show in the main island Tongatapu.

New Colombo Plan Intern

[15]

Tiueti Sisilia Fangupo

Ms. Tiueti Fangupo completed her 6 weeks Summer Internship with the PCREEE in February 2019. She was a Structural Engineering student from the University of Technology, Auckland, NZ. Tiueti started her Summer Internship in December 2018 and her internship included working with the Tonga Department of Energy exposing her to some of the small scale and community-based Renewable Energy projects that the department is working on.

Intern

[16]

Sione Folau

Mr. Sione Folau was a Master of Science in Climate Change student from the Pacific Centre for Environment and Sustainable Development (PaCE-SD) of the University of the South Pacific. Sione completed 3 weeks with PCREEE in March 2018, doing research for his thesis on the topic – Carbon Footprint Mitigation Strategies for the Kingdom of Tonga. The research is based on Tonga’s Energy Sector. Sione worked closely with the PCREEE team together with the Tonga Department of Energy and was grateful for their inputs to his research.

Intern

[17]

Emma Carlé

Ms. Emma Carlé was the Media and Communications Advisor at the PCREEE office from January – April 2020. Emma was a volunteer under the Volunteer Service Abroad (VSA), a New Zealand volunteer agency working in international development. Emma brought to the PCREEE an experience in website and social media management, including web writing, local government communications – media relationship building, report writing and public relations.

Media and Communications Advisor

Blake Calogero

Mr. Blake Calogero was the Entrepreneurship and Mentoring Expert for the PCREEE. He was a volunteer under the Australian Volunteers International (AVI) program. Blake in an investment professional with background in finance and economics, and with a Chartered Accountancy qualification. He has more than 11 years of professional experience across principal investments at ADIA and corporate finance advisory work at Ernst & Young.

Entrepreneurship and Mentoring Expert

[18]

Ms. Milika Taufa

Ms. Milika Taufa started as the Program Assistant for the PCREEE on 4 November 2019. An ex-student of Tonga High School, a former secondary school teacher and a short stint at the NZ Immigation Services, Milika was also the Finance and Admin Officer for Tonga/Samoa and Vanuatu for the Aust-funded PHAMA Plus program. She was responsible for PCREEE’s financial and admin matters.

Programme Assistant

[19]

Kelvin Passfield

Kelvin was the PCREEE Sustainable Energy Coordinator in the Cook Islands, a role aimed at strengthening PCREEE’s visibility and impacts on the ground in its member countries.

PCREEE Sustainable Energy Coordinator - Cook Islands

[20]

Hobert Asari

Mr Hobert Asari was the PCREEE Sustainable Energy Coordinator in Papua New Guinea. He brought to the PCREEE his skills in Renewable Energy Management (solar installation and training), Project Development and Management, Procurement and M&E. Hobert was the Project Officer for the Justice Services and Stability for Development in the Northern Province, Popondetta, PNG in 2018. He was recently the Sustainable Development Team leader for Solar Solutions PNG. He conducted off-grid energy project identification, planning and proposal to access funding.

PCREEE Sustainable Energy Coordinator - Papua New Guinea

[21]

Kitione Malugulevu

Kitione was the PCREEE Sustainable Energy Coordinator in the Solomon Islands. The role aimed at strengthening PCREEE’s visibility and impacts on the ground in its member countries. He brought to the PCREEE a vast experience in the areas of energy and electrical technologies at the national and regional level. He has over 30 years of working experience in Fiji and the Solomon Islands.

PCREEE Sustainable Energy Coordinator - Solomon Islands

[22]

Kakau Foliaki

Mr Kakau Foliaki was the Programme Delivery Officer at the PCREEE. Prior to joining the PCREEE, he was the Head of the Energy Efficiency Division at the Tonga Department of Energy, MEIDECC (2014 - 2017) working on the development of the key national policies such as the CTCN - Tonga Energy Efficiency Master Plan, ADB-GCF Tonga Renewable Energy Project, GGGI - Tonga Energy Road Map Plus Framework and AusAID-SPC PALS Project. Mr Foliaki also has work experience in Australia on Energy Building Performance and Design at the SBE.

Programme Delivery Officer

[23]

Sione Misi

Mr. Sione Misi was the Pacific Islands Energy Professional for the PCREEE based in Nuku'alofa. Sione holds a Bachelor of Science (Physics and Mathematics) from the University of the South Pacific (USP) and has resumed as an Energy Efficiency Officer for the Department of Energy in Tonga. Under the DoE, he is the Pacific Appliance Labelling and Standards (PALS) Coordinator in Tonga. and also serving as the PALS National Consultant.

Pacific Islands Energy Professional