Born in New Zealand, her heart and her work took her to Samoa, the heart of Polynesia. From the 90s on she worked to advance Pacific conservation throughout the region, playing many roles and wearing many hats. Sue was a mentor, advocate, inspiration and friend to many people across the Pacific and the globe - Heads of State, colleagues, indigenous leaders, students, communities, voyagers. Sue was fiercely passionate about the Pacific ocean and the people who call it home, and she touched many lives. No matter how busy she was, she always had time for her four precious children, Dylan, Gyllian, Ryan and Sera, and her husband Faalepo.

“Throughout her career and lifetime, Sue Taei made remarkable contributions to the conservation of the Pacific Ocean and Islands; her love and passion for marine biodiversity and Pacific culture fostered a strong and collaborative community of practice for marine conservation and sustainable use.” - Philippe Germain, former President of New Caledonia

For over 30 years Sue was a thought leader and a driving force behind many of the Pacific region’s most ambitious conservation initiatives. With degrees from the University of Auckland and the University of Waikato, she supported, designed and championed many ground-breaking conservation initiatives to protect marine mammals, turtles and birds, manage invasive species, create and implement large and small scale marine protected areas, and develop the Framework for the Pacific Oceanscape.

“Her vision and passion for the ocean was palpable, as well as her belief in and affection for its stewards, the people of the Pacific. This ideological framework guided her career as well as her personal life, which she dedicated to mentoring and supporting emerging ocean managers and policymakers in the Pacific.” – Sylvie Goyet, Director, Climate Change and Environmental Sustainability Program, The Pacific Community

Sue launched the marine species program at SPREP (Secretariat for the Pacific Regional Environment Programme), crafting the first regional strategy for protecting marine mammals and turtles in 2003. This work precipitated three triennial action plans for marine species in the region, fostered conservation agreements under the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS) and led to the development of national whale sanctuaries in 11 countries. Working with SPREP, one of her first deployments was to advise the Tongan Government on the development of whale watching. In this role, Sue convened the first training for whale watching operators in Vava’u in 1996 and fostered an innovative partnership of NGOs, scientists, community and government which led the development of a globally significant tourism industry, securing local livelihoods, and turning a country from consumptive to sustainable use of whales. Some of Sue’s other roles include Pacific Whale Conservation Node Coordinator for the Pew Foundation, Executive Officer of the South Pacific Whale Research Consortium and Pacific Strategic Adviser for the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW).

Very dear to Sue’s heart was supporting the design and operation of Kiribati’s Phoenix Islands Protected Area (PIPA), at the time the world’s largest Marine Protected Areas (MPAs). She facilitated PIPA’s inscription as a World Heritage site, including fostering the sister-site agreement between PIPA and Papahānaumokuākea, enabling both Pacific sites to be inscripted in the same year. Building upon that sister-site agreement, Sue joined forces with the managers of the region’s other large scale MPAs to create Big Ocean. This network of large scale MPA managers has been instrumental in delivering peer-peer learning, rapidly increasing the number of large scale MPAs established globally. Along with PIPA, Sue put huge energy into working with Pacific Island countries to design and implement the Pacific Island Forum Leaders’ Pacific Oceanscape Framework which was adopted in 2010. This commitment to the Oceanscape has seen the creation of many large scale MPAs in the region. She also worked passionately to assist development of the Office of the Pacific Ocean Commissioner with which she drove the regions first meeting on the issues of Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction.

“Sue’s vision and passion for the ocean and Pacific island communities was unshakeable, and she inspired many in the conservation world to think bigger and bolder.” – Dan Laffoley, Vice-Chair – Marine, IUCN World Commission on Protected Areas

Sue championed the concept of ‘whole domain management’, convening thought leaders and practitioners through the Society of Conservation Biology. This concept is now embraced throughout the region and globally as a new way of thinking about the management and conservation of ocean domain (and the islands therein) at EEZ scale. One of her last initiatives was to convened legal and governance experts on the issue of the legal rights of nature, progressing innovative mechanisms to secure legal rights for the Pacific Ocean.

“Sue's most significant legacy, however, might be her long-term vision for how LSMPAs could change the landscape of whole-domain or EEZ-wide management.” – Nai’a Lewis, Coordinator, Big Ocean

Recognised by the Society of Conservation Biology for her leadership in conservation, Sue catalysed globally significant conservation frameworks, policies and protections, pushing us to continually think bigger, while building the necessary tools, strong relationships and effective partnerships to deliver on her outsized conservation vision.

Sue Taei with CI colleagues (Samoa) © Conservation International