Va'a o Tautai - Centre for Pacific Health

“Uku aki e ulu” - A Niuean proverb meaning ‘go headfirst’

Looking forward to what this awesome bunch achieve in the near future 🫶🏾

Pacific students gain hands-on experience serving in their communities | University of Otago This year’s theme for the Pacific Opportunities Programmes at Otago (POPO) is ‘uki aki e ulu’, which is a Niuean proverb meaning ‘go headfirst’.

A story like no other 👏🏽 Our Director Faumuina Professor Fa’afetai (Tai) Sopoaga 🫶🏾

Faumuina Professor Fa’afetai (Tai) Sopoaga's peril-pocked story has more tragedy and triumph than one life ought to have girth for 🤗 The girl who left Samoa at the age of 16 to pursue higher education in New Zealand eventually became the first female medical doctor of Pacific descent in Australasia to be made professor (2020). But not before she'd faced several mammoth curveballs.

This story first appeared in He Kitenga 2023, The Professors Edition, which focused on 30 of the University of Otago's newly promoted professors and the stories of their research and careers journeys.

🔗 https://www.otago.ac.nz/news/newsroom/daring-and-gratitude

Fa’afetai tele lava South Seas Healthcare for hosting our amazing interns ! 🤎 We can’t wait to see the awesome work that our interns get upto over the next 9 weeks.

Welcome to our vibrant University of Otago POPO interns!

A yearly highlight for us is collaborating with our community partner, the University of Otago, to welcome interns of the POPO program.

In this energizing partnership, our organisation gains invaluable insights from these interns, injecting fresh perspectives into our team. As temporary team members, the POPO interns dive into frontline work across our diverse services, absorbing firsthand experiences shared by our dedicated staff working within and for the community.

The most exciting part? Anticipating the imminent integration of these interns into our already dynamic and innovative workforce, where their talents and skills will further elevate our communities collective success!

University of Otago

POPO Internship Programme 2023-2024

This year we hosted our training week in Auckland where interns were able to network with a wide range of Pacific Health Providers. It consisted of professional development workshops, inspiring guest speakers and we were extremely blessed to attend the Mana Moana concert and listen to beautiful Māori and Pacific artists 🙌🏾 Safe to say it was an awesome training week.

Interns we wish you all the best on the remainder of your 10 week internship !

Pc 📸: Pacific Community Engagement, University of Otago

This workshop helped us uncover some hidden artists in our office! Fa’afetai tele lava Ana for running this workshop with us.

Artist Ana Teofilo hosts Va’a o Tautai wellbeing workshop | University of Otago New Zealand-born Samoan visual artist Ana Teofilo believes in people being themselves without judgement.

Malo lava Troy! So deserving of this award 👏🏾

Dr Troy Ruhe receives Tofā Sāili Pacific Early Career Award | University of Otago Dr Troy Ruhe was collecting taro leaves for family dinner in the Cook Islands when he received the news he was the first recipient of the Tofā Sāili Pacific Early Career Award.

Very proud of Dr Peter Sese 🦷 We are always in your corner!

Peter Sese and the village that rallied behind him Peter Sese has been accepted in to the highly competitive Doctorate in Clinical Dentistry in Oral Surgery programme, but credits the support of others with his success.

Kam na bane ni Mauri ☀️

Applications are now open for PFP 2023 🎉

Share this with anyone who is interested in coming to Aotearoa's first (and finest) University 😎 Tell your cousins, tell your neighbours, tell your friends!

Apply online: https://form.jotform.com/221577884163869

That’s our girl! 😍 We love you Julia! ❤️ Don’t forget us when you’re famous 🤩

Biomedical Sciences student Julia Imo wins thrice The bioengineering postgrad student won three awards at the Startup Dunedin's Audacious event recently.

Fa'afetai tele lava to everyone who joined us in celebrating 60 years of independence for Samoa ❤

A very special thanks to:
Visuals by Pix - Photography
Gravity Events - Audio and Visual set up
Cake Entice by Kaz - Cakes
Estelle Flowers - Floral arrangements

Talofa lava, please join us virtually to celebrate Samoa Independence. Festivities starting at 7:30pm:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T_nn_EImWHs

University of Otago Samoan Independence Celebration

Check out our friend Ajay! 🤩 Ajay has had a huge influence in the POPO Programme over the years serving as a POPO Mentor, Tutor and Intern. 👏🏽 Congratulations on your second degree Ajay! We’re gonna miss you but we’re so grateful for all the love and knowledge you’ve shared with us! ❤️

Congratulations to all the students who are graduating today, and their whānau, friends and communities who have supported them on this important journey.

Ajay Kumar is graduating today with a Bachelor of Pharmacy. This brilliant young pharmacist has a strong sense of community and the importance of holistic healthcare.

“I am really interested in public health and community level work. That is my big pull. For me, a big thing with health is that it is not just about medicines, it is more holistic. It is about the individual person, their family, their local environment, and the health of the community as a whole.”

Prior to studying pharmacy, Ajay completed a Bachelor of Science in Pharmacology.

“Pharmacology is the science side of medicines and pharmacy is the human side. I found medicine and the human body really interesting and saw pharmacy as a great way to help real people on a daily basis.”

Ajay is in the process of finishing his intern year as a pharmacist in Cannons Creek Porirua, “a proud vibrant community.” He has also been working for Arthritis New Zealand as a community gout navigator, collaborating with patients and their families within the local community.

This experience has confirmed his plans to continue working as a pharmacist and to also “branch out beyond the traditional path and work collaboratively with the community on local health projects.”

“I enjoy spreading awareness and helping people understand their medicines and their health, particularly people who aren’t used to a Western form of medicine.”

Ajay was born in Palmerston North, and his parents are from Fiji. He enjoyed his studies in Dunedin and the community he found here. He says the Va'a o Tautai - Centre for Pacific Health was an incredible part of his Otago experience.

“They do an awesome job of bringing everyone in, building a community and providing holistic support. They were probably the first people who emailed me when I signed up for uni and when I wandered into the centre for the first time, I don’t know how, but they already knew my name. You will find a home here and they will be there for you. Otago uni overall really builds a great sense of community- it is the best place to come and study.”

Ajay tutored for Va'a o Tautai throughout his time at Otago and participated in the mentoring programme for other students. He first got involved with the Cannon’s Creek community through a Pacific Opportunities Programme (POPO) internship arranged by Va'a o Tautai, which has led to employment.

Ajay is enjoying visiting his old haunts in Dunedin ahead of the graduation ceremony. His family were set to travel down from Palmerston North to join him but, unfortunately, they have COVID-19.

He will be celebrating with his partner Georgina Lomax-Sawyers. The two met in their first year- living across the hall from each other in the University’s residential Carrington College.

Georgina graduated from Otago last year in Law and with a BA in politics and communication. She worked part-time in Dunedin while Ajay completed his studies. She is now enjoying working at a prestigious law firm in central Wellington. She and Ajay agree they are lucky to have a partner in this big step in their life.

Faumuina Professor Fa’afetai Sopoaga, our fearless, trailblazing leader. Malo le tauivi, malo le onosa’i 👏🏽 Vi’ia le Atua 🤍

Faumuina Professor Fa'afetai Sopoaga, of Dunedin, CNZM, for services to Pacific health and tertiary education.

Faumuina Professor Fa’afetai Sopoaga was the inaugural Pacific Associate Dean, Division of Health Sciences, University of Otago. She led the development of the Division of Health Sciences’ first strategic plan and contributed to the University’s Pacific Strategic Plan. She advocated for additional senior Pacific leadership roles in Health Sciences. She led development of several evidence-based programmes and establishment of the Division of Health Sciences Pacific Reference and Strategic Groups. She supported developments for medical schools within the Fiji National University medical school programme and the National University of Samoa. As Director of Va’a o Tautai Centre for Pacific Health, she mobilised Samoa Doctors Worldwide volunteers to support relief efforts for Samoa’s measles epidemic. Professor Sopoaga was the first female medical doctor of Pacific descent in Australasia to become a Professor.

Check out our beautiful BHealSci Grad, Rachel! 🌺 We’re so proud of you Rachel, mālō ‘aupito 👏🏽

Public Health graduate: 'Please don't ever stop nagging me Mum' Rachel Pongi credits her mother with getting her back into study and on to a path she finds challenging and exciting. challenged and excited by. She often asks her mum, “Please don't ever stop nagging me.”

We love to see it Sharon! 🌺👏🏽

Members of Microbiology: Meet Sharon Iose Postgraduate student Sharon Iose shares why she is pursuing Microbiology as a career and why other Polynesian people should as well.

Join us to hear words of encouragement from his Grace Cardinal Soane Patita Paini Mafi

Check it out! We got some exciting news over the break!

Our fearless leader Faumuina Fa'afetai Sopoaga has been made a Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit in the New Years honours list for services to the Pacific community in Aotearoa!

"Faumuina has been our leading voice for Pacific health and tertiary education for nearly three decades. Her vision, dedication, and commitment to helping Pacific students, staff and the wider Pacific community both in here and the Pacific region has been truly outstanding." ~ Dr Xaviour Walker, Associate Dean (Pacific) Health Sciences.

https://www.odt.co.nz/news/dunedin/campus/achievement-attributed-parents%E2%80%99-influence

Achievement attributed to parents’ influence Faumuina Prof Fa’afetai Sopoaga has been a leading voice in medical and public health education for Pacific communities since the 1990s.

Did you know our very own Vanda is a famous crime author ON TOP of all her research she does in the Va’a!? 😎 Check out her story! 👏🏽

Vanda Symon – juggling human drama, health research and tea trays From community pharmacy to crime scene forensics, Dunedin author and University of Otago researcher Dr Vanda Symon's career path contains quite a few unexpected plot twists.

We are so excited for our friend, Dr Latika Samalia! 🎉
This is so well deserved and we could not be more proud. 👏🏾 We are very grateful for your commitment and passion Dr Latika, which has had and continues to have a huge influence on our students here at Otago! 💛💙
Vinaka vakalevu saka 🎉

Dr Latika Samalia – Recipient of a 2021 Tertiary Teaching Excellence Award Dr Latika Samalia, recipient of an award in 2021 for Sustained Excellence in Tertiary Teaching.

We see you Zeb 😍
So cool to see you living out your dream!

Fijian Dentist Zeb Laqekoro | Young, Gifted & Brown — thecoconet.tv - The world’s largest hub of Pacific Island content. We spend the day in the life of Dr. Zeb Laqekoro as he tells us his passion for people, venturing to work in Fiji and so much more as a young brown doctor. Dr. Zeb Laqekoro is a male General Dentist. He is a proud New Zealand-born Fijian. Zeb was born and raised in Dunedin and continued to stay in t...

⚠️ IMPORTANT UPDATE ⚠️
The closing date for this Scholarship has been extended!
You now have until Friday 20 August! 🎉

If you are:
🌺 A Pacific student in Year 13
🌺 Interested in a career in Health
🌺 Keen to give yourself the best possible start by doing Foundation Year
🌺 Looking at applying for a Residential College

This is the opportunity for YOU 👏🏾

Please contact [email protected] for more information. You can apply here: https://secure-www.otago.ac.nz/.../popo-foundation.../

University of Otago Pathway and Language Centre
Pacific Islands Centre, University of Otago
Pacific Trust Otago
Scholarships at Otago

Alongside her work as the Director here at Va'a o Tautai - Centre for Pacific Health, Faumuina Professor Faafetai Sopoaga has signed on to support the work that the New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade is doing in the Region, specifically Samoa, as an NZ Health Adviser.

~ Faumuina is a medical doctor with public health and primary care expertise. She was in Samoa during the 2009 Tsunami, and more recently for the measles epidemic and for Covid-related support. She says of her appointment, “I am delighted with the opportunity to continue to serve New Zealand through its work in Samoa” ~



https://www.otago.ac.nz/otagobulletin/news/otago828963.html

Continuing to serve New Zealand through work in Samoa Faumuina Professor Fa'afetai Sopoaga has been appointed to the role of NZ Health Adviser, Samoa with the New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT). 

Talamonu atu! Congratulations! Good friend of the Va'a, Dr Dianne Sika Paotonu, out here doing the most!

Dianne is our Associate Dean (Pacific) University of Otago Wellington Campus and she is the first Pacific biomedical scientist to receive the Cranwell Medal for science communication!

Mālie Dianne!

https://www.otago.ac.nz/otagobulletin/news/otago828986.html

NZ Scientists' award for Wellington researcher Dr Dianne Sika-Paotonu, the Associate Dean (Pacific) at the University of Otago, Wellington, has won the New Zealand Association of Scientists (NZAS) Cranwell Medal for science communication for 2020.