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Pacific Nursing Section Established |
 Siloma Masina, President, Pacific Nursing Section
The 200-strong body is already busy advancing key issues in Pacific health. Its President is Siloma Masina (at right), the Pacific Advisor for the Hutt Valley DHB and the secretary of the Samoan Nurses Assocation.
“The Pacific Nursing Section provides an avenue for us to really make progress on the issues that we’ve been battling for a long time.” says Siloma. “For example, the registration of nurses who come here from the Pacific. It has provided us with a voice and means we are being very proactive and bringing these issues into the open. Until now it has always been individual nurses taking issues such as registration to the nursing council.”
“We want Pacific-registered nurses who come over here to be able to work as nurses. There is a lot of sharing of resources now across the Pacific, New Zealand, Australia, Samoa, Tonga, Fiji, Niue. I can’t see why we can’t work together more. I think for example, that if you train in Samoa you should be able to accredit that training here, because it is a regional labour market now,” says Siloma.
Siloma believes the Pacific Nursing Section gives a voice for Pacific nurses to contribute to nursing decisions.
“We are now up to the fifth generation of Pacific people in New Zealand and it is very important that we have a say in the planning and development of services that are relevant to the health needs of Pacific people. That’s why we set up the Section. It is important that we are represented at the top level in decisions that impact on Pacific people.”
The Pacific Nursing Section is looking at other issues too.
“We want to encourage our members to work in areas of real need for Pacific people. Pacific nurses are urgently required in areas like acute care, coronary care and emergency departments.”
“We also want to look at the nursing standards in terms of a cultural perspective to see how appropriate they are when people are looking after Pacific patients,” she says.
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Meet the new Chief Advisor |
 Api Talemaitoga
Api was born in Fiji and graduated from Otago Medical School. He worked in Fiji for six years after graduating and returned to New Zealand 15 years ago to work in primary healthcare in Christchurch.
Api said it was his experience as a member of the National Health Committee (NHC) that made him realise how effective policies could work much better in addressing the health inequalities of Pacific peoples.
“The NHC prepares independent reports for the Minister (of Health) on priority health areas. One example, which I am very happy to have been associated with, was the NHC’s report on long-term conditions launched in 2007. The Report emphasised what the World Health Organisation (WHO) calls ‘The Challenge of the Century’ and shows how chronic or long-term conditions will have a huge impact on health services in New Zealand. This has important health workforce and funding implications for Maori and Pacific peoples who are over-represented among those with long-term conditions.
“The report was presented to the Minister of Heath and as a result there is now a long-term conditions team within the Ministry and work has begun on a framework to make the whole health system more responsive to those with long-term conditions.
“This is vitally important. Eighty percent of hospital admissions are due to chronic conditions, such as complications from diabetes or heart conditions. If we learn how to manage chronic conditions more effectively, it will have a huge positive impact on the health system.”
At the same time as being Chief Adviser, Api works one day a week in general practice in Christchurch.
“It’s very important for me to still be involved in general practice. It’s a grounding mechanism that keeps me in touch with the reality of health services as they impact on people. When I’m sitting here in meetings discussing various policies, it’s good for me to relate it back to how it will work for Mrs Turaga and her family.”
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Two Pacific teams have been established at the Ministry of Health in Wellington to replace the former Pacific Health Branch.
“Each team has a different job to do,” says Dr Api Talemaitoga, Chief Advisor Pacific Health.
 Pacific Policy Team
 Pacific Innovations Team
“The new arrangement enables a clearer focus on policy and it also introduces more robustness,” says Api. “The Pacific Policy Team reports to a different DDG and that puts a different perspective into the system which I find really useful.”
The Pacific Innovations Team is responsible for administering the Pacific Provider Development Fund (PPDF).
A contestable fund is also now in place to distribute funds through smaller DHBs that may not have a local Pacific provider in their area. This fund enables smaller DHBs to work with local Pacific people and communities to improve health services to their local Pacific populations.
A more flexible funding regime is being trialed this year with the establishment of a fund to develop Pacific health services.
“Up until now, funding has gone towards funding Pacific health infrastructure, not services,” says Api. “The PPDF is about building the capacity and capability of providers.
“This new initiative will enable us to explore new ways of delivering health services for Pacific people, and to fund those services directly.”
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Pacific communities are right behind efforts to promote healthy eating in Glen Innes.
Auckland DHB public health dietitian Christine Cook and her team have been busy mobilizing local Pacific communities and educating retailers as part of the Healthy Kai in G.I. initiative.
The retailers have been encouraged to adjust their menus and offer more vegetables with their dishes. The aim is to offer healthy, tasty, affordable alternatives to fatty staples such as fried chicken and chips.
The National Heart Foundation of New Zealand backs the programme by providing optimal frying training for participating retailers. Other programme partners include the Auckland Regional Public Health Service, Auckland City Council and local Primary Healthcare Organisations.
 Ta'i Matenga-Smith
A short drive away is the Akoteu To’onga Fungani early childhood education centre and local Tongan Methodist church. Ta’i has got the church and pre-school to adopt healthy eating practices as part of the Healthy Village Action Zones programme.
“Now the food served at the church has lots of vegetables and is lower in fat. We have 15 goals for our programme. If they achieve three of the goals they earn a bronze award, so that’s our first target, to get them to that stage. We’re working with 30 churches at the moment.
The Glen Innes ‘Healthy Eating Healthy Action’ group have also been busy engaging local volunteers to spread the message through the community. This is essential to achieve change on the scale required.
Retired school teacher Wini Duituturaga is one of the group’s ‘Glen Innes champions’ – individuals who are committed to making a difference to the health of their community. Wini is helping the team connect with the local Fijian community.
“I distribute the Healthy Kai leaflets and I’m going to make a time to talk to my community through our church. At our church we cook and I have introduced a Fijian curried chicken with vegetables recipe, which is healthy. This recipe is now being published and distributed in the community.”
“To qualify as Healthy Kai, food has to contain less than 10% fat and preferably be served with some vegetables in it,” says Ta’i. “It’s about offering people a real choice and getting them to try different flavours that get away from the flavours of fatty or fried food.”
Healthy Kai in GI Slideshow
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Supporting Pacific Health Leaders |
 www.pacifichealthleaders.co.nz
The alumni programme began in 2007 and is funded by the Ministry of Health from its Pacific Provider Development Fund (PPDF). It offers ongoing professional development for alumni with a focus on effective leadership skills in the health sector.
The programme is delivered in a variety of ways - through training workshops, coaching and mentoring, peer learning groups and online discussion forums. The overall aim is to foster a supportive, participant-centred environment and encourage alumni members to network formally and informally with colleagues and other professionals.
The primary point of contact for the network is a dedicated website (www.pacifichealthleaders.co.nz). This acts as the central source of information and support for programme participants who can register for upcoming workshops, read the latest newsletter, participate in online forums and sign up for coaching or mentoring.
The alumni programme also includes an annual conference, allowing members to engage with key figures and discuss issues of topical importance. The first conference for the Pacific Health Leadership Development Alumni programme will be held in early 2009.
Coaching and mentoring services are available to alumni to further develop their leadership capability. These are designed for those who:
• are stepping into a new role or are facing complex or difficult challenges;
• want to change an aspect of their leadership behaviour;
• are seeking guidance, counsel and advice from a respected mentor.
Alumni can receive up to four one-hour sessions of coaching or mentoring per year. This is provided either in person or by telephone, depending on the location of the coach and the alumni member. Over two-thirds of coaching is provided by telephone and each session lasts around an hour.
Several free workshops are also offered each year with speakers and presenters, covering a range of topics relevant to Pacific health leaders. A recent one explored critical cultural issues with respect to leadership in the Pacific health sector. Other workshops have covered business communication and media skills, negotiation skills and leadership in the public sector.
 Malia Hamani
Malia has been working in the elder care area for 15 years and manages five staff. Her commitment and passion for improving the care of Pacific elder people means in addition to running her own organisation, she is also a part of several advisory committees and networks involved in the area.
Malia believes the alumni programme has helped her leadership.
“When you are the leader of a small organisation, you are everything. Because the funding that is available to you is limited, you need to think like a funder, be able to track and report on your progress and also be a good networker and advocate.”
Promoting the rights and wellbeing of the Pacific elderly and their unpaid carers can be a challenging role. Malia says the programme has given her confidence in her negotiating skills.
“I am working with and advocating for older people who are some of the most vulnerable people in our community. I’m lobbying the funders on their behalf so elder people have the support and protection they need.
“The negotiations and communications training was fun. Those skills are a must-have for any Pacific health leader. You’ve got to be able to overcome the fear factor and take your proposal to funders and justify your funding. That can be hard when you are a really small community organisation. This programme has given me the confidence to have my say and to challenge what others say and put my case. It makes you stronger as a manager and more likely to state things the way they are. That’s part of the journey I’ve been on. It has encouraged me and made me realise that I’m not doing too badly.”
Malia was impressed by the calibre of people who joined her on the programme.
“It made me realise that just getting on the programme was an achievement. The other people were all highly experienced and qualified professionals who shared their insights. That makes you more aware of the quality of your own leadership practice. A lot of what we do requires innovation, finding solutions to Pacific health issues while still making ends meet. You have to respond to these special needs and service gaps with fresh thinking. Meeting and getting the support of other people who face similar challenges is really encouraging. There are great opportunities for networking and catching up with people doing similar work.
“Doing the leadership programme was a challenging and enriching experience. I found it very energising and I’d definitely recommend the programme to others,” says Malia.
Reflecting on what it takes to be an effective Pacific health leader, Malia concludes: “You need to be Pacific and value what it means to be Pacific in terms of culture. What gives you your edge is your understanding of the uniqueness of the people you work with. I work with eight different ethnic communities. Understanding their commonalities and respecting their differences is essential.”
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