Pacific health services — Auckland (North and West)
Talofa lava, Mālō e lelei, Kia orana, Fakafeiloaki, Fakaalofa lahi atu, Fakatalofa atu, Mauri, Ni sa bula, Noa'ia, greetings and welcome to Waitematā Pacific Health.
Contact us
Duty phone and urgent calls 021 225 0016
Pacific Health Service call 09 837 8836
Staff contacts
Sulu Samu (Samoan)
Clinical nurse director
- Phone: 021 914 790
- Email: Sulu.Samu@waitematadhb.govt.nz
Matangaro (Mata) Jones (Cook Islander)
Pacific health navigator
- Phone: 021 465 638
- Email: Matangaro.Jones@waitematadhb.govt.nz
Puleiala Tofaeono (Samoan)
Pacific health navigator
- Phone: 021 956 530
- Email: Puleiala.Tofaeono@waitematadhb.govt.nz
Sera Tagaloa (Samoan)
Pacific health navigator
- Phone: 021 562 583
- Email: Sera.Tagaloa@waitematadhb.govt.nz
Ainslie Aspinall (Samoan)
Pacific health navigator
- Phone: 021 240 2651
- Email: Ainslie.Aspinall@waitematadhb.govt.nz
Losalia Toutaiolepo (Tongan)
Pacific health navigator
- Phone: 021 240 6201
- Email: LosaliaKeilini.Toutaiolepo@waitematadhb.govt.nz
Where to find us
Pacific health services are available between 8am and 4:30pm Monday to Friday.
- North Shore Hospital
- Pacific health service office
- Level 3
- 124 Shakespeare Road
- Takapuna
- Auckland
The office is directly to your left when you exit the lifts.
- Waitākere Hospital
- Pacific health service office
- Level 1 Health West Building
- 55 Lincoln Road
- Henderson
- Auckland
Services we provide
Pacific cultural and pastoral support services
Our Pacific health service aspires to ensure all Pacific patients and their families receive holistic, culturally responsive quality and safe care.
Our team understand and value the role of our Pacific heritage, culture, norms and protocols and familial connections to Pacific families living in the Pacific islands and abroad. We strive to ensure all Pacific patients accessing our hospital and specialist services feel welcome, safe, valued, heard, understood, informed and involved in the decisions regarding their care.
Our Pacific health service maintains strong links and relationships with key health and social providers in primary care and community settings. These include government agencies (MSD, Kainga Ora) and non-government organisations, charitable trusts and support groups.
Our service
Quality Pacific cultural, liaison and language support can help:
- improve the patient's journey through hospital and secondary care services
- offer support when requested
- identify early, and address social welfare requirements
- refer Pacific patients and families to relevant health and social services
- find opportunities to educate and promote good health
- assist in care plans and discharge planning and palliative care as required
- improve compliance with medication and cares on discharge to minimise early readmissions
- provide continuity of care through to primary care settings and patient's home
- empower Pacific families to take action to improve health outcomes.
The Pacific health service works as part of the multidisciplinary health team providing Pacific cultural knowledge and advice to assist clinicians and teams communicate effectively and appropriately with Pacific patients and their families.
The team are involved in care planning through to discharge planning.
We aim to visit every Pacific patient who is admitted to Waitākere Hospital or North Shore Hospital at least once during their stay. Our visits involve introductions and an offer of Pacific cultural and pastoral support. An assessment form is completed with consent.
In some circumstances when there is a surge in patients, the Pacific team may not have capacity to visit every patient. A referral form is available for services to refer patients for Pacific Health support.
Pacific language interpreting and translation services
The Pacific health service does not provide Pacific language interpreting and translation services. Interpreting services are provided by WATIS interpreting services.
WATIS interpreting service - Asian and Ethnic Health Services
Pacific language translation services are available from a range of providers.
Our Pacific team are all bi-lingual and fluent in the Samoan, Tongan and Cook Islands languages. We strive to assign staff to those patients who speak the same language where possible.
For urgent or emergency interpreting services, please contact the Pacific health navigator, so that we can assist.
Referral information
For patient referrals to Pacific cultural or pastoral support either:
- complete the referral form on the Clinical portal (#Referrals > Specialists > Pacific Support)
- download and complete the referral form and email it to Pacificreferrals@waitematadhb.govt.nz
Our vision, work and values
Our Vision
Equitable Pacific population health outcomes.
Our Work
Support Waitematā District deliver timely, evidenced-based, best practice, quality and safe care that is culturally responsive and enabling for Pacific patients and their families.
Our Values
- Respect
- Service
- Family
- Community
Our Pacific peoples
The North and West Auckland (Health NZ Waitematā) district population is about 630,000 people, the largest population of all Health NZ regions. About 50,000 people (8%) identify as Pacific and of these, at least one third are aged under 16 years.
While almost half of our Pacific population identify as Samoan, we also have populations of:
- Tongan
- Cook Islands
- Niuean
- Tokelauan
- Tuvaluan
- Kiribati
- Fijian descent.
Health NZ Waitematā is home to the largest population of Tuvaluan and Kiribati peoples in Aotearoa. Most of the Waitematā Pacific population live in West Auckland.
Pacific health
Pacific peoples carry an inequitable burden of disease and socioeconomic disadvantage that contributes significantly to Pacific health inequities. Such illnesses include cardiovascular disease, stroke, diabetes, mental illness, cancer, obesity, renal and respiratory disease. Pacific children have higher rates of hospitalisations for acute and chronic respiratory and infectious diseases, including rheumatic fever and rheumatic heart disease compared to other ethnic groups. Subsequently Pacific patients and families often present with complex health and social needs that require care that recognises their respective cultural norms and language.
Pacific models of care
The Fonofale model is a system of Pacific wellbeing that embraces Pacific values and beliefs. Designed as a fale or house with 4 pillars.
- The roof represents Pacific culture, beliefs and values.
- The four pillars represent the spiritual, physical, mental and other aspects of wellbeing such as socioeconomic status and gender.
- The floor or foundation represents family.
The fale is then situated within the physical environment, in time and in the context we live — personal, socioeconomic or political. All elements of the model are interrelated and supportive.
Pacific health services play an important role in engaging and connecting Pacific patients and their families with our health system through the provision of safe and culturally competent Pacific health services that is delivered by all.