Sharing Pasifika addictions solutions

The latest addictions sector Leadership Day was held in Auckland this month, hosted by Matua Raki, the National Committee for Addiction Treatment (NCAT) and the Kotahitanga Whānau Ora Collective. Leadership Days bring together those at the forefront of the addiction workforce sector to connect and learn from each other. It includes people from policy, planning, funding, training and education, consumers, service management and delivery.  

The theme for the Auckland Leadership Day was Whanau Ora. As a result the day was focused on Maori and Pasifika providers, and it was pleasing to see large numbers attending from the Pacific and Maori workforce. You can download presentations from the day from the Matua Raki website.

Usufonoimanu Peseta Betty Sio, the chief executive and founding member of the Pacific Islands Safety and Prevention Project (the Project), presented to the group as an organisation funded and delivering along Whanua Ora principles. The Project offers a myriad of professional and hands-on support for Pacific women, men and children who have experienced violence or are at risk from harm. Betty presented a Pacific approach to Whanau Ora sharing her experiences working with the Pacific community through the trust and her own life story. 

Peter Kennerley from the Ministry of Health reported on the NZ Health Strategy update. Peter highlighted old and new challenges – demographics are changing; people are living longer but some are living longer in poorer health. He reported on the Ministry’s working vision to take a more integrated approach between disability and health operating as one.  

DRUA members were also actively present, taking the opportunity to share experiences and discuss future input into addiction sector events, such as the Cutting Edge Conference, Leadership Days and the up and coming DRUA Fono, which is a focus for DRUA members at the current time (preconference workshop for Cutting Edge). 

If you are interested in attending the DRUA fono you can register here, while more information about the Cutting Edge Conference in September (with a theme of “Its all about Whanau”) can be found on the Cutting Edge website.