The Vaka Tautua Wellington team has celebrated a significant milestone in their journey with a relocation to new office premises in the heart of Porirua City at the start of November.

Vaka Tautua’s Disability Information Advisory Services team in Porirua has been actively engaging with other providers to open up more opportunities for the local Pacific disabled community and explore new pathways for Vaka Tautua’s service users.

Porirua resident John Mu isn’t letting his disability slow him down. Armed with information and advice from Vaka Tautua’s Disability Information Advisory Services team in Wellington, he is racing along his journey towards increased mobility and wellbeing.

Vaka Tautua’s Community Connector Service in Wellington has helped 243 Pacific people during the pandemic. The team recently supported Samoeleoi Moetu to regain his mobility and independence, giving him a new lease on life.

Vaka Tautua responded to 4,947 disability-related enquiries across Aotearoa in 2021. The organisation also distributed 973 PPE packs and more than 150 wellbeing packages to 623 Pacific disabled people and their families as part of its national COVID-19 outreach service.

Utusaitoa Ah Kuoi is a young Samoan man who successfully navigated his way through mental health challenges to wellbeing and gainful employment, with support from Vaka Tautua’s Pacific Navigation Services in Wellington.

Jerome could not see a way out of his depression. However, with the support of Vaka Tautua’s Pacific mental health navigation services in Wellington, he is now on his way to a brighter future.

Tevita Manuopangai Tuita, a Vaka Tautua Mental Health Navigator in the Wellington region, was recently invited to take part in the ‘Trust Us’ campaign developed by Te Awakairangi Health Network.