Va’a Collective are here to help and to support you and your organisation to navigate your own journey.
Lautalie Schmidt-Geen
Lautalie Schmidt-Geen (Talie/Talia/Lau) is a proud New Zealander of Samoan, Chinese, and German heritage, with a strong grounding in community values and cross-cultural leadership. With over three decades of experience across corporate, government, and not-for-profit sectors, she brings a proven track record in project delivery, stakeholder engagement, and systems change—locally and across the Asia-Pacific region.
As the founder and director of Va’a Collective, Lautalie leads initiatives focused on building community capability through wānanga, advocacy training, and digital literacy, particularly AI training, tailored to Pacific, Māori, and other ethnically diverse communities. Her work addresses equity, belonging, and access, and is grounded in cultural responsiveness and partnership with tangata whenua.
Her broader expertise spans event and programme management, community consultation, and international logistics, with experience delivering high-impact initiatives across Aotearoa, Australia, Fiji, and throughout Asia Pacific. Lautalie has led conferences and training for professionals in health, education, and social impact sectors, and continues to advise and support networks in the digital health space.
Lautalie is actively involved in voluntary and governance roles, including as trustee of the Te Manawanui Charitable Trust, co-president of Hibiscus Pacifica, and a member of Shore Pacific and the Systems Change Advocacy Support & Solidarity (SASS) Group. She also contributes to the Pacific Paediatric Association, supporting projects that enhance Pacific child health outcomes in Aotearoa and the Pacific Islands.
A strategic thinker with a heart for community, Lautalie is committed to co-creating solutions that are people-powered, culturally anchored, and future-focused. Her leadership is defined by integrity, innovation, and a deep commitment to equity and transformation.
“He tangata, he tangata, he tangata – It is people, it is people, it is people.” This guiding principle sits at the heart of her work.
Atarau Hamilton-Fuller
Atarau Hamilton-Fuller (from the tribes of Ngati Kahungunu, Ngarauru, Ngati Raukawa) has experience in youth & community planning, leadership, and development previously working as a Facilitator with a Social Enterprise, which focused on providing employment pathways for the most excluded and disadvantaged rangatahi (young people) in the Hawkes Bay region. His passion is education, training, and Indigenous rangatahi development and this is clear in everything he does. He was involved in the co-design of a social enterprise meeting the needs of the Hawkes Bay region since 2017 and is constantly ensuring Te Reo me Ōna Tikanga is a part of his journey in life.
