Samoa’s Zion Young Recognised with PWWA Young Water Professional Award 2026

Samoa Water Authority’s Zion Cam Young has been recognised with the PWWA Young Water Professional Award 2026, following an outstanding commitment to learning, participation and regional collaboration through the Pacific Young Water Professionals Programme.

The award was presented during the 17th Pacific Water and Wastewater Conference and Expo (PWWC26), held in Papeete, French Polynesia from 31 August to 4 September 2026.

For Young, the recognition capped an intensive professional development journey that connected emerging water professionals from across the Pacific with technical experts, utility leaders, mentors and one another.

“I am both humbled and honoured to receive this award,” Young said. “Although this award can only go to a single awardee, I truly believe this award belongs to all of the 2026 YWP cohort. I learned many valuable lessons from my fellow YWPs, all of whom are prime leaders in their utilities, and for that I can only be grateful.”

The Young Water Professionals Programme is one of PWWA’s flagship capacity-building initiatives and is designed specifically to nurture the next generation of leaders within the Pacific water and wastewater sector.

Delivered with support from the Australian Government through the Australian Water Partnership (AWP), the programme provides emerging professionals with tailored training, mentorship, professional networking and opportunities to engage with experienced leaders from across the sector.

The programme has its origins in Samoa, where the first pilot was delivered alongside PWWA’s annual conference in Apia in 2017. That inaugural programme brought together 29 promising early-career water professionals from across the Pacific to strengthen their competencies and leadership potential.

Since then, the initiative has developed into an important regional pathway for young professionals working within Pacific utilities. Participants are exposed not only to technical knowledge, but to leadership, governance, stakeholder engagement, project planning, problem solving, climate resilience, Gender Equality, Disability and Social Inclusion, communication and professional development.

The programme also provides a level of exposure rarely available to young professionals early in their careers. Participants engage directly with utility CEOs, technical experts and other senior leaders, facilitate conference sessions, build relationships with professionals from neighbouring utilities and, through the Pacific Water Ministers Forum, have opportunities to bring the perspectives of a younger generation directly to regional decision-makers.

For Young, that combination of professional development and Pacific-to-Pacific learning was one of the programme’s greatest strengths.

“Overall, the Young Water Professional Programme has been highly valuable and impactful to be a part of,” she said. “It not only allows you to network with fellow peers who have key technical skills to learn from, it also facilitates the perfect environment for knowledge exchange around the innovative ways they have solved major issues that we also deal with at SWA. All of whom I am glad to now call peers and friends.” Y

oung said one of her most important lessons from the programme was recognising the depth of expertise that already exists within Pacific utilities.

“Innovative solutions can be right next door,” she said.“The value of networking with fellow Pacific peers is immeasurable. This can provide a space for innovative solution discussions to take back to SWA and, alternatively, how I or we can also support fellow Pacific utilities.”

The observation reflects one of the wider objectives of the YWP Programme: creating professional relationships across national and organisational boundaries so utilities can learn from each other’s experiences rather than confronting common challenges in isolation.

Past programmes have similarly demonstrated the value of these relationships, with participants continuing to exchange technical knowledge, seek advice and collaborate after the formal programme has ended.

For the 2026 cohort, learning covered areas including climate resilience, stakeholder engagement frameworks, GEDSI considerations, problem solving and project planning tools.

Young said an equally important lesson came from embracing the opportunities offered beyond the formal learning programme.

“Take every opportunity that comes your way,” she said.“As part of the programme, YWPs were also tasked to facilitate technical sessions, present to the Ministerial Forum and ask questions to utility CEOs. All were voluntary, but from my experience, by taking part in these I was able to gain valuable insight into each technical session and further strengthen my network.”

Those opportunities have already begun translating into Young’s work at Samoa Water Authority.

“This has already led to many other opportunities and further project discussions back here at SWA and has built up my networking skills,” she said. “For the future, I can see how such opportunities can support the next generation of YWPs.”

One of the most significant opportunities for Young and her fellow participants came during PWWC26, when seven members of the YWP cohort presented directly to Pacific Water Ministers. The presentation followed the journey of water from source to reef and addressed water security, sanitation, water quality, climate resilience, food security and the growing operational pressures facing Pacific utilities.

Representing Samoa, Young spoke about access to adequate sanitation, wastewater contamination and the climate-related challenges confronting utilities, including flooding, high turbidity, equipment maintenance and the importance of continued investment in both operational sustainability and workforce capacity.

The presentation demonstrated the wider purpose of the YWP Programme: developing professionals who are able not only to contribute technically within their organisations, but to understand regional challenges, communicate them effectively and increasingly participate in the conversations shaping the future of the Pacific water sector.

Young was also quick to acknowledge that her development has been supported by the people around her.

“I want to first and foremost acknowledge all of the Samoa Water Authority teams for the opportunity to be part of this programme,” she said.“The continuous support from SWA has allowed me to grow as a water professional.”

She gave particular recognition to her mentor, former Samoa Water Authority Asset Management Engineer Sharon Lesa.

“I owe much to her. It is only through her time, patience and mentorship that I am where I am standing today.”

Young also acknowledged colleagues Ramona Sio and Sune Savaiinaea from SWA’s Asset Management unit, who supported the team’s work while she participated in the conference in Tahiti.

Her reflections capture what the Young Water Professionals Programme has sought to build since its beginnings in Apia nearly a decade ago: capable young professionals who learn from experienced leaders, build strong networks across the Pacific, seek out opportunities to grow and eventually help create those same opportunities for those who follow.

As PWWA continues to advocate for investment in resilient water infrastructure and stronger Pacific utilities, developing the people who will operate, manage and ultimately lead those systems remains equally important.

The Young Water Professional Award recognises that emerging generation — and the potential already taking shape within utilities across the Pacific.

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