SUVA, FIJI – 05 March 2026 –Customs officers in Guam and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands have started a nine-month leadership programme for the first time, in a new partnership between the Oceania Customs Organisation and New Zealand Customs Service.
Guam CQA participants 2026 with PLP facilitators in Guam
The Pacific Leadership Programme (PLP) is designed to build management and leadership skills among senior border agency officials. It is funded by New Zealand’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade and the New Zealand Customs Service, with the goal of strengthening regional security and economic growth.
“I am truly excited that this is the first collaboration between New Zealand Customs and OCO to deliver this award-winning programme in the North Pacific,” said Laisa Naivalurua, Operations Manager at the OCO Secretariat.
CNMI Division of Customs and Quarantine participants 2026 with PLP facilitators in Saipan
The programme was adapted from a New Zealand Customs award-winning programme and first ran in the Cook Islands in 2012. Since then, it has been delivered 16 times across six countries. More than 200 Customs leaders across the Pacific have completed it, and independent evaluations have consistently rated it highly for impact and effectiveness.
This year the programme is also running in Samoa as a multi-border agency cohort. In Guam and CNMI, officers were nominated by their directors — Director Peredo and Director Mafnas — to take part.
Ms. Naivalurua completed the programme herself in 2023, while serving with the Fiji Revenue and Customs Service.
“PLP helped me to understand different perspectives as a leader, but also to be true to my core values as a person. I still use the tools I gained from the programme in my career today, “she said.
Leadership development is a core priority under the OCO’s 2022–2027 strategic plan. The organisation says competent leadership is essential to drive reform and modernisation across Pacific Customs administrations.
ENDS