Engaging Pasifika is an applied training package aimed at better engagement with Pacific service users and their families. A training pilot was held on 30 April 2010, and the national roll out began in August 2010.

The training focuses only on the 'essential' skills outlined in Real Skills plus Seitapu. Essential skills are considered to be the basic foundation skills that any person working with Pacific people should endeavour to achieve competence in. More advanced or specialist cultural competencies remain in the original Seitapu framework.

The training package includes a workbook and complementary suite of video scenarios/vignette’s based on real-life events that service users have experienced (disguised for privacy). There are potential options for the future development of complementary online training support.

The key audience for the engaging Pasifika training programme is anyone who may come across Pacific peoples accessing their services and/or their families. This is particularly useful for non-Pacific and mainstream workers.

Le Va delivered the Real Skills plus Seitapu Engaging Pasifika training pilot on 30 April 2010. The purpose of the day was to:

  • officially launch the training scenario video hype-clips, produced by Le Va to show practical examples to provoke discussion on the three key themes
  • seek feedback from the sector, and in particular non-Pacific participants, on the high-level framework of the training programme and format
  • seek regional volunteers from the Le Tautua alumni to help Le Va roll the training out nationally.

The training pilot was held the day after the Le Tautua alumni workshop to maximise on having the alumni attend while they were in Auckland.

Evaluation report

The evaluation report found that the majority of participants who had no prior knowledge of the Real Skills plus Seitapu framework, found the pilot day was effective in terms of informing them of the basic framework. Participants’ overall view of the Real Skills plus Seitapu Engaging Pasifika training programme was overwhelmingly positive as conveyed in the following quotes.

Great information and real skills that can be used.
(Niuean participant)

Excellent, the tool provokes thought & generates much discussion which challenges us to think of things outside the box, it challenges us to take into account best practice.
(Samoan participant)

The training is a great start for enabling non-Pacific staff to understand and work more effectively with Pasifika peoples.
(New Zealand European participant)

The framework will be an asset to aid mainstream services to demonstrate their commitment of being responsive to Pacific communities, family, whanau, service users.
(Maori participant)

It was very good, and it is a starting point which creates discussion, which leads to learning and development.
(Tongan participant)

All participants that filled out the evaluation form said they would recommend the Real Skills plus Seitapu Engaging Pasifika training programme to others. Most gave reasons as to why they would recommend the tool to others as follows.

It provides thought provoking ideas/issues that may also increase ones own cultural reflexivity.

It gives non-Pacific a chance to process their thoughts, beliefs and perceptions of engaging Pacific, especially as I believe there are fears non-Pacific have at engagement with Pacific.

It has a visual tool that creates discussion and builds the rapport (bridge) with Pacific and non-Pacific as service users.

Overall the participants could see the value of the programme and tools developed. They were generally very supportive of the approach and general direction Le Va is taking with the development of the training programme. They also identified certain areas that could be improved, which Le Va is addressing, given the excellent feedback received.

Contact Manase Lua for the full report on evaluation findings.

Guests on the day

Tuiloma Lina Samu from the Mental Health Foundation facilitated the day with the skill and dignity required given the many Pacific leaders and Samoan chiefs (matai) present. Le Va is indebted to Tuiloma for agreeing to facilitate the day for us.

The alumni members of the Le Tautua evolving leaders were all invited to attend along with invited guests from the sector and community. There was a good mix of diverse ethnicities represented including Samoan, Nuiean, New Zealand European, Maori, Tongan, Fijian, European and others. There were over 40 people that attended the day.

Invited guests who attended included: Janet Edmund, Stuart Grey, Feala Afoa, Emma Wood, Tanya Bish, Dr Debbie Ryan, Dr Frances Agnew, Dr Lisi Petaia, Denise Kingi, Epenesa Olo-Whaanga, Phil Siataga, Tina McNicholas and Fuimaono Karl Pulotu-Endemann who led the PAVA team that wrote the original Seitapu framework.