But John Kiria from the Mt Wellington Integrated Healthcare in Auckland says there are still families who are too shy to come forward and he wants to assure them that there is no shame in reaching out for help.

“This is a unique situation that we have been put in and this is the first time we’ve needed to offer this type of support.  Help is out there, and families should not be shy coming to us. There’s no shame in asking for help” he says.

“We don’t know how long this pandemic will last so our Pasifika community needs to know, we are here to lean on if they need our support.”

Mt Wellington Integrated Healthcare and other Pasifika Futures partners across the country have assisted more than 73,000 Pacific individuals by providing care packages and other means of support. Most families have needed help because they are no longer able to meet their family’s basic needs and have experienced a loss of family income.

The Mt Wellington centre is one of the organisations that also offered support to the multiple Pacific groups who were displaced in New Zealand during lockdown due to the closure of their country’s borders from the initial COVID-19 outbreak.

“We have helped families who are non-residents. If you are breathing and if you’re on this land, then we have a responsibility to take care of you,” he says.

During the latest resurgence, which has mainly affected the Pacific community in Auckland, the Mt Wellington centre is providing families with Pak and Save food vouchers opposed to packages.

“By providing food vouchers, we believe that many families will be empowered to choose what’s available to them.”

Kiria also says his organization can offer support and refer families if they need assistance with their mental, physical and spiritual well-being.

“With the connections and the networks that we have, we are able to point people in the right direction to get help.

This time around, families are more resilient and are more prepared. Being on this waka and having the means to help has made a big difference to our Pacific communities.”

To access a Whānau Ora Family Support Package please click on the following link to connect directly with one of our partners – http://pacifichealth.org.nz/covid-19-support/

#pmafamily  #pmaunite

Date: Monday 24 August 2020