 The first 19 students have just graduated from Whitireia Community Polytechnic’s Bachelor of Nursing (Pacific) programme. Voyages spoke with the programme’s developer Dr Margaret Southwick about the difference a ‘Pacific-specific’ approach to learning can make for Pacific students.
How did the programme start?
It’s a long story really. I’d been teaching nursing since 1985. From the outset, high numbers of Maori and Pacific students were part of that programme. Over the years, I became conscious of the fact that despite everything we did to support Maori and Pacific students, we could never achieve completion and success rates that we could for palangi students. That was a catalyst for me to start questioning what we were doing and the Pacific programme was the result of that enquiry. Generally speaking, when students have a problem with a programme, the educational response is there must be something wrong with the students. But we had provided lots of extra remedial support for these students and we were still not getting there. Then we thought, if it’s not the student, then it must be the programme. So I got permission to develop a curriculum that was specific to Pacific students. The reason I chose Pacific is that I myself am part Pacific [Tuvaluan] so I felt I had a mandate to do that.  Margaret Southwick
There were fewer barriers than I ever imagined. Generally speaking, people were very supportive. The health provider stakeholder groups were well aware that currently they haven’t got the workforce they need to meet the needs of the diverse populations they provide services for.
There are those who say that there shouldn’t be a separate programme and these people should learn to be New Zealanders like the rest of us. That’s fine, but if you can’t get people past the first hurdle, then they can’t participate. What makes this programme different from its predecessor?
It explicitly locates itself in a Pacific world view. For example, when we are talking about family health, the construct of a family is a Pacific construct. Then we look at how other cultural groups define family. So it’s starting with what we know. It’s also about starting from the Pacific viewpoint of how health services are delivered. If students are sitting in a mainstream class that doesn’t reflect their experience then they can’t participate in that conversation, there’s a disconnect. What is your learners’ experience of the health system?
It’s really important to understand that their experience has less to do with their Pacificness and more to do with their socio-economic status, because more Pacific people are in lower socio-economic groups. So, their experience is that health care is expensive, hard to access and delivered in language they don’t understand – not just that it’s in English, but the technical way people talk about health.  Group performance
When I was developing this programme, I spoke to a successful Pacific graduate from the mainstream programme. I asked what had led to her success. She was very clear and said that for the three years she did the programme, she became palangi. In order to be successful, she had to put aside her culture. It seems to me that it’s a terrible thing when education is asking people to do that. Our goal is that people should be strengthened in their personal identity whether they are Samoan or Tongan and so on. That should be seen as a strength.
It is about learning how to walk between worlds. I think that is the major contribution of this programme. It is made explicit that there are multiple worlds and our Pacific students must learn to walk confidently in whatever world they find themselves in. When they can do that, then they’ll have something worthwhile to contribute to their own communities. I see these students as being equipped to take on leadership roles. This programme is about making a long-term strategic contribution to Pacific health. When did you realise that this was a good idea and that it would work?
I realised that we were onto something magical within the first six weeks. I measured that by the level of enthusiasm and engagement. In mainstream classes Pacific students tended to disappear into the wallpaper and keep quiet. They couldn’t do that when it was only them in the classroom. So we were engaged in the most amazing discussions. There was some real fire and determination there. They knew from the outset that they were the pathfinders and they took that role really seriously. I realised then that if these people took those qualities out into practice, then it was going to be a very exciting development. What has the programme achieved?
We started with 25 students in our first year and 19 have graduated and four are still studying. Those are really encouraging statistics. The retention rate has been satisfying and the success rate has been outstanding. The success of the first cohort has given confidence to provider communities that the programme is solid and comparable to anything else that’s being delivered. Are your graduates in high demand?
Yes they are. The health provider stakeholders were always positive about the programme and they have followed that by ensuring all these graduates will be picked up. The majority are working for our local DHBs, they’ve gone into mental health, acute surgical and medical wards and a few are going into primary care. What impact will these graduates have on health care for Pacific people?
Well, there are still only 19 people spread across the region, but I think within five years, the Pacific health workforce will be visible. The Pacific communities will know that within any major field there will be Pacific nurses working. What is your vision for Pacific health?
In five to 10 years I hope we will have the workforce to really deliver enhanced services to Pacific populations. I think the model we’ve developed and its success is a challenge to all tertiary education. If you look at the success rates of Maori and Pacific students in tertiary education, it’s a disgrace really. So this programme is a challenge for other tertiary educators to be asking whether they are providing appropriate tertiary education opportunities for Pacific students. They shouldn’t be able to wriggle off the hook by continuing to promote the notion that lack of success is due to the individual student. What our programme is saying is that if you get the programme right, these students do succeed. Graduation Night
There were songs, candles, speeches and tears of joy. Whitireia Polytechnic’s Pacific nursing graduation was a chance to celebrate three years of hard work. Here are some reflections from those who attended the ceremony.
This is a very important achievement for our Pacific Island communities and for New Zealand as a whole. We all experience ill health and it is very comforting to have someone who speaks your language and represents your culture in the health system. These 19 people are the first Pacific Nursing graduands since Whitireia established this programme three years ago to train a health workforce that has Pacific cultural capabilities.
Pacific peoples make up nearly 7% of New Zealand’s total population, but the last census shows that only 2.8% of nurses in New Zealand are Pacific. That’s why it is important that people are committed to having qualifications that will meet the needs of Pacific communities. This initiative is about increasing the number of skilled and qualified Pacific health workers. For our communities to do well and prosper, it is important that we are healthy and take advantage of opportunities to increase our capabilities and support each other.
Our Pacific navigators came from healthy and sustainable cultures. That’s our legacy and that’s the drive that makes sure we can achieve our dreams. May the spirit of our Pacific ancestors be with you as you continue to navigate the oceans of life. Hon. Luamanuvao Winnie Laban, Associate Minister of Pacific Island Affairs
The Graduates
 Group performances
Matagimalie Sione-Ula |  Mekala-Elia Tavita
Mekala-Elia Tavita |  Esther Pereira-Saena
Esther Pereira-Saena |  Fa'asavili Magele
Fa’asavili Magele |
Starting Out
 Ana Bourne
Ana Bourne |  Mau Pauta
Mau Pauta |  Leo Wilson
Leo Wilson |
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