The Sione siblings work for the Children’s Ministry in the Wellington region, though in very different roles. Saina is a Business Analyst, Charlie is a Care and Protection Coordinator, and Tusi and Ezra are Residential Youth Workers.
Family Values: Meet the 4 Brothers Working for Oranga Tamariki
Published: March 10, 2026
They say you should never do business with family, but 4 brothers working together at Oranga Tamariki reject that expression.
Joining Oranga Tamariki
Charlie set the trend, joining Oranga Tamariki in 2021. Two years later, Saina followed.
“I guess what drew me here was the way I was raised. [We] come from a big family; a lot of our core values at home are based around the family and how key the family unit is,” says Saina.
Tusi became a youth worker that same year, in part because of the stories his brothers would share about working at Oranga Tamariki.
Ezra, the youngest of the 4, joined Tusi last year.
“I didn’t really think I’d be in youth work. But growing up in a big family kind of made it easier; seeing [the young people] as, like, my nieces and nephews,” says Ezra.
Family connections at work
While they have different roles and can’t share all their work stories for privacy reasons, they say it is helpful to have close family members who understand the nature of the organisation.
That’s the beauty of it, right? Because I have those connections, I am able to set up hui with them and just talk about some of the questions I have, some of the mahi I am doing
Saina Sione
The Sione family’s public service
The close-knit Sione family catches up every last Sunday of the month, and conversation often turns to work as 8 of the 11 siblings work in the public sector.
“We all enjoy the family environment that we’re in. I think we just want to give that to others,” says Saina.
So, don’t rule out the possibility of more Sione siblings joining Oranga Tamariki.