Vaka Tautua West Auckland relocates to new community wellbeing hub

Vaka Tautua CEO Dr Amanda-Lanuola Dunlop, Team Leader Argentina Fatialofa, and Regional Manager Kristina Sofele farewell the West Auckland Office.

After six years in Henderson, Vaka Tautua West Auckland has relocated to a new site in Mount Albert. The new premises includes a Pacific community wellbeing hub, where Pacific peoples will be able to access a wide range of health, disability and social services.

“We are sad to be leaving the Henderson office, but we have outgrown our space. Our community has also been asking for a bigger space so they can come see us, do group activities and have events, so we are excited about our new community hub,” says Team Leader, Argentina Fatialofa.

Vaka Tautua has been based in Henderson since 2015. While Chief Executive Officer, Dr Amanda-Lanuola Dunlop, acknowledges the closure of the Henderson office on 1 October is the end of era, she says it is an important step to providing Pacific peoples greater access to health and disability and social services so they can thrive and prosper.

“Our West Auckland team will still be out and about, in West Auckland, providing the same quality of services and support to our community. Nothing has changed on that front,” says Dr Dunlop.

“What our community wellbeing hub is about is providing spaces and opportunities for more of our Pacific peoples to access a greater range of health, disability and social services and support so they can thrive and prosper. Our new hub is only one minute’s walk from the Mount Albert train station, and has great Central-West bus connections, meaning both our Central and West Pacific communities will be able to come, participate and grow.”

Vaka Tautua’s new premises and community wellbeing hub was due to open in mid-September, but this has been postponed to the end of October because of the COVID-19 lockdown. Located at 945a New North Road in Mount Albert, the community wellbeing hub space is a collaboration with Pacific Homecare, Penina Trust and South Seas Healthcare Trust.