PhD student aims to help support the recovery of the South Pacific aviation industry

In 2002, the Tongan Ministry of Education invited Vinolia to pursue a degree in Aviation Management due to urgent Government demand. This led to her completing her Bachelor in Aviation Management through Massey in 2005, followed by a Master of Aviation Management via Griffith University in 2010.

Following these periods of study, Vinolia returned to Tonga, where she worked in the industry for a number of years. She was the Director of Civil Aviation of Tonga when she made the decision to leave home to complete her PhD with Massey. She was awarded a New Zealand Pacific Scholarship by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade in 2017 to aid in her PhD journey.

Vinolia’s doctoral thesis explores challenges to aviation growth within the South Pacific region, and provides post-COVID-19 recovery strategies for the region’s Governments.

Vinolia has also successfully published all three of her articles in her doctoral thesis in reputable aviation, transport, and tourism journals prior to the oral examination, a feat her supervisors recognise as a a huge achievement.

Vinolia says she felt very supported throughout her studies with Massey. “I couldn’t ask for a better university for my PhD, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. Massey provides a balanced approach to education, and is the best university in New Zealand to do your aviation studies. As a multicultural university, I was exposed to other cultures through various clubs, which provided broader perspectives on life as a whole.”

She says while she was used to studying abroad, the pandemic was a different story. “I was familiar with what studying abroad entails, but I was not ready for the pandemic. But I was lucky I had my husband, extended family, and friends in Palmerston North and New Zealand, and my family and friends in Tonga and around the world to provide much-needed support.”

Vinolia says she’s very passionate about the aviation industry in Tonga and the Pacific, and despite it not quite being accounting, she says once she started down the aviation track, she never looked back. “I am looking forward to going back to the aviation industry, either in Tonga or other Pacific countries, to actively support the industry’s recovery in the post-COVID-19 era. The aviation and tourism sectors are critical contributors to economic developments within the South Pacific region.”