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We don’t bring the answers, we bring our hands. Our job is not to lead the work, but to walk with those who already are.” – Denise Kingi-‘Ulu’ave

Pacific Population Health Summit 2025 | Garapan, Saipan | 16–18 June 2025

Earlier this month, four members of our Le Va team had the profound honour of travelling to Saipan in the Northern Mariana Islands to attend and contribute to the inaugural Pacific Population Health Summit, with the theme of ‘Navigating Pathways Through the Pacific: Building Healthier and Stronger Island Communities.’

Sponsored to present, be keynote speakers and deliver suicide prevention training, Le Va’s small but mighty contingent from Aotearoa was privileged to share in talanoa and learning alongside passionate changemakers from across the Blue Continent.

Our team

Representing Le Va were chief executive Denise Kingi-‘Ulu’ave, Pasifika equity lead Pakilau o Aotearoa Manase Lua, and senior managers for suicide prevention Leilani Clarke and Tiana Watkins. Each brought a depth of cultural knowledge, lived experience and professional leadership in suicide prevention and mental wellbeing. The strength of their presence went beyond their knowledge and expertise, manifested in their shared commitment to cultural integrity, aroha and collective uplift.

Keynotes, talanoa and wānanga

Denise and Pakilau opened the event with a powerful plenary session titled ‘Culture and Wellness’, weaving insights into the enduring value of Indigenous ways of knowing and doing, and how they must sit at the centre of any sustainable wellbeing system. Their talanoa echoed throughout the summit, reverberating through sessions on healing, data equity and behavioural health.

Leilani and Tiana participated in the panel session ‘Addressing Suicide Prevention Strategies in the Blue Continent’, where they presented on Le Va’s LifeKeepers and FLO: Pasifika for Life suicide prevention programmes. Their contributions highlighted the critical importance of aligning clinical safety with cultural and community responsiveness. The kōrero was both sobering and inspiring, shedding light on the persistent suicide rates across Pacific nations while uplifting the strength of collective action, cultural reconnection and enduring hope.

Together, Leilani and Tiana brought forward voices grounded in the va – relationships, connection, and sacred space.  They reminded us that suicide prevention does not begin within systems alone, but in the everyday spaces that shape our lives: the home, the village, the church, the school. Their kōrero affirmed that lived stories carry the same weight as data, and that community wisdom must sit at the heart of any meaningful response to suicide.

Mana Akiaki: LifeKeepers for Māori

After the summit, more than twenty first responders and crisis response workers gathered with intention and purpose to participate in Mana Akiaki: LifeKeepers for Māori training. Our team delivered this full-day training to showcase how suicide prevention can be meaningfully grounded in Indigenous knowledge systems and relational practice. Their hope was to witness firsthand how a culturally tailored programme could look and feel, so they might explore how to do the same for the rich diversity of their own island communities across the Pacific.

The wairua in the room was deeply felt and participants honoured the kaupapa with humility and fierce dedication, many moved to tears by the cultural integrity of the programme and how closely it resonated with their own Indigenous worldviews. The sharing was raw, real and restorative, reminding us all that cultural identity is not just a foundation for wellbeing, but a powerful pathway to healing.

The ties that bind

This journey reminded us that although our island homes are scattered across vast oceans, our roots run deep and are interwoven. Whether in Saipan, Aotearoa, Samoa, Guam, Tonga, or Hawai‘i, our ancestors speak through us and our shared struggles and strengths call us to act collectively.

Our heartfelt thanks to the CNMI Commonwealth Healthcare Corporation (CHCC), the Pacific Behavioral Health Collaborating Council, and all those who made this summit possible. Si yu’us ma’ase, ghilisow, fa’afetai tele lava, malo ‘aupito, ngā mihi nui.

As Denise said in her closing words, “We don’t bring the answers, we bring our hands. Our job is not to lead the work, but to walk with those who already are.”

Over the past two months, our LifeKeepers journey has taken our team across the motu to Huntly, Manukau, Ōtaki, Rotorua, Tauranga, Hamilton and Papakura – each visit a reminder of the strength and heart within our communities.

From heartfelt kōrero to moments of deep reflection, our team is grateful to everyone who welcomed them and leaned into the suicide prevention wānanga with openness and courage.

Here is what some participants had to say about our LifeKeepers and Mana Akiaki trainings:

“Faafetai Le Va LifeKeepers for your kaupapa. It has given me knowledge and awareness about a topic that is hurting our family and community.”

“Great workshop, yummy kai, loved that we danced to whakanoa. Followed tikanga practices, karakia, whakawhanaungatanga, manaakitanga.”

“I came in with an outcome I wanted to achieve and I got it. Kei te mihi ki a kōrua mō tō kaupapa.”

“I am feeling confident in responding to critical situations, gained knowledge and skills to deal with emergency situations related to suicide.”

We look forward to continuing this important mahi and strengthening connections within our communities.

Upcoming training opportunities

Our July to December training calendar will be live in the first week of July, keep an eye on lifekeepers.nz for upcoming trainings in your region. We’re especially looking forward to connecting with communities across the South Island in the months ahead!

If you’re unable to attend in person, our free online training offers a flexible alternative you can complete anytime, at your own pace.

Le Va’s FLO: Pasifika for Life suicide prevention team released two important reports at our Global Pacific Solutions 2025 conference – the Aunty Dee ‘Community Insights Summary’ highlighting this powerful digital support tool, and ‘Empowering Pasifika Communities’ focusing on how community-led solutions can strengthen wellbeing.

Aunty Dee Community Insights Summary report

Aunty Dee is a free online self-help tool designed by Le Va primarily for Pasifika young people, guiding users through a process of structured problem solving that is clinically safe, culturally grounded and accessible to all.

The report highlights the transformational journey of the Aunty Dee tool across more than four years, as it has supported thousands of Pasifika people in Aotearoa through tough times.

It focuses on the problem statements of more than 1,500 Pasifika users of the Aunty Dee tool from March 2016 to December 2021, exploring differences between genders and age groups.

From its reach into our communities to insights on how digital tools can bridge support for those less likely to access face-to-face services, the report highlights how innovation, compassion, and culture can work hand in hand to improve mental wellbeing.

It is our intention that this report ensures Aunty Dee users can engage with and reflect on the collective insights gathered. We honour every voice, every user and every champion who helped shape Aunty Dee into a trusted space of hope and clarity.

Download the report

Empowering Pasifika Communities report

“E fofō e le alamea le alamea” – the solutions for our issues lie within our own communities.

‘Empowering Pasifika Communities: Strengthening Wellbeing Through Community-Led Solutions’ is a report that encompasses the collective wisdom, innovation, dedication and unwavering commitment of our Pasifika communities across Aotearoa.

The report acknowledges their crucial role in advancing suicide prevention efforts through Le Va’s Pasifika Suicide Prevention Community Fund, with $3.55M invested across 41 groups and engaging more than 590,000 people from April 2020 to May 2024.

It celebrates community-led approaches that are culturally grounded, clinically safe, family-centred and sustainable, equipping our Pasifika families and community members with innovative solutions to enhance mental health and wellbeing.

We believe we all have a part to play in suicide prevention and we share this report to acknowledge and uplift the resilience and strength of Pasifika peoples within Aotearoa New Zealand, ensuring that the work done within these communities is recognised and celebrated.

Le Va would like to thank every fund recipient, champion and community member who helped shape this vital work, equipping all vaka of tagata moana to unite and ignite hope using our cultural tools as lifelines.

Download the report

On 30 October 2024, the Chief Coroner released the latest annual provisional suicide statistics for Aotearoa.

These figures play a vital role in shaping and guiding suicide prevention efforts across the motu, supporting the work of organisations like Le Va that are dedicated to saving lives.

The data shows that, overall, there has been no change in the rate of suicide. In the financial year to 30 June 2024, 617 people died by suspected suicide and the rate was 11.2 people per 100,000.

Le Va chief executive, Denise Kingi-‘Ulu’ave, said, “While understanding these statistics and monitoring any changes is important to our suicide prevention efforts, we must not lose sight of our people behind the numbers – those who have died by suicide and the individuals, family members, whānau, friends and communities who have tragically lost their loved ones.”

In 2023, Aotearoa witnessed a significant and encouraging decline in the provisional suicide rate among Pacific people, dropping from 9.2 to 5.1 per 100,000 people while this year, there has been a slight increase to 7.7 per 100,000 people.

Community-focused solutions

At Le Va, we believe the solutions to preventing suicide are found within our communities. On 25 October 2024, Le Va held a community fono (meeting), ensuring a safe space for communities to provide insights and recommendations on the government’s draft suicide prevention action plan for 2025-2029.

With more than 20 community members actively contributing, the fono was a successful collaborative event. Co-facilitated by Le Va’s senior managers for suicide prevention – Leilani Clarke and Tiana Watkins – the gathering encouraged open, bold discussions, bringing a grassroots perspective to both health-led and cross-government actions to suicide prevention in Aotearoa.

Feedback from the fono was that in Aotearoa we need to focus on prevention and make sure the voices of those with lived experience are heard. Our communities said that addressing factors like poverty, family violence and mental health is a form of suicide prevention, and we should prioritise support for the people, families, whānau and communities who have experienced suicide.

Suicide prevention training

Le Va has two groundbreaking national suicide prevention training programmes:

LifeKeepers – New Zealand’s national suicide prevention training programme – has trained more than 18,000 everyday people with the knowledge, skills and confidence to intervene when someone is at risk of suicide. These are ordinary people playing their part in the prevention of suicide.

FLO: Pasifika for Life is Aotearoa’s first national Pasifika suicide prevention training, designed to engage and empower Pasifika communities to prevent suicide by enhancing protective factors and reducing risk factors associated to suicide.

These programmes, grounded in evidence and culturally responsive methods, ensure clinically safe, community-driven interventions.

Suicide prevention resources

Recently Le Va launched a new digital resource – ‘After a suicide attempt’ – providing critical guidance for those supporting individuals post-attempt. This resource is freely accessible and aims to bolster support systems during vulnerable recovery periods. Our resource can be downloaded from the Le Va website.

Le Va remains committed to supporting our Pasifika and Māori communities to find their own solutions to suicide, through initiatives such as our Pasifika Suicide Prevention Community Fund, referrals to Te Rau Ora Māori Suicide Prevention Community Fund, and Mana Akiaki: LifeKeepers for Māori.

We will continue to work collaboratively with our communities and other agencies in the suicide prevention sector to help reduce the rates for Pasifika, and for Māori who are still overrepresented in these statistics.

Our approach of enhancing protective factors and mitigating risk factors can foster resilience and lead to improved wellbeing to help prevent suicide. Through our collective efforts we hope to see a reduction in suicide rates for all people of Aotearoa.

For more than ten years, Le Va’s Pasifika Suicide Prevention Community Fund has supported community groups to find their own innovative solutions to preventing suicide.

This year, following a robust application and evaluation process, Le Va has distributed nearly $900,000 across 11 community groups who will develop and deliver their initiatives through to the end of October 2025.

Funded by Health New Zealand – Te Whatu Ora, the fund aims to support Pasifika families and communities to prevent suicide by enhancing protective factors and reducing risk factors associated with suicide.

Although the provisional suicide rate for Pacific people showed a significant reduction in 2023, still too many Pasifika families are affected by the loss of a loved one from suicide.

The Pasifika Suicide Prevention Community Fund prioritises groups who are known to be at higher risk of suicidal distress, including men, youth, Rainbow and rural communities, and people who have lived experience of suicidal behaviour.

Leilani Clarke, Le Va’s senior manager for Pacific suicide prevention, said, “Every year we receive an extremely high calibre of applications from our Pasifika communities, and this year was no exception.

“Grassroots local initiatives like these play such an important role in helping families, whānau and communities to build resilience and work collectively to reduce the risk of suicide.”

Congratulations to our 2024 Pasifika Suicide Prevention Community Fund recipients:

Pasifika Suicide Prevention Community Fund recipient logos

Learn more about Le Va’s Pasifika Suicide Prevention Community Fund.

As a recipient of Le Va’s Pasifika Suicide Prevention Community Fund, BOP Youth Development Trust believes that by investing in the youth of today, we are shaping our community for a better tomorrow.

The Trust used their funding to create Aiga – a youth development programme that empowers young Pasifika people to discover their strengths, connect with their cultures and meet life’s challenges with confidence and enthusiasm.

Delivered by fitness experts, a registered psychologist and leaders from the Pasifika community, Aiga participants take part in workshops focusing on mental wellbeing, resilience, breathwork and Pacific cultures, culminating in a Fiafia night at the end of the term.

Aiga has consistently received excellent feedback from participants and school staff members:

“The programme has been incredible for our Pasifika students. Our students who attend the programme come together with Pasifika students from other local schools to participate in circuit training, networking, and learning how to apply Te Whare Tapa Whā model to their own lives. It’s so important to have a programme like this that encourages self-determination for our developing Pasifika students.”

The phrase ‘aiga’ comes from the Samoan language, referring to the extended family and community network who play a central role in Samoan culture. In 2023, the programme was extended to Pasifika student leaders.

One participant said: “It’s so cool, because you get to learn different  fitness exercises and techniques. It is also a safe space where no one judges you. Everyone is accepted, just as they are.”

Le Va’s Pasifika Suicide Prevention Community Fund was established in partnership with Health New Zealand – Te Whatu Ora with the purpose of enabling community groups to find their own solutions to help prevent and respond to suicide.

Applications for the latest round of Le Va’s Pasifika Suicide Prevention Community Fund close on 31 July at 4.30pm.

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Learn more about the AIGA programme and Le Va’s Pasifika Suicide Prevention Community Fund.

Le Va has a longstanding close relationship with New Zealand Rugby League (NZRL) and One NZ Warriors, sporting organisations with a real commitment to the wellbeing of their teams, staff, families and communities.

On 10 April, Le Va’s FLO: Pasifika for Life team delivered a FLO Talanoa suicide prevention workshop to participants from the New Lynn Stags, Pt Chevalier Pirates, Auckland Rugby League, and Mt Roskill Evangelical Fellowship.

Leilani Clarke, Le Va’s senior manager – suicide prevention Pacific, thanked the workshop attendees for their involvement and openness to learn about suicide prevention.

One participant said of the workshop, “It was very eye opening, I felt that suicide was a taboo topic to talk to peers about. I am very grateful for some of the practical ways we learned about handling the topic of suicide.”

Recording the 'Find Your Front' podcast

Recording the ‘Find Your Front’ podcast

Also in April, the FLO team went behind the scenes of NZRL’s ‘Find Your Front’ podcast – an online platform for sharing stories from past and present athletes, how they overcame challenges and the importance of looking after their wellbeing.

The guest of the yet-to-be-aired episode was Anthony Gelling, an international rugby league player of Cook Islands descent, who spoke about the power of resilience in dealing with challenges in his career.

For Le Va and the FLO team, having the support of wellbeing champions like Anthony, the Warriors and NZRL is vital in the important work we do in the field of suicide prevention for Pacific communities.

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To learn more about how we equip Pasifika families and communities to prevent suicide, visit our FLO Knowledge bank.

Hosted by Nevertheless Trust, Manioro 2024 brought together people from the Takatāpui, Pasifika Rainbow+, MVPFAFF+ and LGBTQIA+ communities with the aim of disrupting toxic narratives and stereotypes surrounding those communities.

Le Va was a sponsor of the event and our FLO: Pasifika for Life suicide prevention team were proud to support Manioro, enhancing our efforts to provide lifelines for our Rainbow+ communities.

Leilani Clarke, Le Va’s senior manager suicide prevention Pacific, said, “Manioro 2024 served as a vehicle of hope, inclusivity and love for our Pasifika MVPFAFF+ community members, aiga and friends.

“It provided a space to grow, learn and share through education, creative arts and celebration of self. The theme of ‘Love us the same, hold us the same’ spoke volumes.”

Festival attendees engaged in authentic dialogue and storytelling to challenge harmful narratives, highlighting the importance of family support, meaningful talanoa (conversation), creative arts, fashion, and cultural expression in breaking down stereotypes.

Over three days, whānau, including communities, organisations and churches, enjoyed enriching education, inspiration from guest speakers and mana enhancing stories.

Our FLO: Pasifika for Life team and Rainbow+ staff at Le Va gained invaluable insights, affirming our responsibility to be strong allies and create positive change so our diverse communities can flourish.

Visit our FLO knowledge bank to learn more about our FLO: Pasifika for Life suicide prevention programme.

We must equip our communities with the knowledge, skills and confidence to prevent suicide.

– Denise Kingi-‘Ulu’ave

Leilani Clarke, Le Va’s senior manager for Pacific suicide prevention, said, “The fund supports our Pasifika communities to create innovative, safe and culturally relevant solutions to help prevent and respond to suicide. It’s encouraging to see our groups exploring new approaches, new ideas and new connections with the calibre of applications we see each year.”

Le Va, a Pasifika-led non-government organisation, administers the Pasifika Suicide Prevention Community Fund on behalf of Te Whatu Ora. The rigorous selection process is led by Leilani with support from an external panel. Le Va also delivers two national suicide prevention programmes – FLO: Pasifika for Life aimed at Pacific people, and LifeKeepers for all New Zealanders.

Denise Kingi-‘Ulu’ave, Chief Executive of Le Va, said, “While specialist services provide a vital role, our families are critical in supporting someone in the early stages of distress. We must equip our communities with the knowledge, skills and confidence to prevent suicide. I wish all the successful recipients a heartfelt congratulations and all the best with their projects.”

With a mission of igniting communities and creating change, Le Va takes an evidence-based approach to its work. This spans the areas of suicide prevention, mental health and addiction, disability, public health, violence prevention, and youth wellbeing. 2023 sees the organisation celebrating its 15-year anniversary.

The recipients of the Pasifika Suicide Prevention Community Fund for 2023 are:

 

 

 

 

More than 850 community members across the country participated in a workshop through our FLO: Pasifika for Life Suicide Prevention Programme over the last 12 months. Youth workers, teachers, creatives and many more, engaged in our FLO Talanoa education workshops, all now equipped with a new found confidence, knowing what to do and say if concerned about someone’s safety, and a greater understanding of where to access supports and services if needed.

Young people, alongside their families and wider support networks, attended Mental Wealth workshops in spaces such as schools, rugby league clubs and mentoring settings, armed with the skills to spot the warning signs if a friend was in distress.

New partnerships were forged and existing ones were strengthened through co-designed fonos, co-facilitated workshops and collective community engagements.

The team are excited to work on an array of new projects in new spaces in the new dawn. Watch this space!

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