Audit office independence a priority for PASAI in Tuvalu

Funafuti, Tuvalu: Program Director for the Pacific Association of Supreme Audit Institutions (PASAI), Sinaroseta Palamo-Iosefo, spent this week in Tuvalu providing in-person technical support to the staff at the Office of the Auditor General (OAG).

Ms Palamo-Iosefo started work at the office on 26 May and is providing comprehensive support ranging from organisational development to the implementation of human resource (HR) functions.

While here she also met with the Chair of the Public Accounts Committee, Hon Monise Laafai.

Ms Palamo-Iosefo explained the meeting was part of PASAI’s advocacy work, saying, “Independence is critical to the OAG’s effective functioning and performing its oversight role in holding government to account.”

As participants of PASAI’s on-going HR management program, the OAG was keen to adopt effective people management practices. While at the office, Ms Palamo-Iosefo supported staff to establish performance management processes, identify competencies needed and initiated the creation of a learning and professional development (LPD) plan.

“Audit offices can support staff competency development by refining job profiles, creating LPD plans and maintaining databases of staff progress towards professional certification,” Ms Palamo-Iosefo said.

Other mission objectives included strengthening the audit office’s financial management processes and following up the development of its overall audit plan.

“Ensuring the OAG’s own budgeting and payment processes stand up to high levels of scrutiny enables it to be a credible evaluator of other public agencies’ accounts,” Ms Palamo-Iosefo said.

As well as technical support and advocacy, Ms Palamo-Iosefo worked with the Auditor General, Imase Taai Kaunatu, to review the bespoke capacity development plan used to guide the audit office’s training and development activities into 2026.

PASAI acknowledges the support of the New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT) and the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT).

PASAI Program Director, Sinaroseta Palamo-Iosefo, with staff from the Office of the Auditor General of Tuvalu

PASAI Program Director, Sinaroseta Palamo-Iosefo, with Chair of the Public Accounts Committee, Hon Monise Laafai

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Contact information:

Sinaroseta Palamo-Iosefo, Program Director PASAI
E: sina.iosefo@pasai.org P: +64 9 304 1275

PDF version of this media release

Last chance to register for tomorrow's webinar on effective engagement with the justice system

Communication is key to effective justice – effective engagement to ensure integrity and transparency

This webinar will seek to show the key to effective engagement with the wider justice sector from different perspectives.

Our Secretary-General, John Ryan, will chair the discussions. The panel will include the Director of Public Prosecutions in the Kingdom of Tonga, James Lutui Finau; Assistant CEO – Criminal and Civil Courts, Ministry of Justice and Courts Administration in Samoa, Tofilau Sina Faapoi; and the Director of the New Zealand Pacific Justice Sector Programme, Toli Sagaga.

This event is led by Office of the Auditor-General of New Zealand but forms part of our advocacy and good governance program.

Please register for this event to receive a unique login for the webinar. For any issues email international@oag.parliament.nz.

We encourage you to forward this invitation to those you think may be interested in this event – all are welcome.  

Government auditors in Fiji for regional reporting on climate change adaptation actions

Nadi, Fiji: The Pacific Association of Supreme Audit Institutions (PASAI) is holding a 4-day in-person workshop for auditors reporting on government responses to climate-related matters from today.

Thirteen performance auditors (9 female, 4 male) from the government audit offices of the Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, the Marshall Islands, New Caledonia, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu are participating in the workshop from 26 to 29 May 2025.

PASAI has been providing guidance to the 9 Pacific Island audit teams since the audits started in 2024.

Each participating audit office has selected one of 3 audit topics; examining how well their governments are managing water resources, implementing climate change adaptation plans or actions, or taking action to adapt to the impact of sea level rise and coastal erosion.

Staff from the New Zealand Office of the Auditor-General and the Australian state audit offices of New South Wales, Queensland and South Australia have also provided technical support to many of the Pacific Island audit teams.

The workshop is being held to extract the themes from the individual performance audits and prepare an outline of a Pacific regional report on climate change adaptation actions.

PASAI Program Director, Mike Scott, is co-facilitating the workshop with Karen Wong, a Performance Audit Manager from the New Zealand Office of the Auditor-General.

“Our regional report will feed into a global overview report for presentation to international stakeholders and events, including at the UN’s Climate Change Conference this November,” said Mr Scott.

Workshop participants will present their own report findings and review how their participation in this cooperative regional audit will help them improve their performance audit practices in future work.

Mr Scott expressed satisfaction with the dedication of the auditors, saying, “Many of the audit teams overcame significant hurdles to access information and people, undertake site visits, gather direct evidence of government project progress and engage with communities to hear, see and understand how well initiatives are improving their lives and futures.”

PASAI acknowledges the support of the New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT) and the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT).

Participants of the report writing workshop in Nadi, Fiji

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Contact information:

Mike Scott, Program Director PASAI
E: mike.scott@pasai.org P: +64 9 304 1275

PDF version of this media release

PASAI Secretary-General: His term in review and future outlook | Zoom webinar – 24 June 3 pm NZT

Join us for a special webinar event to mark John Ryan’s term as Controller and Auditor-General of New Zealand, Niue and Tokelau, and Secretary-General of PASAI, as he prepares to step down after 7 years on 1 July 2025.

John’s term has navigated a period of major change and challenge—from the Covid-19 pandemic to the growing frequency and severity of climate-related events. During this time, PASAI has embarked on a new 10-year strategy and delivered a variety of programs to strengthen public auditing across the Pacific. Under his leadership, PASAI has championed greater independence for audit offices, built stronger regional partnerships, improved the professionalism of its members and pushed for more effective engagement with those in the broader public financial management system.

This webinar is a chance to hear John reflect on the milestones of his term and his outlook on areas of public fund management that matter to everyone in the Pacific. After his presentation, there will be time for questions and discussion where you can share your thoughts and ask questions to John.

This event is led by the Office of the Auditor-General of New Zealand but forms part of the advocacy and good governance program of PASAI.

Please register for this event. After you submit your registration, you will receive a confirmation email with your unique Zoom link and a way to add this to your calendar. If you have any issues contact international@oag.parliament.nz.

We encourage you to forward this invitation to those you think may be interested in this event, all are welcome.

Third quarterly report under new strategy now available

We have just published our third quarterly report for the 2024–25 financial year.

Current and past reports are available on our Quarterly reports page.

Register for Transparency International's Pacific Anti-Corruption Series

Strengthening transparency, financial integrity and civil society action.

Three powerful webinars. One shared mission.

Transparency International New Zealand invites you to join civil society leaders, journalists, advocates and financial oversight professionals across the Pacific to explore how we can tackle corruption, uncover financial crime and strengthen our governance systems—together.

Webinar 1: 14 May 2025 – 12 to 1:30 pm (Fiji/New Zealand time)

Anti-money laundering (AML) – Risks, benefits and the role of transparency

Explore how money laundering affects Pacific communities, why strong AML systems matter, and the vital role civil society plays in promoting transparency. You’ll hear from experts in law enforcement, financial intelligence and anti-corruption advocacy.

Webinar 2: 28 May 2025 – 10:30 am to 12:00 pm (Fiji/New Zealand time)

Organised crime – Corruption, financial networks and policy responses

This session dives into how organised crime operates across the Pacific, from hidden financial networks to state corruption. Learn how investigative journalism, policy innovation, and law enforcement are fighting back—and what role you can play.

Webinar 3: 11 June 2025 – 12 to 1:30 pm (Fiji/New Zealand time)

Beneficial ownership 101 – Strengthening transparency and accountability in the Pacific

What is beneficial ownership and why does it matter for the Pacific? Learn how secretive company ownership structures fuel corruption—and what tools exist to make ownership more transparent and accountable.

Spaces are limited, so please register to attend as soon as possible to secure your spot.

Pacific Island auditors to focus on government compliance in new webinar series

Auckland, New Zealand: The Pacific Association of Supreme Audit Institutions (PASAI) is delivering a series of webinars to strengthen the capacity of its members to conduct high-quality compliance audits from today.

Ninety-one staff (49 female and 42 male) from the government audit offices of the Cook Islands, Fiji, Kiribati, the Marshall Islands, Nauru, the Northern Mariana Islands, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Tuvalu and Yap State in the Federated States of Micronesia have registered for the remotely accessible capacity building training.

One of the course facilitators, PASAI Program Director, Susana Laulu, believes compliance audits are a powerful tool to uphold fairness and accountability in public institutions.

“Compliance audits help ensure that public officials and institutions are following the rules, laws, policies and executive directives they’re meant to uphold.

“A compliance audit can either reveal to the auditee what it needs to change or it can provide assurance to the public that the government entity is applying laws and regulations fairly and consistently – there is great value in either outcome,” she said.

PASAI has developed this training to improve the coverage of compliance audit activities and enhance public sector auditors’ capabilities in conducting a standalone compliance audit.

The training will include practical examples from the public sector to illustrate key concepts and the different phases of the compliance audit process as prescribed by the international standards.

Ms Laulu explained, “Our goal is to demystify compliance auditing and provide practical guidance that audit teams can apply immediately.

“It’s about giving auditors the confidence and clarity to ask the right questions and make meaningful findings.”

PASAI acknowledges the support of the New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT) and the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT).

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Contact information:

Susana Laulu, Program Director PASAI
E: susana.laulu@pasai.org P: +64 9 304 1275

PDF version of this media release

Training continues on managing Pacific Island audit offices’ greatest assets – staff

Auckland, New Zealand: The Pacific Association of Supreme Audit Institutions (PASAI) is delivering a series of webinars on human resource management (HRM) for its member offices from today.

Twenty-eight staff (19 female and 11 male) from the government audit offices of FSM Kosrae, FSM Yap, Guam, Kiribati, the Northern Mariana Islands, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Tuvalu and Vanuatu have registered to attend the first webinar.

PASAI Program Director, Sinaroseta Palamo-Iosefo, is facilitating the series of monthly webinars, with the inaugural one focused on ‘The employee lifecycle’.

“Establishing robust HRM systems is vital for delivering high-quality audits, ultimately supporting improved public sector accountability.

“This session is designed to equip participants with a good understanding of the key responsibilities of audit offices as outlined in international standards on auditor competence,” she said.

The current webinar series is appropriate for staff who are responsible for managing HR-related matters and will cover concepts ranging from recruitment and performance management to staff wellness and development frameworks.

This training follows PASAI’s delivery, with invaluable assistance from the Swedish National Audit Office, of a comprehensive HR Champions program which created a cohort of Pacific Island-based staff who are now experienced in managing contemporary HR matters.

Ms Palamo-Iosefo explained that throughout the webinar series, staff performing HR duties in the region will share examples of how they implemented HR initiatives in their offices, such as developing an HR strategy or introducing a wellness program.

“These webinars fit into a broader program of strengthening HRM capabilities among member audit offices drawing on the expertise that has been developed in the region,” she said.

PASAI acknowledges the support of the New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT) and the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT).

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Contact information:

Sinaroseta Palamo-Iosefo, Program Director PASAI
E: Sina.Iosefo@pasai.org P: +64 9 304 1275

PDF version of this media release

Twelve Pacific Island government auditors on track to upgrade in-house quality management systems.

Auckland, New Zealand: The Pacific Association of Supreme Audit Institutions (PASAI) is continuing to support the staff of 5 Pacific Island auditors general to set up a formal system of audit quality management (SoAQM) with a second in-person workshop. The first workshop in April 2024 covered in detail the main concepts of the processes in the SoAQM such as quality risk management, monitoring and remediation, and the evaluation of the SoAQM. It also equipped participants to carry out a Needs Analysis Assessment.

Twelve staff (5 female and 7 male) from the government audit offices of the Cook Islands, Fiji, the Marshall Islands, Tuvalu and Vanuatu have gathered in Auckland this week to participate in the three-day SoAQM program workshop.

PASAI, in cooperation with the INTOSAI Development Initiative (IDI), have been helping these offices to take the initial steps in establishing fit-for-purpose SoAQMs that promote continuous improvement with its self-correcting mechanisms since April 2024. IDI developed the SoAQM establishment ‘playbook’.

Fiji-based Program Director, Meresimani Vosawale-Katuba is facilitating the training, with the support of Esther Lameko-Poutoa, PASAI Chief Executive. Gerhard van den Berg, Quality Assurance Manager from the Office of the Auditor-General of New Zealand and, Stuart Cormack, Manager Methodology from Audit New Zealand will also share their experiences implementing a SoAQM and provide technical assistance.

This second workshop will cover the development of a bespoke SoAQM action plan and policy for each audit office.

Ms Vosawale-Katuba explained, “Staff members that auditors general have selected for this program have been involved in documenting their offices’ needs analysis and will be part of the team implementing a SoAQM.

“They are multi-disciplinary team members with experiences in and knowledge of auditing standards, different audit practices, audit methodology, quality assurance, strategic planning, and research and policy development.”

PASAI acknowledges the support of the New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT) and the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT).

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Contact information:

Meresimani Vosawale-Katuba, Program Director PASAI
E: Meresimani.VosawaleKatuba@pasai.org P: +64 9 304 1275

PDF of this media release

Pacific Island auditors trained on financial audit practice areas

Auckland, New Zealand: The Pacific Association of Supreme Audit Institutions (PASAI) is delivering a series of webinars covering financial audit practice areas for its members from today.

Fifty-eight staff (37 female and 21 male) from the government audit offices of Fiji, Federated States of Micronesia (FSM) National office, Nauru, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Tonga and Tuvalu participated in the remotely accessible capacity building training.

This first webinar of the series is designed to provide participants with essential insights and practical strategies to enhance their audit planning processes.

One of the course facilitators, PASAI Program Director, Susana Laulu, said the webinar will provide practical tools to help audit offices refine their current processes with help from PASAI’s own regional financial audit manual.

“By increasing understanding about the importance of planning an audit and the key components for effective planning, we aim to enhance the quality of financial audits in the Pacific.

“This webinar will equip staff with the knowledge and tools needed to tackle financial audits whether they are experienced auditors or new to the field,” she said.

Senior Advisor at the Office of the Auditor-General of New Zealand, Logan Moore, is also facilitating the webinar series, held for about 2 hours each month until June 2026.

Senior Advisor, International team and Audit New Zealand Manager Narisha Poonsamy, shared her experience of Public Sector Entities audit planning.

PASAI acknowledges the support of the New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT) and the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT).

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Contact information:

Susana Laulu, Program Director PASAI
E: susana.laulu@pasai.org P: +64 9 304 1275

PDF of this media release

Pacific Island auditors trained on performance audit practice areas

Auckland, New Zealand: The Pacific Association of Supreme Audit Institutions (PASAI) is delivering a second series of 10 webinars covering performance audit practice areas for its members from today.

Forty-one staff (24 female and 17 male) from the government audit offices of American Samoa, the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM) National office, FSM Kosrae, Fiji, Guam, Tonga, Vanuatu, FSM Yap, FSM Chuuk, Palau, Solomon Islands and Papua New Guinea participated in the remotely accessible capacity building training.

PASAI Program Director, Mike Scott, is keen to build on the first webinar series he delivered from February 2024 that covered the fundamentals of auditing the performance of government service provision.

“During each webinar, I will talk to a panel of guest practitioners from different international audit offices, opening the conversation to questions and comments from the webinar audience,” he said.

The first webinar will cover project management of an audit with guest panellists from the Office of the Auditor-General of New Zealand. The remaining webinars, held once every 2 months, will cover concepts ranging from evidence collection to risk management and report writing.

The training model responds to the expressed desires of Pacific Island auditors to learn directly from those in the same field.

Mr Scott explained, “The webinars feature practitioners sharing what they have found has worked in successfully delivering impactful performance audits, challenges they have encountered and how they have overcome them, and pitfalls to avoid, giving examples from audits that they have worked on.”

PASAI will make a recording of each webinar available to participants on its online Learning Platform which also includes a forum for participants to share their reflections and experiences.  

Additionally, the first series of webinars will soon be available to Pacific Island performance auditors as a self-paced online learning package that includes practice sheets and quizzes to complete.

PASAI acknowledges the support of the New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT) and the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT).

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Contact information:

Mike Scott, Program Director PASAI
E: mike.scott@pasai.org P: +64 9 304 1275

PDF version of this media release

Nine Pacific Island audit offices helped to develop effective audit plans

Auckland, New Zealand: The Pacific Association of Supreme Audit Institutions (PASAI) is delivering the first phase of overall audit planning training to staff from Pacific Island government audit offices from today.

Forty staff (18 female, 22 male) from the audit offices of American Samoa, the Cook Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM) National, FSM Pohnpei, FSM Yap, the Northern Mariana Islands, Papua New Guinea, Samoa and Tuvalu are learning how to apply a systematic and risk-based approach to developing an overall audit program.

The 3 phases of the training are being facilitated by 4 of PASAI’s experienced program directors.

“The effective implementation of an overall audit program achieves many audit performance issues, namely coverage, quality, timeliness and impact,” said PASAI Program Director, Sinaroseta Palamo-Iosefo.

She continued, “It is essential for SAIs to ensure that their audits focus on major government priorities, public interest issues and areas prone to risk.

“Realistic planning helps timely completion and submission, tabling and publication of audit reports.

“When properly scoped, audits can achieve their desired outcomes for stakeholders and the public,” she said.

Phase one of the training consists of 5 modules of up to 2 hours each being delivered in online workshops from today until 25 March 2025. These are to build knowledge about audit programs on topics such as the development process and considerations for resource allocation.

Manager, Strategy and Performance from the New Zealand Office of the Auditor-General, Catherine Proffitt, will also join a workshop to share her experience.

Phase 2 consists of facilitated support to develop bespoke audit programs at each participating audit office throughout March, April and May.

Finally, audit office representatives will present their audit programs and lessons learned in early June.

PASAI acknowledges the support of the New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT) and the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT).

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Contact information:

Sinaroseta Palamo-Iosefo, Program Director PASAI, Auckland, New Zealand
E: sina.iosefo@pasai.org P: +64 9 304 1275

PDF version of this media release

PASAI’s 41st Governing Board meeting

Auckland, New Zealand: The Pacific Association of Supreme Audit Institutions (PASAI) held its 41st Governing Board meeting online on 7 March 2025, chaired by Desmond Wildin, Director of Audit for the Cook Islands.

PASAI’s Secretary-General and Controller and Auditor-General of New Zealand, John Ryan, attended along with other Pacific Island-based board members, the recently appointed Auditor-General for Australia, Dr Caralee McLiesh, PASAI Secretariat staff and a representative from the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT).

Board representatives from the sub-regions of Melanesia, Micronesia and Polynesia shared major achievements of and challenges faced by the 20 audit offices in their respective groups.

PASAI Chief Executive, Esther Lameko-Poutoa, reported on the Secretariat’s progress implementing its operational plan since the Board last met in November 2024. She also provided a 5-year forecast of expenses.

The Governing Board created a working group to consider comprehensive feedback received on potential amendments to PASAI’s charter for adoption at its Congress this August.

Board members also considered various reports and updates to policies that were due for a routine review.

The Secretariat expresses its gratitude to the Governing Board members for their ongoing assistance and acknowledges the support of its development partners, the New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT) and DFAT.

Online attendees of PASAI’s 41st Governing Board meeting

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Contact information:

Esther Lameko-Poutoa, Chief Executive PASAI, Auckland, New Zealand
E: secretariat@pasai.org P: +64 9 304 1275

PDF version of this media release

Register for webinar on how SAIs can prepare for global trends

INTOSAI’s Supervisory Committee on Emerging Issues (SCEI) has published its Navigating Global Trends report, in part to support SAIs prepare for emerging issues.

The report highlights 7 global trends that will shape the future of societies and governments over the next 15 years:

• erosion of trust in institutions

• economic challenges

• digital transformation

• climate change

• demographic shifts

• global migration

• rising inequalities.

From 5:30 pm (NZT) on 19 March 2025, the SCEI will hold a webinar to:

• explore the findings of the report

• share insights with peers

• discuss the implications of these trends for the future of audit and governance.

We particularly encourage SAI staff responsible for strategic planning and audit planning to register for the webinar. The SCEI will also soon release a guide to help SAIs with limited strategic planning experience use the report.

A letter of invitation from the INTOSAI Chair to join the webinar (and share your foresight activities) as well as further details about the webinar are in the SCEI’s announcement.

Second quarterly report under new strategy now available

We have just published our second quarterly report for the 2024–25 financial year.

Current and past reports are available on our Quarterly reports page.

Professional ethics a focus for Pacific Island government auditors

Auckland, New Zealand: The Pacific Association of Supreme Audit Institutions (PASAI) is collaborating with Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand (CA ANZ) to deliver professional ethics training to government auditors, starting today.

This activity seeks to ensure those responsible for auditing the finances and performance of Pacific Island government agencies receive specialised professional ethics and integrity training.  

Ninety-nine staff (60 female, 39 male) from the government audit offices of American Samoa, the Cook Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM) National, FSM Chuuk, FSM Kosrae, FSM Pohnpei, FSM Yap, Fiji, Guam, Kiribati, Nauru, New Caledonia, the Northern Mariana Islands, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tuvalu and Vanuatu have registered to participate in the blended training program that covers the fundamental ethical principles governing the work of accountants and auditors working in the public sector.

PASAI Program Director and course facilitator, Sinaroseta Palamo-Iosefo believes ethics requires continuous learning and practice saying, “It’s not a task to be completed but rather a lifelong journey to be experienced.”

She added, “Ethics are the cornerstone of professional auditors, their work and their institutions.

“This year’s program is an initial step and will be built on each year to promote and encourage SAIs to establish systems and practices to ensure ethical behaviour is always demonstrated by all government audit staff.”

After today’s introductory workshop, participants will have until 10 February to complete a self-paced micro-course on PASAI’s online Learning Platform.

Small cohort interactive workshops will follow allowing participants to test how ethical principles apply to their working environments, share experiences and learn from expert facilitators and peers.

As part of its strategic priority on enhancing the internal governance of Pacific Island audit offices, PASAI will launch an organisational ethics component to this program later this year.

PASAI acknowledges the support of the New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT) and the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT).

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Contact information:

Sinaroseta Palamo-Iosefo, Program Director PASAI, Auckland, New Zealand
E: sina.iosefo@pasai.org  P: +64 9 304 1275

PDF version of this media release

PASAI welcomes Sophia H Pretrick as new Program Director

Auckland, New Zealand: An experienced fraud investigator, Sophia H Pretrick, has joined the Pacific Association of Supreme Audit Institutions (PASAI) as a program director who will be based in the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM).

Ms Pretrick was most recently a United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) Transnational Organised Crime Program Officer. As the UNODC focal point for the north Pacific, Ms Pretrick’s role over the last 2 years included enhancing partnerships with member states and building awareness of emerging transnational crime trends.

This experience followed more than 20 years working as an investigator in various government audit offices around Micronesia. Ms Pretrick also led an integrity unit that investigated instances of fraud and identify theft relating to COVID-19 Pandemic Unemployment Assistance claims for the FSM Department of Finance and Administration.

PASAI Chief Executive, Esther Lameko-Poutoa, is pleased that Ms Pretrick has joined PASAI’s cohort of program directors.

“With more than 20 years of experience in transnational crime, audit and public fraud investigations, Sophia’s skillset will strengthen the capacity of our member offices that conduct investigations and fraud awareness briefings,” she said.

In 2021, the United States Secretary of State, Anthony Blinken, awarded Ms Pretrick with an International Anti-Corruption Champions Award in recognition of her tireless work to combat corruption and fight for accountability. This acknowledged her grassroots fraud awareness work and lead role in investigating high-profile cases that have led to criminal convictions.

In joining PASAI, Ms Pretrick expressed an eagerness to build on the legacy of her predecessor in the north Pacific-based Program Director role, former Guam Public Auditor, Doris Flores Brooks.

“I’m excited to support audit offices in their roles combatting and curbing corruption. Many Pacific Island nations pay a high price for government fraud, mismanagement and waste so I’m passionate about the independent role audit offices can play in investigating public complaints, anonymous tips and financial irregularities.

“Strong, independent audit offices are pillars of integrity that enhance public trust in government when they can operate effectively within a functional system,” she said.

Ms Pretrick has a Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice from Park University in Missouri, USA and has a Master of Fraud and Financial Crime from Charles Sturt University in Australia. She has been a Certified Fraud Examiner since 2003.

PASAI acknowledges the support of the New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT) and the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT). 

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Contact information:

Esther Lameko-Poutoa, Chief Executive PASAI, Auckland, New Zealand
E: secretariat@pasai.org P: +64 9 304 1275

PDF version of this media release

Sophia H Pretrick

PASAI directors supporting Nauru

Yaren, Nauru: Program directors for the Pacific Association of Supreme Audit Institutions (PASAI), Susana Laulu and Sinaroseta Palamo-Iosefo, are providing 2 weeks of in-person technical support to the staff at the Nauru Department of Audit.

The pair started work at the office on 20 January and are providing comprehensive support ranging from compliance audit capability building and fieldwork completion to HR, ethics systems and annual audit planning.

Auditor-General, Manoharan Nair, and his staff are relying on the PASAI directors’ technical expertise to enhance the audit office’s overall audit planning and ethics systems.

Ms Palamo-Iosefo said, “This visit will enable us to review and update the office’s Code of Ethics and develop the office’s annual audit program.”

The program directors will also help establish a comprehensive compliance audit methodology and conduct training sessions to equip staff with the necessary skills and knowledge to apply this methodology effectively.

Ms Laulu explained the training on compliance audit is practical and ‘on-the-job’ saying, “We will oversee and guide staff in conducting real compliance audit fieldwork on a local authority to ensure adherence to regulations and standards.” 

Another objective of the mission is to strengthen the audit office’s organisational leadership and people management practices.

“Audit offices can support staff competency development by refining job profiles, creating Learning and Professional Development plans and maintaining databases of staff progress towards professional certification,” Ms Palamo-Iosefo said.

PASAI acknowledges the support of the New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT) and the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT).

PASAI Program Director, Susana Laulu (far right), facilitating a presentation on international compliance audit standards with staff from the Nauru Department of Audit

PASAI Program Director, Susana Laulu (second from left), supporting staff from the Nauru Department of Audit out conducting compliance audit fieldwork

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Contact information:

Susana Laulu, Program Director PASAI
E: Susana.Laulu@pasai.org P: +64 9 304 1275

Sinaroseta Palamo-Iosefo, Program Director PASAI
E: sina.iosefo@pasai.org  P: +64 9 304 1275

PDF version of this media release

Registrations now open for free online environmental auditing courses

Auditors can now register to participate in 2 courses being offered in 2025:

• Introduction to environmental auditing in the public sector (17 February – 16 March 2025)

• Auditing water issues (15 September – 12 October 2025)

Course materials are based on INTOSAI’s Working Group on Environmental Auditing (WGEA) guidance and the relevant experiences of WGEA members. Course lecturers are from the National Audit Office of Estonia.

Participants who successfully complete all tasks will receive a digital certificate from the University of Tartu.

The courses are fully online, free of charge and self-paced. Performance auditors can get more information and register online.

Upcoming holiday shutdown for Secretariat office

Our office will be closed between 25 December 2024 and 5 January 2025. We look forward to continuing our work of improving accountability and governance in the Pacific region early next year.