ACC supports Pasifika organisations to foster wellbeing

Fostering health and wellbeing amongst Pasifika whānau is the common goal shared by a pair of community-based organisations, Le Va and South Seas Healthcare.

Based in south Auckland, both serve their communities by providing a range of services and are supported by ACC with the aim of improving health and wellbeing outcomes in Pasifika people.

“Our purpose is to support Pasifika families and communities to unleash their full potential,” says Dr Elizabeth Mati, General Manager of Le Va.

“We specialise in primary prevention and workforce development, and our tagline is ‘Igniting communities, creating change’.

“We do this by providing resources, tools, information, knowledge and support services for the best possible health and wellbeing outcomes.”

South Seas Healthcare has similar aims, expanding its services after originally focusing on health. The organisation was founded by a group of health professionals in 1999, following an identified need to provide primary health care to the Pacific population in Counties Manukau.

Since its beginnings, South Seas has grown to be the largest integrated Pasifika provider in south Auckland, where more than 45 per cent of the population identify as being of Pacific descent.

“We started off as a medical centre and now we’ve evolved into community services and non-health services,” says Chief Executive Lemalu Silao Vaisola-Sefo.

“Our vision is excellent health and wellbeing for Pacific people and all communities.”

Last year, ACC strengthened its partnership with Le Va, having worked together to equip Pasifika young people and their families with the knowledge and skills to live violence-free since 2018.

The relationship between ACC and Le Va started at the co-design phase of Atu-Mai, a violence prevention programme that aims to strengthen Pasifika communities by developing confident and resilient young people.

A two-year contract is in place with Le Va which will support a regional primary prevention initiative in Tāmaki Makaurau (Auckland), anchored in ACC’s Manini Tua strategy.

Manini Tua is our vision towards a safe and inclusive 2040, in which children and young people are safe and flourish in Aotearoa New Zealand.

Le Va General Manager Dr Elizabeth Mati, centre, at Polyfest 2024 with ACC Regional Injury Prevention Partner Tux Cocker, left, and Deputy Chief Executive of Strategy, Engagement and Planning Andy Milne.

Round the Bays provides chance to lead the way

ACC doesn’t just support the important mahi Le Va is doing in the community though. We’re also helping the Le Va kaimahi (staff) and their whānau look after their own wellbeing.

For example, we provided funding for Le Va kaimahi and their friends and family to take part in the recent Southern Cross Round the Bays event in Auckland.

“We choose to use Round the Bays as a wellbeing opportunity and team bonding for our staff, because we see holistic wellbeing as really important,” Elizabeth says.

“We see the physical component but also the relationships that are formed throughout the race as being quite amazing. It’s just really nice to get out there, be active and be around nature.”

ACC took care of the registration fees for the Le Va team to take part, which Elizabeth says made a big difference.

“It allowed us the opportunity to participate but I think it also motivated people,” she says.

“We felt empowered to take part and then afterwards most of our team were able to go to the ACC tent and connect with the team there.

“It felt like a real collaboration and an opportunity to connect between teams in a different environment, other than in online meetings. It was nice to see people face-to-face and for ACC to meet our families too.

“It’s also about role modelling for our community, it’s good for them to see us getting out there and getting physical.”

ACC likewise supported kaimahi and whānau from South Seas Healthcare in participating in Round the Bays. The iconic event proved popular, with about 60 staff taking part.

“The registration is obviously a big thing, that’s a barrier for people,” Lemalu Silao says.

“There’s a whole range of support we get from ACC, one is the registration but we also had ACC staff who were waiting at the other end with water and food. The cool thing about this is that it’s not just the staff, it’s their families as well.

“This can sometimes be the only time the staff and their families get to do something together. I think we had one whānau who brought about ten of their family members. For them, it’s the only time they get together as a whole family.”

Setting an example by being active

Participating in Round the Bays was the latest in a series of initiatives brought in by South Seas to improve health and wellbeing, amongst both its own kaimahi and the wider community.

Leading up to Round the Bays, South Seas had established the Otara Walking Group, which was initially focused on encouraging staff to be active but soon evolved to include other providers and members of the public.

“We also have what we call the Rush Hour, which takes place every Friday and involves fathers and their kids coming along to play sport. It can be basketball or anything really, as long as they’re moving.

“It’s been really popular and it’s great to see dads act as role models and show their kids the importance of being active.”

Lemalu Silao says there are some inspirational stories within the people who turn up.

“Normally, it’s something that triggers them to start being more active and looking after their health,” he says.  

“It could be that family members have passed away through heart attacks or people who get injured and just want to get back to work.

“The number one thing that comes through is that people will have a family member who has died through poor health. So they think to themselves, “I’ve got to start walking because my brother died at this age through diabetes, so I’ve got to do something”.

“And they always say this is the start because sometimes exercise can become too elite – people can get intimidated by going to the gym or taking part in a fitness class. But something simple like walking is much easier for them to start with.”

ACC helps plot plans for future

Moving forward, the South Seas team is planning on continuing to use the power of sport to make a positive difference in the local Pasifika community.

“Sports is our big focus, using sport as a vehicle to engage communities that wouldn’t normally engage in health services,” Lemalu Silao says.

“So we’re working with sports clubs, not just rugby but volleyball, netball and others. We’re also looking at doing some things with the church and other community groups, using those unstructured networks that you don’t normally engage with.

“We can utilise the infrastructures of churches, maraes and sports clubs to deliver some of our services, for example in mental health, and child and youth health. So we’re trying to ramp that up.”

The Le Va team is meanwhile looking forward to continuing its relationship with ACC to fulfil its mission.

“Although ACC is our funder, we see it as more than that – it’s not just a transactional relationship,” Elizabeth says. 

“It’s a real partnership and they’ve supported us over the last five years in our work to prevent violence, sexual violence and child sexual abuse in Pasifika communities – through funding but also through support and encouragement as well.

“We get together to collaborate and come up with the best way forward. We think ACC is leading the way in their systems thinking around trying to put things in place to prevent problems in the community from happening in the first place. They don’t just want to be the ambulance at the bottom of the hill.

“To achieve that, it’s about not acting in silos and knowing it’s going to take collaborative work across the system to prevent these problems. So we’re really happy with our relationship with ACC and being part of that mahi.”