Stronger together: Pacific mental health practitioners gather in Kirikiriroa Hamilton

Pacific mental health and addiction practitioners from across Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland and Kirikiriroa Hamilton came together recently for a day of connection, learning and collective reflection at the Access and Choice Northern Region Community of Practice.

Facilitated by Le Va and generously hosted by K’aute Pasifika at their beautiful fale, the gathering was an opportunity to for the Pacific Access and Choice workforce to build relationships and trust across organisations while learning from diverse experiences and expertise.

As one participant said, “Despite the distance or organisation, the work we are doing is meaningful, is intentional and is needed in our Pacific communities.”

Communities of Practice provide space to strengthen the va between practitioners, share knowledge and innovation, and support reflective practice. As part of Le Va’s onoing support for the Pacific Access and Choice workforce, we facilitate these opportunities because we believe that when people are connected across services and regions in this way, capability grows, collaboration deepens and the Pacific communities we serve feel the benefit.

The day opened with a warm welcome from K’aute Pasifika Chief Executive, Taulapapa Wilmason Jensen, who shared reflections on K’aute Pasifika’s journey, vision and commitment to improving the wellbeing of Pacific and wider communities in Aotearoa.

Practitioners then toured the K’aute Pasifika village itself, gaining a firsthand appreciation of their holistic, community-centred approach and getting a closer look at the breadth of services K’aute Pasifika provides and the kaupapa guiding their work.

The afternoon turned to collaborative practice learning, with participants bringing real-life case studies from their own work to collectively explore complex situations in a safe and supportive space.

Mixed groups from across the sector shared talanoa about different approaches, perspectives and ways of working. These conversations highlighted the richness of collective wisdom across the Pacific workforce and reinforced that no single organisation holds all the answers, we are stronger when we learn together.

Feedback from a participant highlighted that, “Connecting with other agencies and discussing case studies, hearing how they would approach situations differently to how I would was a good insight on how to improve my practice.”

Meitaki ma’ata to K’aute Pasifika for your generous manaakitanga, your warm hospitality, and for opening your doors to our Pacific Access and Choice workforce. Sharing your journey, your spaces and your knowledge made for a genuinely meaningful day of learning and connection.

Learn about Fenoga Pule, Le Va’s initiative supporting our Pacific primary mental health and addiction workforce: Fenoga Pule