The Pacific Islands Tax Administrators Association (PITAA), with funding support from the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), this week convened the Closing Workshop of the Second Cohort of the Pacific Women in Tax Network (PWiTN) Mentorship Programme at the Tanoa International Hotel in Nadi, Fiji, from 16 to 18 June 2026.
The three-day workshop brings together 19 active mentors and mentees from across the Pacific, representing Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Vanuatu, Tonga, Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Samoa, Timor-Leste, Palau, Nauru, the Federated States of Micronesia, and the Marshall Islands, to mark the conclusion of a six-month mentorship journey that commenced in November 2025.
The workshop is, however, more than a culminating event. For PITAA, it signals a critical transition and the formal transformation of PWiTN from a structured mentorship programme into a self-sustaining, participant-led regional network. Central to this transition is the launch of the PWiTN governance structure, developed over the course of the programme by a dedicated Governance Working Group. The newly finalised Governance Manual, Steering Group Terms of Reference, and Working Group templates will form the backbone of a network designed to endure beyond any single programme cycle.
Structured around three progressive themes, the workshop moves from building network ownership and governance on Day One, to operationalising the PWiTN Work Plan on Day Two, and culminating on Day Three in a formal close-out of the mentor and mentee programme, personal action planning, and a graduation and certificate ceremony. A key deliverable of the workshop is the co-development of a Tax and Gender Toolkit, a practical resource that will support PITAA member administrations in identifying and addressing gendered barriers within their institutions and taxpayer services.
Cohort 2 of the PWiTN Mentorship Programme paired experienced senior tax officers as mentors with emerging women leaders as mentees across the region. The cohort reflects both the geographic breadth and the depth of women’s professional talent within Pacific tax administrations.
Petero Maivucevuce, Head of Secretariat at PITAA, said the workshop represents a defining moment for the network. “The closing workshop is not an ending. It is the moment we hand the network to its members and watch it become something lasting. These women professionals built PWiTN, and it will be sustained by them.”
For PITAA, the PWiTN initiative is a foundation of its broader commitment to advancing gender equality, diversity, and inclusion across Pacific revenue administrations. With governance structures now established and a regional work plan ready for implementation, the network enters a new chapter led from within by the mentors, mentees, and alumni who have shaped it.
PITAA acknowledges with gratitude the continued funding support of the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT). PITAA also wishes to acknowledge the Network of Tax Organisations (NTO) that initially funded and coordinated the PWiTN pilot programme in 2024–2025, laying the foundation for the programme’s continued growth and regional impact. PITAA further extends its appreciation to the facilitator, Nana Akua Mensah, the Governance Working Group members, and all PITAA member partner administrations whose commitment has driven the success of this initiative.
The workshop concludes on the evening of 18 June 2026 with a Formal Dinner, Graduation, and Certificate Ceremony at the Tanoa International Hotel, Nadi.
