Travel and Learning Award for Ronji Tanielu

Ronji’s plan

“The Travel and Learning Award is a MASSIVE blessing for my aiga. Faafetai tele lava!”

Ronji’s primary focus is to investigate first-hand innovative and effective models, programmes or organisations that are improving access to justice and legal supports in different parts of the world. He believes there is great work happening in Aotearoa New Zealand right now to improve access to legal justice, especially for people in poverty and marginalised communities; but many are still missing out. In 2019, Community Law Centres stated that their current resources only allowed services for 30% of low-income people with unmet legal need. Ronji believes learning from various projects in developed and developing nations can help shape fresh NZ-based solutions that can truly help enhance access to legal justice for those New Zealanders missing out.

About Ronji

“Talofa lava & Taloha ni, my name is Ronji Tanielu, born in Samoa, but raised in the capital of the Universe, Mangere in South Auckland.”

Ronji is a Lawyer and Principal Policy Advisor for the Social Policy and Parliamentary Unit of The Salvation Army based in South Auckland. He is a committed Christian who works in advocacy and policy around housing, justice reform, addictions treatment, financial hardship, welfare reform, youth and children. His approach is to be positively disruptive to advocate for change to government, corporations and other agencies focused on meeting the needs of the people served by The Salvation Army.

Grant Amount

$11,400 in 2021-2022 for travel to Australia, the US and the UK to visit organisations, think thanks and global leaders of social justice and access to justice.