She is Samoan born and New Zealand raised with a background in Pacific tertiary education, Pacific media and marketing and public health.
She started at the PGF Group in 2003 and has had various roles as Health Promotions Advisor and Public Health Manager. Pesio is currently the National Director of Mapu Maia, a national Pacific service providing support services to Pacific communities across Aotearoa.
In 2001 Pesio developed the first Pacific Gambling Project in Manukau with Pacificare Trust as the Project Manager. Her role was to develop Pacific public health programs in Counties Manukau.
For the past 24 years, Pesio has worked extensively within the Pacific Island community in the areas of problem gambling, public health, tertiary education and community development. From 2006 to 2009, she was an elected Board member for the New Zealand Health Promotion Forum and currently represents the Pacific sector on the NGO Health and Disability Council of New Zealand and elected deputy Chair of DRUA, National Network of Pacific Mental Health and Addiction Practitioners of NZ.
Pesio has a Bachelor of Marketing and Business, a Post Grad Diploma in Health Promotion and is a Member of DAPAANZ.
