Good vision plays a vital role in how we live, work, and stay connected to the people and places that matter most. Samoan ophthalmologist Tofilau Dr Alistair Papali'i-Curtin shares why eye health deserves greater attention in our Pacific communities—especially during the high-UV summer months in Aotearoa.

Almost two weeks into the new year, we continue to highlight the importance of keeping healthy, both physically and mentally.

In Pacific communities, resilience is often worn as a badge of honour — a quiet expectation to keep showing up, giving more, and carrying on no matter the cost. But new research, led by Asetoa Sam Pilisi, suggests these expectations can also mask significant experiences of burnout among Pacific adults.

Strengthening country capacity has long been central to the New Zealand Medical Treatment Scheme (NZMTS), which has supported Pacific health systems for more than thirty years. This commitment continues today through the work of the Pasifika Medical Association (PMA) Group — including in Tonga, where the investment is evident in the growing capability of the Emergency Department at Vaiola Hospital

The Pasifika Medical Association (PMA) proudly congratulates PMA President, Dr Kiki Maoate ONZM FRACS, PMA Board Director, Sir Collin Tukuitonga KNZM, and PMA founding member, Dame Teuila Percival DNZM, on their appointment as Fellows of the Pacific Academy of Sciences (PAS).

The latest Uto Bulabula – Healthy Hearts initiative has successfully concluded, with all of the thirteen young patients from the Pacific region and Fiji returned home following their successful operations and discharge from the programme. Since its inception last year, the Uto Bulabula – Healthy Hearts initiative has grown from serving children from Samoa, Vanuatu, Kiribati, Fiji and Tuvalu, to now also include Tonga and the Solomon Islands. Through this shared commitment, dozens of young patients have been given access to specialist cardiac care that would otherwise be out of reach, with their families receiving wraparound support throughout the process.

Samoan Emergency Registrar, Dr Sebastian Paulo, recently attended the Australasian Society for Ultrasound in Medicine (ASUM) Conference 2025, an experience made possible through the New Zealand Medical Treatment Scheme (NZMTS) under its Strengthening Country Capacity component.

The Pasifika Medical Association Group (PMA) congratulates long-standing PMA Life Member, Dr Paula Vivili, on his appointment as the incoming Director-General of the Pacific Community (SPC), the principal scientific and technical organisation in the Pacific region.

A recent visit by an Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery team led by Dr Christian Freudlsperger, and Prosthetics Visiting Medical Team, led by New Zealand-based maxillofacial prosthetist Mr Mike Williams, marked a significant milestone for Fiji’s healthcare services. Supported by the Pasifika Medical Association (PMA) Group through the New Zealand Medical Treatment Scheme (NZMTS), the visit brought international expertise to Fiji’s hospitals, whilst building lasting skills among local clinicians and technicians.

Na yacaqu o Evivi Cirikiwai, au cavutu mai na koro o Naqara, ena tikina o Ono, ena yasana vakaturaga o Kadavu. Au vakawati ki Navuloa, Bureta, Ovalau ena yasana vakaturga o Lomaiviti. E rua na luvei keirau kau veiqaravi tiko vakanasi. My language starts at home

The Pasifika Physiotherapy Association (PPA) held its three-day Physiotherapy in the Pacific and Coconnect Programme, this past weekend, at the Waipapa Taumata Rau | University of Auckland South Campus.

Children across the Pacific who once faced little chance of surviving congenital and rheumatic heart disease are now receiving lifesaving surgeries and specialist care, thanks to the Uto Bulabula – Healthy Hearts initiative. Following two successful missions, the programme will return to Fiji this October for its third deployment, continuing to change lives and strengthen regional health services.