The Kadavu Canterbury Club, a Fijian cultural group used Solesolevaki as a way of addressing the issues of mental health and well-being.

When Fuamoa Allen fell into a coma after brain surgery twelve years ago, her doctors advised she would not have long to live. Fuamoa’s daughter Trudy Savea refused to accept this prognosis, fighting to keep her mother alive and well cared for within the family home in Takanini.

The summer of 2023 has seen Aotearoa facing its greatest climate change challenges yet, with catastrophic consequences for several regions around the country. Responding to severe flooding across Tāmaki Makaurau over Auckland Anniversary weekend, Vaka Tautua’s frontline team rose to the challenge in support of Pacific families.

Born in Samoa in the 1950s, Silivelio Fasi moved to Aotearoa as a young man in search of better opportunities. Six years ago he experienced paralysis to the right side of his body as the result of a stroke, but is determined to live an independent life.

For eight weeks over summer, Vaka Tautua has played host to several University of Otago students as part of the POPO internship programme. POPO, which stands for the Pacific Opportunities Programme at Otago, aims to increase the number of Pacific students in health related fields in Aotearoa.