Planned ASMS senior doctors' strike — Thursday 1 May, 24 hours
Patient safety is our priority. Our hospitals and emergency departments will remain open. Continue to attend all appointments on the day of the strike unless we have contacted you to reschedule.
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.
Duty phone and urgent calls 021 225 0016
Pacific Health Service call 09 837 8836
Sulu Samu (Samoan)
Clinical nurse director
Matangaro (Mata) Jones (Cook Islander)
Pacific health navigator
Puleiala Tofaeono (Samoan)
Pacific health navigator
Sera Tagaloa (Samoan)
Pacific health navigator
Ainslie Aspinall (Samoan)
Pacific health navigator
Losalia Toutaiolepo (Tongan)
Pacific health navigator
Pacific health services are available between 8am and 4:30pm Monday to Friday.
The office is directly to your left when you exit the lifts.
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.
Quality Pacific cultural, liaison and language support can help:
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.
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 (external link)
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.
For patient referrals to Pacific cultural or pastoral support either:
Equitable Pacific population health outcomes.
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.
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:
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 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 Health — Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora (external link)
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 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.