[2] He graduated Master of Arts in 1997 with a thesis entitled "Troublesome half-castes" : tales of a Samoan borderland.
[7] He was an associate professor of history at the University of Michigan,[6] before returning to Auckland where he was co-head of Te Wānanga o Waipapa (School of Māori Studies and Pacific Studies) and pro vice-chancellor (Pacific) at the University of Auckland.
[8][3] In 2017, Salesa attracted significant press both with claims that Auckland has "residential segregation",[9][10] and that Pacific Island sports stars are denied governance roles.
[14] In response, the Tertiary Education Union announced that it would take legal action against AUT in an attempt to halt the 170 academic staff redundancies.
[16] In 2021, Salesa was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society Te Apārangi, in recognition of "his outstanding interdisciplinary contribution to Pacific Studies".