Saunoamaali’i Karanina Sumeo is a Samoan-New Zealand civil servant. In 2018 she was appointed EEO (Equal Employment Opportunities) Commissioner for the New Zealand Human Rights Commission.

Life

Sumeo was born in Vailima,

Upolu Upolu is an island in Samoa, formed by a massive basaltic shield volcano which rises from the seafloor of the western Pacific Ocean. The island is long and in area, making it the second largest of the Samoan Islands by area. With approximatel ...

Samoa Samoa, officially the Independent State of Samoa; sm, Sāmoa, and until 1997 known as Western Samoa, is a Polynesian island country consisting of two main islands (Savai'i and Upolu); two smaller, inhabited islands (Manono Island, Manono an ...

and emigrated to New Zealand with her family when she was 10. She completed a bachelor of science degree at the

University of Auckland , mottoeng = By natural ability and hard work , established = 1883; years ago , endowment = NZD $293 million (31 December 2021) , budget = NZD $1.281 billion (31 December 2021) , chancellor = Cecilia Tarrant , vice_chancellor = Dawn F ...

and a master's degree in social policy at

Massey University Massey University ( mi, Te Kunenga ki Pūrehuroa) is a university based in Palmerston North, New Zealand, with significant campuses in Albany and Wellington. Massey University has approximately 30,883 students, 13,796 of whom are extramural or ...

. She also holds a PhD in public policy from

Auckland University of Technology Auckland University of Technology (AUT) ( mi, Te Wānanga Aronui o Tāmaki Makau Rau) is a university in New Zealand, formed on 1 January 2000 when a former technical college (originally established in 1895) was granted university status. AUT ...

. Sumeo held positions with Oranga Tamariki, the Ministry of Social Development, Ministry of Pacific Island Affairs, Tertiary Education Commission, and the

Auckland District Health Board Auckland District Health Board (ADHB) was a district health board that provided healthcare in the Auckland Region in New Zealand, mainly on the Auckland isthmus. This district health board existed between 2001 and 2022 and was governed by a part- ...

prior to her appointment to the Human Rights Commission.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sumeo, Karanina Living people Samoan emigrants to New Zealand Auckland University of Technology alumni Massey University alumni University of Auckland alumni New Zealand public servants Year of birth missing (living people)