LiiFT Pasifika

“Weaving the fabric of our community.” The North Shore Pasefika Forum was established in 2004 by church and community leaders to represent the growing Pasefika community on Auckland’s North Shore.

The Forum’s work was to make North Shore Pasefika communities ‘visible’. It was to provide a base, through which the diverse national groups that it represented, were brought together to make a ‘Pasefika presence’ felt and a Pasefika voice ‘heard’, on the North Shore.

The Forum received support from the then Mayor of the North Shore, George Wood, and the Ministry of Pacific Affairs. It was officially launched in 2005 and later incorporated in 2008.

This structure provided the important connection between the Forum and the communities it represents, forming partnership agreements with NSCSS, local community groups, NGOs, and the NZ Police.

Forum members were comprised of four individual representatives from seven Pasefika national groups: Cook Island, Fijian, Niuean, Samoan, Tokelauan, Tongan, and Tuvaluan.

ANCAD has engaged with the Forum continually since its inception. Tuifa’asisina Maria Lafaele QSM, an inspirational leader working with Pasefika communities and a senior leader in Pacific Health, Head of National Director’s Office, with Te Whatu Ora has served on the ANCAD Board for many years.

ANCAD offers regular workshops and training to the Forum members and also engages via a range of community events.

In 2022, ANCAD supported the incubation and convening of the Shore Pacific Network, in response to members of the community wanting to have opportunities to meet and engage across the North Shore region.

The network reflected the changing landscape of Pasefika-ledcommunity groups and collectives mobilising to support their communities. A Pasefika-led steering group was formed to organise events and speakers. The inaugural event, attended by over 80 people, was held at Massey University Pacific Centre, with a range of community leaders, cultural performances and strong representation in all age groups. ANCAD continues to provide backbone support. Events have been held in Massey, Northcote, Albany, Takapuna, Warkworth and Silverdale.

The network aims to celebrate, support and make visible, initiatives within the diverse Pacific community and enhance the emerging leadership of the next generation. It brings together individual organisations and collectives to support a joined-up approach and facilitate regional conversations and initiatives.

Regular meetings are held to foster collaboration, share information, provide peer-mentoring, and strengthen working relationships.

We acknowledge the support of Foundation North and Auckland Council for their backbone funding support and all the contributing and founding members of the network and its steering group.