The 15 week course will equip students with a broad understanding of the healthcare challenges facing Pacific communities through a cultural and historical lens, cultivate reflective thinking to unpack personal relational whakapapa family ‘story/stories’ and the application of the Pacific Whānau Ora model to ensure better wellbeing outcomes for Pacific communities to thrive in Aotearoa. 

PMA Board Director and Co-Director for Te Poutoko Ora a Kiwa (Centre for Pacific and Global Health), Sir Collin Tukuitonga, explains the hopes of this initiative in creating further pathways for individuals who are already working in the sector. 

“We are hopeful that the paper, which has been jointly developed between PMA and the University and will be jointly delivered, will enable those who are interested in further study to be able to acquire the qualifications they need to be able continue to study. 

“Once they’ve done the various papers and been able to make the progress through those papers, they will have learnt quite a lot to encourage, support and motivate them to continue to study.” 

Senior Research Fellow for the PMA Knowledge Hub and Course Co-ordinator for the micro-credential, Seutaʻafili Dr Patrick Thomsen, shares the intent behind the initiative. 

“The Micro-credential Course centres on Pacific knowledges and ways of being, it is a unique course that will seek to journey with students centred toward the goal of enhancing overall wellbeing for our peoples and communities.” 

Dr Thomsen says the course will be an opportunity to upskill and develop the workforce across health, family support and social services.  

“From an academic perspective, we still have far too few Pacific post-graduates in our health, family support and social service workforce. This Micro-credential Course is an attempt to help fill this gap in the Pacific health workforce, with this Micro-credential Course being the first of many. 

“We are hoping that by acknowledging lived-experience as training and preparation, the Micro-credential Course can help to catalyse and translate this knowledge into qualifications and skills that are useful for Pacific navigators and community workers.” 

Applications for the 'Improving wellbeing outcomes for Pacific families' micro-credential course is now open and will look to commence February 2024. Click here for more information.