Pacific Pathology Training Centre-PPTC

17/12/2025

We are pleased to share the 2026 course flyer for our Wellington centre based course programme.

We are also pleased to share that all our courses are now approved, registered and recognized under the New Zealand Qualifications Authority (NZQA).

If you would like to attend a course, please contact the PPTC and if you would like to come on a New Scholarship please follow this link https://www.nzscholarships.govt.nz/vocational-short-term-scholarships/

Thank you and we hope to hear from you soon.

17/12/2025

✨ Congratulations! ✨

The Pacific Pathology Training Centre (PPTC) is proud to congratulate eight Pacific scholars who have successfully completed the 6 week Haematology Course, held from the 27th of October to the 5th of December 2025.

These outstanding scholars represent the first ever cohort of Haematology students to receive an NZQA micro-credential, a significant milestone for both the programme and Medical Laboratory Science training in the Pacific.

🎓 Our 2025 Haematology Graduates are:

1. Vasiti Navurai – Fiji (Labasa Hospital Laboratory)

2. Mele Fonua – Tonga (Vaiola Hospital Laboratory)

3. Selaina Nawadra – Samoa (Tupua Tamasese Meaole Hospital Laboratory)

4. Bernadette Ala – Vanuatu (Santo Hospital Laboratory)

5. Shaayal Kumar – Fiji (CWM Hospital Laboratory)

6. Katerati Kabunare – Kiribati (Tarawa Central Hospital Laboratory)

7. Dashika Goundar – Fiji (Aspen Medical Lautoka Laboratory)

8. Maria Faamanu – Samoa (Savai‘i MTII Medical Laboratory)

The PPTC is immensely proud of each scholar for their dedication, resilience, and commitment throughout the course. We wish you every success as you continue to strengthen laboratory services across the Pacific. 🌺

🙏 Our sincere thanks to the NZ Manaaki Skills Group and the New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT) for their generous support and for providing scholarships that make opportunities like this possible.

Once again, congratulations to our graduates! 🌟

Ngā manaakitanga

New Zealand High Commission, Nuku'alofa, Tonga
New Zealand High Commission in Vanuatu
New Zealand High Commission to Kiribati
New Zealand High Commission, Suva, Fiji
New Zealand High Commission in Samoa
Ministry Of Health & Medical Services-Kiribati, Ministry of Health Tonga, Ministry of Health Samoa, Vanuatu National Hospital, Aspen Medical - Fiji, Ministry of Health & Medical Services - Fiji

04/12/2025

We are proud to support the Medical Laboratory services in Vanuatu 🇻🇺

28/10/2025

It’s auditing season. The PPTC has commenced its auditing activity for Pacific medical laboratories this year- 2025, and one of our consultants, Emmanuel, has recently completed auditing the Vanuatu Medical Laboratory services in both Port Vila and Santo. He shares:
“It is always a great honor and relief to connect with my Pacific Laboratory colleagues. This past week, I had the privilege of conducting the annual external audit for the Vanuatu Medical Laboratory Services, and I am proud of their effort, resilience, and commitment towards striving to achieve alignment/compliance with the ISO 15189-Medical Laboratory Standard. While there are challenges, the beauty lies in the workforce and hierarchy striving to improve in every possible way. It was a successful week. Tankiu tumas.”

Auditing is an essential component of Laboratory Quality Management Systems, enabling laboratories to assess their systems and ensure compliance with standard requirements. The PPTC team will be visiting laboratories across the Pacific to strengthen, support and align labs to build capacity as part of NZ MFAT health support programme(s) in the Pacific region.

Stay with us for more updates.

New Zealand High Commission in Vanuatu
New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade
Vanuatu National Hospital
Vanuatu Daily Post
Health Promotions Vanuatu

10/09/2025

Fakafetai lahi lele mo na tapuakiga Tokelau. I te 5 mahina nae fakafeagai au na tama fanau a koulua I te kohi I te fale Hiaki toto I Ueligitone Niu Hila. Kua iku manuia ienei fakamoemoega, ko na fanau ki a Telesia Manuele, Silivelio Saumani ma Seleni Peleni kua iku manuia a latou akoakoga.

Kua toe taliu atu te latou faiga Malaga ki Tokelau, aua a latou tautuaga kio tatou tagata I luga o Tokelau. Ke manuia te Malaga na fanau, kae maihe na tautuaga ka tautua ai koulua mo Tokelau.

We are pleased to announce that after five months of rigorous coursework at the Lab in Wellington, New Zealand, our Tokelau students—Seleni Peleni, Telesia Manuele, and Silivelio Saumani—have successfully passed their exams.

They depart today to return to Tokelau to serve our people. Travel safely, and may God guide and protect you on your journey.

08/09/2025

The PPTC successfully completed its 4th Wellington based course for the year 2025.

The Blood Transfusion course was held at the PPTC from the 28th of July to the 22nd of August where 3 nations came together to advance and promote their medical laboratory service.

Five students from 3 participating countries - Vanuatu, Solomon Islands and Tokelau successfully graduated from the course and made history as the first cohort of students to have graduated with our approved micro-credential course with the New Zealand Qualifications Authority (NZQA).

The students namely are:

1. Elizabeth Onahikeni Kutukana- Solomon Islands 🇸🇧- NRH Laboratory
2. Shirley Iercet- Vanuatu 🇻🇺 - VCH Laboratory
3. Silivelio Saumani- Tokelau 🇹🇰- Laboratory
4. Seleni Peleni- Tokelau 🇹🇰- Laboratory
5. Telehia Manuele- Tokelau🇹🇰- Laboratory

We would also like to thank the New Zealand Red Cross and the Norman Kirk Memorial Trust for graciously sponsoring 2 students from the Pacific to attend this course and the New Zealand Blood Service for their continued and unwavering support.

We wish them all the best for the future and remember the PPTC is always here wherever and whenever when you need us.

Fakafetai, Tangkyu, Tagio

Photo credit : Government of Tokelau

New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade
Ministry Of Health & Medical Services - Solomon Islands
Solomon Star News
Vanuatu Daily Post
Pasifika Medical Association Group
WHO Samoa, American Samoa, Cook Islands, Niue and Tokelau
New Zealand High Commission- Honiara, Solomon Islands
New Zealand High Commission in Vanuatu

03/09/2025

03/09/2025

We are pleased to announce that the PPTC’s Chief Executive Officer- Philip Wakem was recently awarded Life Membership with the The New Zealand Institute of Medical Laboratory Science - Inc at the 2025 Annual Scientific Meeting that was held in Hamilton from the 27-29 August.

Phil was also nominated to deliver the TH Pullar Address. Each year the NZIMLS Council invites a person who has made a significant contribution towards Medical Laboratory Science in New Zealand to deliver the TH Pullar Memorial Address at the Annual Scientific meeting. This prestigious address is in honour of Dr TH Pullar who passed away on the 29th August 1966. This memorial address is given at the opening ceremony of the NZIMLS ASM and is published in the Journal.

The entire team of PPTC Consultants attended the ASM to show support and acknowledge Phil for his leadership and well deserved award.

“He aha te mea nui o te ao”?
What is the most important thing in the world?

“He tangata, he tangata, he tangata”
It is the people, it is the people, it is the people

Ngā Mihi

07/08/2025

Government of Tokelau

07/08/2025

The PPTC is pleased to announce that it is now registered with the New Zealand Qualifications Authority (NZQA).

The PPTC is also delighted to share that it is now a Signatory to the Education (Pastoral Care of Tertiary and International Learners) Code of Practice 2021.

If you would like to verify PPTC’s registration status with the New Zealand Qualifications Authority (NZQA) you may do so online following the link below:

https://www.nzqa.govt.nz/providers/details.do?providerId=443329001

We would like to acknowledge the support from everyone.

This milestone is an achievement for us all.

New Zealand High Commission, Nuku'alofa, Tonga
New Zealand High Commission- Honiara, Solomon IslandsNew Zealand High Commission Niue
New Zealand High Commission, Rarotonga, Cook Islands
New Zealand High Commission in Vanuatu
New Zealand High Commission to Kiribati
New Zealand High Commission, Suva, Fiji
Pacific Connections - Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade Auckland
New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade
World Health Organization Western Pacific Region

This Education Organisation is a Signatory to the Code of Practice for the Pastoral Care of International Students.See explanation.

07/08/2025

2025 Update:

The PPTC successfully completed its 3rd centre based course for the year 2025.

The "Clinical Biochemistry Course" was delivered over 4 weeks at our centre from the 23rd of June to the 18th of July, which covered a comprehensive theoretical component and practical application in the Medical Diagnostic field of Clinical Biochemistry.

Filipo Faiga- the PPTC Biochemistry Specialist convened the course for the students from Samoa and Tokelau and took them on the journey towards learning the fundamentals of Clinical Biochemistry.

The course participants were:

1. Uesile Uesile- Samoa (TTMH)
2. Seleni Peleni- Tokelau MOH
3. Telehia Manuele- Tokelau MOH
4. Silivelio Saumani- Tokelau MOH

We congratulate our students for their hardwork, commitment and congratulate them for successfully completing the course.

We extend our sincere thanks to the following for their valuable support:

Government of Tokelau
New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade
Pacific Connections - Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade Auckland
WHO Samoa, American Samoa, Cook Islands, Niue and Tokelau

07/08/2025

2025 Update:

The PPTC successfully completed its second centre based course for the year. The "Medical Microbiology and Introduction to Molecular Diagnostics course" was held from the 5th -30th of May.

Participants for this course were from the Samoa and Tokelau Medical Laboratories respectively.

This 4 week course covered a comprehensive theoretical component and a series of practical workshops in the diagnostic field of Medical Microbiology and Molecular testing platforms. The purpose of this training was to equip students with sufficient knowledge to be able to work confidently and competently in their home laboratories and be able to provide quality diagnostic test results to clinicians for better patient management and improve health outcomes.

The Course participants were:

1. Silivelio Saumani- Tokelau 🇹🇰
2. Folole Bartley - Samoa (TTMH) 🇼🇸
3. Seleni peleni- Tokelau 🇹🇰
4. Telehia Manuele- Tokelau 🇹🇰

Ministry of Health Samoa
WHO Samoa, American Samoa, Cook Islands, Niue and Tokelau
Pasifika Medical Association Group
Pacific Connections - Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade Auckland
New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade
Government of Tokelau