Kia orana, Noa’ia, Talofa lava, Mauri, Mālō e lelei, Tālofa, Ni Sa Bula Vinaka, Fakaalofa lahi atu, Mālō ni and Welcome. This page provides Pasifika resources relevant to your study and research. See also the Nursing Pacific subject guide.
Fonofale Model. A Pacific Island model of health for the use in the New Zealand context. Karl Pulotu-Endemann (2001).
Fonofale Model Pacific Health & Wellbeing Ministry of Pacific Peoples. Karl Pulotu-Endemann (2021).
Seitapu Framework. The Seitapu framework of Pacific cultural and clinical competencies has been designed for use by all mental health workers in New Zealand.
Real Skills Plus Seitapu outlines a foundation cultural competency framework for people in the mental health and addiction workforce who are working with Pacific service users and their families.
Fonua Model on the ActionPoint website.
Yavu Model. Guidelines on how to engage with Pacific communities in a more meaningful and relevant way
Kakala Model. A framework for understanding and connecting with pacific people based on a concept by Konai Helu Thaman.
Tā and Vā. Mahina, H. 'O. (2010). Tā, Vā and Moana: Temporality, spatiality, and indigeneity. Pacific Studies, 33(2/3), 168-202.
Tūranga Māori. A Cook Islands framework to help practitioners working with those affected by family violence.
Te Vaka Atafaga. Kupa, K. (2009). Te Vaka Atafaga: A Tokelau assessment model for supporting holistic mental health practice with Tokelau People in Aotearoa, New Zealand. Pacific Health Dialog, 15(1), 156-163.
Action Plans
Lalawa ni Tiko Vinaka: National Fijian Wellbeing Plan 2022-2025. This arose from a talanoa process to socialise the topic of “wellbeing” (tiko vinaka) followed by the development of a plan to realise the wellbeing aspirations of Fijians in Aotearoa New Zealand.
Ola Manuia: Pacific Health and Wellbeing Action Plan 2020–2025. The government’s new national plan and commitment to improving the health and wellbeing of Pacific population living in Aotearoa New Zealand. This plan was informed by the previous Pacific health action plan Ala Mo’ui: Pathways to Pacific Health and Wellbeing 2014–2018.
Frameworks
Nga Vaka o Kāiga Tapu: A Pacific Conceptual Framework to address family violence in New Zealand
Tapasā: Cultural Competencies Framework for Teachers of Pacific Learners
Guidelines
Talking Therapies for Pasifika Peoples. A practice guide for mental health and addiction services which predominately presents ways of working with Pasifika individuals and their families.
Strategies
Kāiga Tokelau Wellbeing National Strategic Plan 2022–2026. A project led, developed, written and endorsed by Tokelau Aotearoa New Zealand communities in Ashburton, Auckland, Christchurch, Dunedin, Hutt Valley, Invercargill, Manawatu, Oamaru, Porirua, Rotorua, Timaru and Taupo.
Ministry of Pacific Peoples
Moui Olaola – National Niue Strategic Wellbeing Plan 2023–2025. Niue community mobilisation to fakatutala has been the driver to bringing forward the development of this plan to realise the wellbeing aspirations of Tagata Niue in Aotearoa.
Pasifika Futures Strategic Plan and Whānau Ora Outcomes Framework
Discussion Paper - Department of Pacific Affairs, Australian National Library.
Effective support for women’s leadership in the Pacific: Lessons from the evidence (2019).
National Pacific Practitioners’ Fono Report 2023. For NGO and community practitioners working in the areas of family violence and/or sexual violence.
Pasifika People In Youth Justice System Report 2023. The key focus of this research is to understand the views and experiences of Pasifika youth and their parents/caregivers around mental health and wellbeing.
Talavou o le Moana Pacific Youth19 Report. This summarises key findings for Pacific secondary school students in the areas of ethnic and gender identity; family and faith; socioeconomic environments and housing; education; friends and community connections; physical, mental and sexual health; substance use; and healthcare access.
Tofa Saili: A Review of Evidence about Health Equity for Pacific Peoples in New Zealand (2019). Summarises available information on the health of Pacific peoples in New Zealand. It outlines the demographic and socioeconomic factors impacting on Pacific peoples, key health outcomes, and what is currently known about the barriers and facilitators to accessing health care.
A Wellbeing Report: Voices from Pacific Women and Girls in Aotearoa, New Zealand. Seeks to understand factors contributing to Pacific women’s wellbeing through a mixed methods approach.
Authenticity and Authorship in Pacific Island Encounters: New Lives of Old Imaginaries by 
Culture Crossroads: Dealing with the Pressures and Demands on Pacific Islanders Living in Aotearoa by 
Laʻu Penina Tautele = My Pearl of Great Price by 
Pacific Identities and Well-Being by 
Relational Hermeneutics: Decolonising the Mindset and the Pacific Itulagi by 
Sex and Gender in the Pacific: Contemporary Perspectives on Sexuality, Gender and Health by 
Shaping Pacific Place in Aotearoa New Zealand by 
Aotearoa Tongan Health Workers Association. To advance the wellbeing of the Tongan community through community engagement, family empowerment, individual leadership and organizational effectiveness.
Etu Pasifika. Health, wellbeing and Whānau Ora services that serve Pacific families in the Canterbury region.
The Fono. Auckland-based organisation that provides information about affordable, culturally appropriate services, plus health promotion, education and Whanau Ora.
Le Va supports Pasifika families and communities to unleash their full potential and have the best possible health and wellbeing outcomes.
Pacific Data Fale o Aotearoa is a free tool to help Pacific people in Aotearoa access data and develop data skills to support their work. There is a range of data about Pacific people and Pacific issues, and resources to help understand and use the data.
Pacific Data Sovereignty aims to establish a unified voice and collective guardianship and advocacy of data and information about Pacific peoples living in New Zealand.
Pacific Perspectives work primarily across the health and education sectors, bringing a multi–disciplinary approach to their work with strong recognition for culturally relevant and evidence-based methods.
Nga Vaka o Kāiga Tapu (Nga Vaka) is a collaboration between eight Pacific ethnic communities, The Cause Collective and Government through the Ministry of Social Development. The Nga Vaka o Kaiga Tapu conceptual frameworks are the centrepiece of the Government’s Pasifika Proud initiative which aims to prevent family violence among Pacific communities.
Pasefika Proud. In 2008 a Pacific Advisory Group was established by MSD to support the work of the Taskforce for Action on Violence within Families to strengthen government responses to family violence. The Pasefika Proud initiative, which was established in 2011 highlights key issues for Pacific peoples and the need for community-led solutions that focus on prevention.
Pasifika Futures is a Whanau Ora Commissioning Agency. They work with regionally based providers and partners to build the capability and capacity of Pacific families.
Pasifika Medical Association Group (PMAG) provided a forum for Pacific medical professionals including doctors, medical students and other health professionals.
Taeaomanino Trust provides social and mental health services and counselling support to Pacific families in Porirua and the greater Wellington region.
Bula Sautu: A Window on Quality 2021: Pacific Health in the Year of COVID-19 by 
Maternal Health Care: Policies Technical Standards and Services Accessibility in Eight Countries in the Western Pacific Region by 
Pacific-Indigenous Psychology: Galuola, a NIU-Wave of Psychological Practices by 
Pacific Educators Speak: Valuing Our Values by 
Pacific Youth: Local and Global Futures by 
Routledge Handbook of Critical Indigenous Studies by 
Routledge Handbook of Indigenous Wellbeing by 
Talking Therapies for Pasifika Peoples: Best and Promising Practice Guide for Mental Health & Addiction Services
Youth in Fiji and Solomon Islands: Livelihoods, Leadership and Civic Engagement by See the Research guide's Data Sovereignty tab for information on Pacific data sovereignty.
The Hub contains social science research undertaken, commissioned or partly funded by central government in New Zealand. This includes an annotated bibliography of Pacific Knowledge.
Research Articles
Futter-Puati, D., & Maua-Hodges, T. (2019). Stitching tivaevae: A Cook Islands research method. AlterNative: An International Journal of Indigenous Peoples, 15(2), 140-149.
Malungahu, M., ‘Ofanoa, S., Huggard, P., ‘Ofanoa, M., & Buetow, S. (2017). Lalanga: Weaving the kakala with constructionist grounded theory. International Journal of Health Sciences, 5(4), 48-52.
McFall-McCaffery, J. (2010). Getting started with Pacific research: Finding resources and information on Pacific research models and methodologies. MAI Review, 1.
Seiuli, B. M. S. (2012). Uputaua: A therapeutic approach to researching Samoan communities. The Australian Community Psychologist, 24(1), 24–37.
Suaalii-Sauni, T., & Ma Fulu-Aiolupotea, S. (2014). Decolonising Pacific research, building Pacific research communities and developing Pacific research tools: The case of the talanoa and the faafaletui in Samoa. Asia Pacific Viewpoint, 55(3), 331–344.
Teariki, M. A., & Leau, E. (2024). Understanding Pacific worldview: Principles and connections for research. Kotuitui: New Zealand Journal of Social Sciences Online, 19(2), 132-151. https://doi.org/10.1080/1177083X.2023.2292268
Tunufa'I, L. (2016). Pacific research: Rethinking the Talanoa 'Methodology'. New Zealand Sociology, 31(7), 227-239.
Vaioleti, T. M. (2006). Talanoa research methodology: A developing position on Pacific research. Waikato Journal of Education, 12, 21-34.
Decolonising Peace and Conflict Studies Through Indigenous Research by Pasifika and Indigenous Journals
AlterNative: An International Journal of Indigenous Peoples (Some open access, also available here)
International Journal of Indigenous Health
Journal of Indigenous Wellbeing
Journal of the Royal Society of New Zealand
JPS: Journal of the Polynesian Society
Te Kaharoa: The eJournal on Indigenous Pacific Issues
Pacific Data Fale o Aotearoa helps you find data for and about Pacific people in Aotearoa.
Historical Dictionary of Polynesia by 
Lonely Planet Fijian Phrasebook and Dictionary 3 by 
Tongan - English, English - Tongan : functional dictionary by 
