Salā Marie Young
Founder, Purpose Empowered People
Chief Executive, PaCIVICa
Creator of the Koko Model™ Indigenous Research Methodology
Salā Marie Young is the founder of Purpose Empowered People (PEP) and Chief Executive of PaCIVICa, a Pacific civic leadership initiative supporting governance participation and leadaership development in Aotearoa New Zealand.
Her work sits at the intersection of Indigenous governance, leadership development, and community institution building. She focuses on strengthening the leadership and governance capability needed for Pacific organisations and communities to sustain themselves long-term while navigating complex regulatory and funding environments.
Through her work with PEP, Salā has supported purpose-led organisations to strengthen governance understanding, leadership capability, and organisational sustainability. This work later contributed to the establishment of PaCIVICa as a dedicated platform focused on civic capability and leadership pathways for Pacific communities.
Research and intellectual contribution
Salā’s doctoral research explores how Samoan Indigenous governance principles can inform the sustainability of Pacific early learning organisations operating in diaspora contexts such as Aotearoa New Zealand.
Her work contributes to emerging international conversations about Indigenous governance, community enterprise sustainability, and relational leadership. She is particularly interested in how Indigenous organisations maintain cultural integrity while operating within Western governance and regulatory systems.
The Koko Model™
Salā is the developer of the Koko Model™, a Samoan Indigenous research methodology designed to support culturally safe engagement with Pacific research participants.
Inspired by the traditional preparation of koko Samoa, the model provides a relational seven-stage framework guiding researchers from identity and trust-building through to shared knowledge. The model reflects Salā’s broader interest in Indigenous knowledge systems and culturally grounded approaches to research and leadership development.
Areas of Focus
01
Indigenous governance and leadership
Strengthening culturally grounded leadership approaches within Pacific organisations and communities.
03
Pacific community sustainability
Supporting leadership and governance capability that enables long-term community resilience.
05
Women's leadership and intergenerational capability
Supporting the development of emerging leaders through culturally grounded approaches.
02
Governance capability development
Supporting organisations to better understand governance roles, responsibilities, and sustainability.
04
Civic Leadership development
Developing leadership pathways and governance participation through initiatives such as PaCIVICa.
06
Indigenous research methodologies
Advancing culturally appropriate approaches to research engagement and knowledge development.
Selected work
Background
Salā brings more than 25 years of experience as a founder, practitioner, and community leader working across education, workforce development, and Pacific communities.
Alongside her professional work, she has also held significant community leadership roles including pastoral leadership, reflecting her long-standing commitment to service, leadership development, and community wellbeing.
Her work is grounded in the belief that strong governance and culturally grounded leadership are essential foundations for sustainable community organisations.
Professional foundations
Salā’s professional development reflects her commitment to future-focused leadership and governance thinking.
Master of Technological Futures
AcademyEX
Winner, Manaaki Award
Doctor of Business Administration (in progress)
University of Otago
Indigenous governance and sustainability of Pacific early learning organisations. Winner of the 2025 Tagaloa Doctoral Scholarship.
Approach
Salā’s work is grounded in the belief that governance is not simply about structure, but about relationships, responsibility, and stewardship. Her approach reflects Indigenous perspectives that see leadership as service and sustainability as the ability of communities to carry their work forward across generations.
As founder of Purpose Empowered People, she continues to shape the organisation’s intellectual foundations while focusing her day-to-day leadership on PaCIVICa and her research.