Pacific high school students who are dropping out of school to help with the family income during the Covid-19 crisis should be provided with appropriate support to ensure their education is prioritised, says a leading Pacific psychologist.

As Auckland adjusts to moving back into Alert Level 2.5 today, a senior Pacific doctor says the Pacific community needs to clearly understand the new restrictions in order to further safeguard their families from Covid-19.

A new partnership between the Canterbury District Health Board and the Pacific community will provide guidance and direction towards meeting the health needs of the 18,927 Pacific individuals living in the region.

The impact of the ongoing Covid-19 crisis is deeply affecting our elderly with an increase in anxiety and depression amongst the group, says a leading Pacific old age psychiatrist.

An injection of $19.5 million has been allocated to frontline Pacific healthcare teams to help combat Covid-19 and to support the Pacific community during this current resurgence.

Providing food packages and financial help for utility bills has been a top priority for many of the organisations who are supporting Pacific families during the Covid-19 crisis.

More than 13,000 Pacific families have received support packages from various Pacific organisations since the Covid-19 pandemic hit the country in March this year.

An inaugural medical webinar series launched to help Pacific medical students decide which area of medicine to specialise in after their studies, had more than 100 online attendees from hospital sites across the country.

The Fono, A health and wellbeing group that serves Pacific communities in Auckland and Northland, has been working overtime to mobilise medical support and other resources to Pacific families who have tested positive amid the recent resurgence of Covid-19 and those they have come in close contact with.

Weekly briefings in different Pacific languages on various media outlets amid the recent Covid-19 resurgence in Auckland is a vital resource for the community, says a senior Pacific doctor.

All Blacks legend and co-founder of the Village Community Services Trust, Laáuli Sir Michael Jones KNZM says Pacific people have the resilience and compassion to rise above the negative online comments targeting the community, after it was revealed that the majority of new Covid-19 cases were from Pacific families.

A senior Pacific doctor has applauded the actions of the Pacific community and church leaders who have been proactive during the recent Covid-19 resurgence by ensuring their members are getting tested and following the correct medical advice.