Lani Tu’itavake Honoured for a Lifetime of Quiet Leadership and Love for Redfern
Redfern, NSW — In a room filled with community leaders, activists and housing advocates, one name stood out: Lani Tuitavake. At the 2025 ACHIA NSW Aboriginal Housing Caucus Dinner, Lani was awarded the Outstanding Leadership in Aboriginal Housing Award — a moment of recognition not just for her professional achievements, but for a lifetime of love, loyalty and quiet service to a community she calls home.
A Neighbour, Not an Outsider
Lani, who is of Tongan heritage, moved to Redfern’s iconic “The Block” with her husband Alex (Tu’i) Tu’itavake, a former world champion kickboxer, in the early 1980s. What began as a place to live became a place to belong. “We were welcomed, and we stayed,” she once said. “This is home.”
The couple became part of the fabric of the Aboriginal community in Redfern. Not just residents, but neighbours, family, allies. Their children were raised here, their roots planted deep.
From Office to Advocacy
For over three decades, Lani has served as the Chief Operating Officer of the Aboriginal Housing Company (AHC), working quietly but relentlessly behind the scenes on one of the most ambitious Indigenous-led housing transformations in the country — the Pemulwuy Project.
She oversaw planning, finance, community consultation, and design — always with the community’s dignity at the centre. The Pemulwuy Project isn’t just a construction site; it’s the rebirth of The Block, with affordable Aboriginal housing, student accommodation, a gym, gallery and childcare centre.
“This award belongs to everyone on The Block,” Lani said in her brief acceptance speech. “We never left, and we never gave up.”
The Power Behind the Power
Lani’s husband, Alex Tu’itavake (Alex Tu’i), may have made headlines in his day as a champion in the ring, but those who know them say Lani’s fight has always been the one that matters most — the fight for housing justice, cultural preservation, and Indigenous self-determination.
“She never wanted the spotlight,” said one community elder. “But she earned it.”
A Reward for a Life Well Lived in Service
The award from ACHIA is more than a personal honour — it is a symbol of the deep trust and love the Redfern Aboriginal community has for a Tongan woman who never claimed to speak for them, but who stood with them — in the cold, in the meetings, in the decades-long push to see The Block rise again.
“She’s one of our own,” said a fellow AHC colleague. “That’s why this award means something. It’s not just about her work. It’s about her heart.”
In recognising Lani Tuitavake, the community acknowledges more than her title or her years of service. They honour a neighbour who never left, a friend who never wavered, and a leader who never forgot what The Block means to the people who built it.
Eleni ‘Aholelei
