Tylah Farani-Watene

Tylah Farani-Watene

Founder VAKA 2030, 2024 Global Citizen Youth Leader

Tylah Farani-Watene is a proud descendent of Te Moana-nui-a-Kiwa in New Zealand, with ancestral ties to Taputimu, Nofoali’i, Ngāti Maru ki Hauraki, and Fiji.

Based in Te Whanganui-a-Tara, Wellington, Farani-Watene is passionate about youth advocacy, sustainable development, racial justice, and civic education. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Farani-Watene had the additional challenge of undergoing brain surgery. During the recovery, she discovered her calling for global change-making and social impact. In the years since, she has devoted her time and energy to empowering and creating opportunities for underrepresented communities, particularly Māori and Pasifika youth, as she believes that the key to achieving a better world lies in activating indigenous knowledge.

Taking her passion across the world, Farani-Watene is focused on creating more opportunities for Māori and Pasifika youth to contribute to the global discourse on sustainable development, alongside being a role model for her younger sisters, Blayke and Ridley, helping them become confident Pacific women as they navigate life.



Speaking at


The Speakers

Meet the thought leaders and innovators shaping the future of the well-being economy.



Gong Yao Min


Steven Soo


Johanna Zuleta

Founder, La Zuleta


Solla Zophoniasdottir

Learning Services Orchestrator, Climate-KIC


朱岩 Ian Zhu

Founding Member, NIO Capital


张乐 Zhang Le

President, MCM International Group China


Nakul Zaveri

Partner, LeapFrog Investments


Katy Yung

Chief Executive Officer, Sustainable Finance Initiative