Understanding Pacific Peoples Health and Wellbeing Challenges in Aotearoa New Zealand

Why do Pacific communities in Aotearoa-New Zealand continue to face significant health disparities despite decades of targeted government policy?

In this landmark volume, editors Sir Collin Tukuitonga, Roannie Ng Shiu, and Patrick Thomsen bring together Pacific scholars to establish foundational markers for understanding the complex factors impacting community wellbeing. While Pacific peoples are among the most researched groups in the country, the contributors argue that current systems have failed to translate this data into equitable outcomes. The editors curate a deep dive into critical intersections of health, including maternal care, mental health, and the specific needs of Pacific youth, disabled people, and Rainbow+ communities. By centering the voices of Pacific experts, this work serves as both a critique of the status quo and a roadmap for a more efficient, equitable health system that treats Pacific wellbeing as an urgent public priority.

This book is essential reading for students of Pacific health and professionals operating within the public health sector. It is a vital resource for anyone working to improve health outcomes within Aotearoa-New Zealand or across the broader Pacific region.

Sir Collin Tukuitonga is a Niuean public health leader and the Associate Dean Pacific at the University of Auckland. He has held senior executive roles at the WHO, SPC, and the NZ Ministry of Health.

Li'amanaia Dr. Roannie Ng Shiu is a Samoan health scholar and a Senior Research Fellow and Co-Director of the Centre for Pacific and Global Health at the University of Auckland.

Malaeulu Seuta'afi li Patrick Thomsen is a Samoan Associate Professor of Primary Healthcare and General Practice, and the Associate Dean Pacific at the University of Otago Wellington Medical School.