Meet, Leilani.

Leilani Fatupaito (APEN Executive Member) is an Academic Audit and Risk Manager and Law Academic at Swinburne University of Technology. She currently holds senior union leadership roles with the NTEU (National Tertiary Education Union), including Branch Secretary and National Councillor at Swinburne, and Victorian Division Vice-President, where she advocates for better working conditions for higher education staff. Leilani also contributes to national higher education reform through her role on the Australian Human Rights Commission Racism@Uni Advisory Committee.

 

Raised in Aotearoa New Zealand by parents from two different backgrounds - her father's Samoan heritage and her mother's Pākehā (New Zealand European) background - Leilani learned to navigate complex spaces early. "My parents were big advocates for me and my siblings to obtain an education. My upbringing shapes how I work in the sector, holding true to where I come from, while navigating the systems we have," she shares. Leilani brings this lived cultural knowledge to every role she holds. Her work sits at the intersection of regulation, equity, and advocacy, embedding Pacific perspectives across the student and staff experience.

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As Manager of Academic Audit and Risk, Leilani managed Swinburne's internal academic quality audits and led Swinburne’s TEQSA (Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency) registration renewal application. This work placed her at the centre of institutional accountability. "Compliance is an essential tool for quality assurance. When done right, it can be meaningful work, not just a tick-boxing exercise." she says. "Integrity matters. My approach to audit and risk is about ensuring the narrative we present is accurate, not maintaining assumptions or bias in how we interpret data."

As an academic, Leilani works to decolonise and indigenise curriculum in solidarity with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. For her, this is about challenging Eurocentric dominance and creating space for Pacific knowledges, histories, and ways of being. "When students engage with Indigenous Cultural and Intellectual Property in class, I hope it challenges biases and builds empathy and cultural competency in law," she says. "I want students to feel safe making contributions in the classroom. I’m here to learn from them too."

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Leilani contributes to national conversations on how universities address racism through her involvement in the Racism@Uni Advisory Committee, drawing from her daily practice. "I've seen the emotional toll on students and colleagues having to constantly explain themselves, whether requesting extensions, asking for flexible work adjustments, or seeking career promotions," she says. "Real inclusion means not having to justify your circumstances every time you need support." For Leilani, representation alone is not enough. Real change means addressing power imbalances and holding institutions accountable.

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Looking ahead, Leilani wants to see Pasifika learners not only entering university but thriving within it. She envisions learning spaces where Pasifika voices influence curriculum, policy, and decision-making. “Pasifika students and educators bring ancestral knowledge and culturally diverse insights that universities should recognise and value.”

As the talanoa closes, her message is clear. "Pasifika educators are needed. There is space for you here. My values of integrity and justice have guided my career path and the roles I've chosen. As I transition fully into an ongoing academic role in the new year, I'm bringing my university governance experience into my teaching, committed to academic rigour and the student experience, founded on Pasifika values. We're here, and we're not going anywhere."

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Through her leadership, advocacy, and quiet persistence, Leilani Fatupaito continues to help re-shape Australian higher education into a space grounded in cultural integrity, responsibility, and possibility for Pasifika communities.