Karanina Sumeo is a Samoan-born human rights advocate and mother of three who lives in Aotearoa, New Zealand. Her name, Saunoamaalii, was gifted to her by her grandmother’s family along with expectations for dignity, responsibility, fairness, and social justice. Karanina served as the Equal Employment Opportunities Commissioner at the New Zealand Human Rights Commission from 2018 to 2024, where she advocated internationally and locally for social and economic equity for all, especially Pacific and indigenous peoples, women, migrants, and marginalized workers. Her inquiries into the recognized seasonal employer scheme and migrant workers on visa schemes that brought people from the Pacific and around the world to New Zealand helped raise public understanding and awareness of modern slavery and its connection to people’s lives. Karanina was part of an advisory group to the previous government for modern slavery legislation, and is part of the community calling on the current government to progress with legislation. Karanina holds a PhD in public policy from Auckland University of Technology, along with qualifications in social work, social policy, and science.