Fijian Wellbeing Plan and All-of-Government Pacific Wellbeing Strategy launched
Wed 19 Oct 2022
The National Fijian Wellbeing Plan 2022 - 2025, Lalawa Ni Tiko Vinaka launched in September 2022. In the same month, the All-of-Government Pacific Wellbeing Strategy launched.
National Fijian Wellbeing Plan launched
Pasefika Proud announced the launch of Lalawa Ni Tiko Vinaka: the National Fijian Wellbeing Plan 2022 - 2025 (2022). In the introduction to Lalawa Ni Tiko Vinaka, it explains that
"...Lalawa, means having a sense of direction to realise community goals and working together as a collective to embrace the challenge and work towards that end. It succinctly speaks to the Plan and its content as providing a roadmap for Fijians in Aotearoa to realise and achieve their wellbeing aspirations. To this end, Lalawa outlines:
• Background information about Fijians in Aotearoa
• The context for developing Lalawa
• The underlying vision, mission, values and principles of Lalawa
• Wellbeing priorities, with the targeted outcomes and the actions to achieve them, and the indicators
• A governance arrangement for connecting with government and for national coordination
• A risk assessment to account for future challenges impacting the wellbeing aspirations of Fijians
• Monitoring and evaluation
• Information about Fijian community services."
Fijian Community groups from around the country in partnership with the Ministry of Social Development began meeting in June 2021 to talanoa about wellbeing and the priorities for Fijian communities in Aotearoa New Zealand. The Plan outlines five priorities:
- "Embrace and be confident in our cultural identity and language
- Develop and build a community of financially stable Fijian people
- Strengthen social connections between our Fijian communities and individuals in the community
- Improve and enhance mental health and the overall health of our Fijian people
- Encourage our Fijian people to further enhance their knowledge, learning and development for greater future outcomes."
The Pasefika Proud announcement launching the Plan noted that the next step would be the appointment of a Trust from the working groups to oversee the implementation of the plan.
Lalawa Ni Tiko Vinaka: the Fijian National Wellbeing Plan is one of the national wellbeing plans for ethnic specific Pacific groups being developed as part of the Pasefika Proud work programme set out in the Pasefika Proud Pathways for Change Framework launched in 2019. Learn more about this work programme from Pasefika Proud on achieving wellbeing.
Training on Addressing Family Violence through Pacific Cultural Frameworks
Pasefika Proud and the Pathways for Change framework are underpinned by Nga Vaka o Kāiga Tapu. Nga Vaka o Kāiga Tapu is a community developed, community owned and community mandated conceptual framework for addressing family violence in eight Pacific communities in Aotearoa New Zealand. It is informed by, and aligned with, 8 ethnic specific conceptual frameworks to prevent and address family violence. Nga Vaka o Kāiga informs the ethnic-specific training on Addressing Family Violence through Pacific Cultural Frameworks. Sessions for this training are open for registration.
In August of this year, Cause Collective announced an online programme for family violence practitioners who work with Pacific families. Programme Lead, Akesa Filimoehala-Burling said developing the programme was about responding to the need to offer online training and meet the needs of participants. She also said “This is a one-off Introductory training programme that practitioners must complete before choosing to participate in one or more of the ethnic specific one-day face to face workshops.”
To learn more, listen to radio interviews on 531pi with Akesa Filimoehala-Burling and Cultural Lead Nga Vaka o Kāiga Tapu Faámatuainu Tino Pereira. For future plans related to the training see the latest update from Pasefika Proud on Championing Change in Our Communities.
All-of-Government Pacific Wellbeing Strategy
Minister for Pacific Peoples Aupito William Sio announced the launch of the Pacific Wellbeing Strategy | Weaving of All-of-Government | Progressing Lalanga Fou.
The strategy identifies 4 key priorities to guide how the Government will work with Pacific communities towards reducing social and economic disadvantages and improving Pacific wellbeing. The 4 priorities from the Lalanga Fou strategy are:
- "Pacific values and principles – Lalaga Potu: that form the foundations of the Strategy.
- Partnership and governance – Fale Fono: to strengthen system leadership and establish genuine partnerships with Pacific communities to support Pacific wellbeing.
- Performance and improvement – Vaka Moana: to measure and monitor the impact of investment in Pacific communities through the All-of-Government Pacific Wellbeing Outcomes Framework that includes a set of Pacific wellbeing indicators and measures.
- Capability – Te Kupega: to build and strengthen cultural capability and engagement approaches across government."
The Pacific Wellbeing Strategy progresses the aspirations of Pacific peoples captured in the Lalanga Fou report published in 2018. This report set out the shared vision and goals for Pacific peoples in Aotearoa.
A number of related resources are available from the Ministry for Pacific Peoples. This includes tools to support inclusion and engagement with Pacific Peoples including:
- Kapasa - The Pacific Policy Analysis Tool (2021) and Kapasa eLearning Module for policy managers, advisors and analysts in government agencies to incorporate the perspectives of Pacific peoples in the wider policy development process. The framework sets out ways to include information about Pacific peoples, take account of Pacific peoples values and diversity, and ensure effective consultation with Pacific peoples in the policy development process.
- Yavu - Foundations of Pacific engagement tool (2022) and Yavu eLearning Module Yavu to support anyone who works in local and central government, and the private sector to engage with Pacific communities. Yavu can be used to support a range of initiatives, policies and decision-making where Pacific people will be affected directly or indirectly.
In announcing the strategy, Minister Sio said “This values-based approach recognises Pacific communities as the owners of their cultures, identities and languages, the cornerstone of Pacific Wellbeing, and that they must lead in decisions that affect their lives.”
Related news
Pacific Languages Strategy launched
Minister for Pacific Peoples Aupito William Sio announced the Pacific Languages Strategy 2022-2032 in September 2022. When announcing the Strategy, Minister Sio said:
“The cornerstone of our Pacific cultures, identities and place in Aotearoa, New Zealand are our Pacific languages. They are at the heart of our wellbeing.”
He also said:
“This Strategy demonstrates the Government’s commitment to reverse the declining use of Pacific languages in Aotearoa New Zealand, and ensures Pacific languages thrive and prosper for the sake of future generations’ wellbeing.”
The Strategy will be implemented through a Pacific Languages Government Action Plan and ethnic-specific Community Language Action Plans, currently being developed. The Leo Moana o Aotearoa project is also being launched alongside the Pacific Languages Strategy. The project is a comprehensive survey of Pacific language use and attitudes across all regions, ages, and ethnic groups in Aotearoa New Zealand.
Report from Pacific Pay Gap Inquiry
Between August 2021 and July 2022, the Human Rights Commission led a national inquiry into the Pacific Pay Gap to better understand why the pay gap exists and how it can be closed. The inquiry engaged with approximately 1,200 Pacific workers. The inquiry also engaged with key employers, self–employed, unions, non-government organisations, and other community groups. The report, Voices of Pacific peoples: Eliminating pay gaps (2022), shares the findings and recommendations from the inquiry. In the preface to the report, Equal Employment Opportunities Commissioner Saunoamaali’i Karanina Sumeo said:
"The Inquiry has exposed legislative and policy gaps, business leadership invisibility and systemic indifference to pay inequity based on ethnicity that has perpetuated inequality, unfairness, discrimination and hardship in the lives of Pacific peoples.
"The protection and realisation of basic human rights for Pacific peoples will lead to overall benefits for all New Zealanders."
For more information see the related media below.
Related media
The 50th birthday of the Equal Pay Act is no cause for celebration, Newsroom, 19.10.2022
‘My dad went on strike 20 years ago – but we’re still protesting pay gaps’, Newsroom, 18.10.2022
Loss of Vagahau Niue a real concern, Beehive media release, 16.10.2022
Melanesians in Aotearoa — a minority within a minority, E-Tangata, 15.10.2022
Report reveals vast inequality for Pasifika workers, RNZ, 12.10.2022
Vosa Vakaviti sustains generations of Fijians, Beehive media release, 02.10.2022
Pasifika leaders on a mission to normalise talanoa about sexual health, Tagata Pasifika, 19.08.2022
Image: Vijesh Datt on Unsplash
