Health New Zealand is working with Pacific church leaders in Auckland to improve vaccination rates, cancer screening and preventative health outcomes.
Api Poutasi, Health New Zealand Pacific Public Health director, said partnering with trusted community networks is central to improving health outcomes.
“Health NZ partners with trusted community groups, including Samoan churches, to support better health outcomes for Pacific communities,” Poutasi said.
“Church leaders play an important role in sharing information and supporting wellbeing, making them valuable partners in public health engagement.”
Poutasi said working with churches helps ensure health messages are delivered in ways that are familiar, respectful and relevant to Pacific communities.
Pacific communities are a priority population for immunisation and screening.
As of March 9 this year, measles, mumps and rubella vaccination coverage among Pacific children aged 11 to 59 months in the Auckland region was 73.8 per cent.
Overall childhood immunisation coverage for Pacific children aged six weeks to under six years was 67.2 per cent.
Health NZ said these figures are based on the Aotearoa Immunisation Register and may underestimate actual coverage due to reporting delays and vaccinations received overseas not yet recorded.
Cancer screening participation also varies across the region.
Bowel screening among Pacific people ranges from 37 to 41 per cent, while breast screening coverage ranges from 61.5 per cent in Auckland to 73 per cent in Counties Manukau.
Cervical screening coverage sits between 70 and 78 per cent, depending on the district.
Health NZ said it will measure the success of its partnerships with churches by tracking community engagement and monitoring changes in immunisation and screening participation.
The comments follow a recent gathering in Māngere, where about 90 Samoan ministers and community leaders met with Health New Zealand’s Pacific Public Health team at the Faith Project – Na Sala Vou Priorities Event.
The meeting focused on strengthening collaboration between health officials and church leaders on health promotion and prevention.
Presentations covered immunisation, cancer screening, smoking and vaping prevention, food environments and mental health. Samoan-language measles resources were also shared to support communication within congregations.
Ōtara-Papatoetoe Local Board member Li’amanaia Lorenzo Kaisara also spoke at the event, outlining how community groups can access local board funding to support wellbeing initiatives.
Local boards can fund community-led initiatives but do not directly deliver health services.
Dr Viliami Puloka, a Tongan public health physician, said engaging through church leadership reflects the central role churches hold in Pacific communities.
“It is culturally appropriate for Te Whatu Ora to engage at the highest level of the churches,” Puloka said.
“In Samoan culture, the church and faith leaders have a lot of influence.
“The church here is like the village in the Pacific. That is where people gather, where information is shared and where leaders have influence.”
Pastor Victor Pouesi, who attended the gathering, said the partnership between churches and health officials was important.
“It’s beautiful that Te Whatu Ora managed to bring all these church leaders together for the sake of health,” Pouesi said.
“The government needs to learn from the churches, and the churches need to learn from Te Whatu Ora. If they work together, it will help our people.”
A Department of Internal Affairs community advisor also outlined funding opportunities for community organisations, including the Lottery Community Fund.
LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.