Indigenous Innovations Shine: Active Whakapapa and Tāfesilafa’i Create Ripples at the 2023 World Community Development Conference
The 2023 World Community Development Conference, From the Edge, was hosted in Australia’s Top End – where the longest surviving culture meets the rest of the world. The conference drew social innovation and community development practitioners from across the globe to delve into working with The Edge to deepen connection to community and culture. Known […]
Ola Malosi supports fundamental movement whilst honouring Samoan culture and traditions
Expressing cultural practices in everyday life is crucial for people’s health and wellbeing and for feeling connected to where we spend our time. Faiaoga (teachers) are exploring what a toolkit for health and wellbeing will look like for Aoga Amata (Samoan ECEs) across Tāmaki Makaurau. Faiaoga and aiga (families) are putting forward their thoughts and […]
Active Whakapapa and Tāfesilafa’i selected for the 2023 World Community Development Conference
Two initiatives underway in West Auckland, Tāfesilafa’i and Active Whakapapa, have been recognised as examples of best practice in Community Development and selected to present at the 2023 World Community Development Conference in Darwin in June. Embracing First Nations communities, the conference will focus on enabling a deeper understanding of the context and practice of […]
Tafesilafa’i presented at Child Rich Communities Hui
Healthy Families Waitākere team members Catherine Powell and Repeka George-Koteka were thrilled to take part in the presentation series from Child Rich Communities Tāmaki Makaurau Hui: Uplifting the mana of tamariki, rangatahi and whānau with community-led development. Presenting Tāfesilafa’i, the team explored how the initiative approaches re-indigenising the education system, so tamariki in the Aoga […]
Tāfesilafa’i celebrates the achievements of phase two and looks ahead to expansion in phase three
Recently, the people from the Tāfesilafa’i Community of Care enjoyed a night of celebration, highlighting the initiative’s achievements centring the Samoan Worldview in early learning and looking forward to phase three and the expansion to South Auckland Aoga Amata. The event was also an opportunity to share key findings from the evaluation of phase two […]
New digital approach brings welcome connection for Samoan ECEs
New technology in West Auckland Samoan ECE centres is set to provide a critical digital connection for teachers and families. Teachers working across Tāfesilafa’i, the West Auckland Samoan ECE community of care, identified an urgent need for increasing their digital capacity and capability. Tāfesilafa’i was initially created with a focus on addressing a lack of resources […]
Wellness, fellowship and better learning outcomes from West Auckland Samoan ECE Collective
Increased wellbeing, greater fellowship with colleagues and sharing culturally specific pedagogies to improve their teaching practice are just some of the many benefits reported by teachers at the end of the first phase of a significant community of practice (CoP) for Samoan ECE teachers. Tāfesilafa’i (the West Auckland Samoan ECE community of care) was created […]
Working together to improve early Pasifika education in West Auckland
Every child is a cultural being, with a unique history and rich cultural practices. This valuable means of learning is often overlooked in mainstream education; however, there are pockets of immersion-based learning centres and schools across Aotearoa for indigenous cultures including Māori, Tongan, Samoan, Niuean and Cook Island. In these environments, students’ identities are positioned […]
Contributing to a robust Pasifika healthcare system
Every person across Aotearoa should have the freedom to access culturally appropriate healthcare, without distinction of economic or social factors. Despite successive governments developing explicit policy commitments to improve the health of all New Zealanders, Pasifika communities continue to face an inequitable burden of preventable chronic diseases including diabetes, obesity and high blood pressure. These […]
Māori and Pasifika leaders in West Auckland leading for their communities
Working from home has not stopped Healthy Families Waitākere from convening community leaders to discuss a collective approach to support Māori and Pasifika whānau in response to COVID-19. Over the past five weeks, the team has provided backbone support to respective Māori and Pasifika Leaders to help take a collective approach in supporting communities in […]
