The Matua Advisory Regional Group (MARG) is a Pacific-led body charged with enhancing mental health, addiction and disability outcomes for Pasifika peoples across Auckland and Northland.
MARG exists to provide cultural leadership and strategic guidance to ensure that Pasifika families and workforce receive services that are both respectful and responsive to their identities, values and aspirations.
Our purpose
The Matua Advisory Regional Group (MARG) was established to provide strategic oversight, cultural leadership and expert guidance for the improvement of mental health, addiction and disability outcomes for Pasifika peoples and their families across Auckland and Northland.
Its formation recognised the vital need for Pasifika-led leadership and advice within the structures of Te Whatu Ora and the wider health and social service ecosystem. The group’s membership is composed of Matua (elders and cultural leaders), community sector representatives, and people with lived experience, creating a bridge between community voices and health system decision-makers.
The founding intent of MARG was to ensure that Pacific worldviews, values and protocols are not peripheral but central to planning, delivery and evaluation in the mental health and disability sectors. In practice, this means MARG serves as both guardian and navigator, protecting cultural integrity while guiding system change.
Pasifika Mental Health and Addiction workforce group fund
With the support of Te Whatu Ora, the fund allocates up to $10,000 per year to support the strategic goal of increasing the capacity of the mental health workforce by providing additional resource to the Pasifika health workforce sector.
For regular updates and further information on MARG’s work across the workforce and communities, please contact: Jasmine.Leota@leva.co.nz
MARG Chairs
