Press Releases

A new national online directory is improving access to mental health and addiction services for those seeking help.

The Healthpoint Mental Health and Addictions directory is an online platform for consumers and professionals to more easily navigate, understand and use mental health and addiction services in their community.

When six Wintec Māori and Pasifika engineering students volunteered for work experience at Longveld recently, they got to work on a very special project. Together they have made the framework for Hamilton’s Matariki Interactive Waka sculptur

Ten aspiring Māori innovators selected to attend Kōkiri, a new start-up accelerator explicitly focused on accelerating the development and growth of Māori entrepreneurs, where announced at Spark City in Auckland at 4:30 pm today (Dec 7).

The latest Child Poverty Monitor, which will be launched in Auckland tomorrow, shows a slight decrease in the numbers of New Zealand children living in poverty.

A new board game called "kuputupu" based on the popular word game Scrabble has been developed by an Hutt Valley library to encourage use of te reo Māori.

Victoria University of Wellington is building partnerships with iwi and other Māori organisations to boost opportunities for Māori students and foster research collaborations.

University of Canterbury (UC) Pasifika Education specialist Tufulasi Taleni has been awarded the 2017 NZARE Rae Munro Award for excellence for his Master’s thesis – the first Pasifika researcher to receive the award.

Treaty of Waitangi expert, indigenous rights legal scholar and Māori leader Moana Jackson (Ngāti Kahungunu, Rongomaiwahine and Ngāti Porou) will receive an honorary doctorate from Victoria University of Wellington at a graduation ceremony in December.

Hei Te Hui Whakapūmau o Hakihea nei e whakapōtaehia ai tēnei uri whakaheke o Ngāti Kahungunu, Rongomaiwahine me Ngāti Porou ki te tohu kairangi hōnore i Te Herenga Waka Marae.

A University of Canterbury (UC) academic has been recognised for her contributions to Māori education, becoming the 2017 recipient of the Te Tohu Pae Tawhiti Award.

Wellington City Council’s proposed Te Reo Māori policy will honour Billie Tait-Jones, the organisation’s Cultural Advisor, who passed away earlier this month.

A PhD student from Victoria University of Wellington has been awarded $345,156 to research the chemical and biological properties of plants found in the Pacific that are traditionally used for medicinal purposes.

We are searching for ten highly motivated Māori entrepreneurs and innovators with the X-factor to board our waka launching in February 2018. These startup or early stage teams will come from across Aotearoa and\ will work with expert coaches, mentors, and industry leaders to thrive and grow through an intensive 4-month programme.

New Zealand’s most talented Pasifika artists will be on show at next month’s annual Measina Festival.

Now in its fourth year, the Measina Festival of Contemporary Pacific Dance and Theatre festival showcases live theatre, music and dance and is being held at Pātaka Art + Museum in Porirua from 7 to 9 December.

The Bonn climate change meeting will put the global spotlight on the concerns of vulnerable Pacific nations, Ministers say.

Press Release: Massey University - Symposium Provides Unique Opportunity for Unity in Tonga

South Auckland Pacific young people will have an opportunity to tell their heart-warming stories of triumph and tribulations at the MyStory event in Otara today, an event hosted by SouthSeas Healthcare Trust, in collaboration with the Office of the Children's Commissioner.

Otahuhu College’s ‘Heavenly Bodies’ was awarded the prestigious iTICKET Showdown Award for Best Production for Auckland Secondary Schools. Billed as the biggest secondary school performing arts competition in New Zealand, this year’s competition featured 28 schools and over 30 productions. The awards ceremony took place last Thursday night on October the 26th at the Sky City Theatre.

Research from at Victoria University of Wellington has identified the names and details of 12,000 imperial soldiers who fought in the New Zealand Land Wars of the 1860s.

SouthSeas Healthcare Trust, in collaboration with the Office of the Children’s Commission, is hosting the MyStory event in South Auckland on Tuesday, 31 October 2017 at the Otara Recreational Centre, culminating in a special dinner to celebrate SouthSeas Healthcare Trust’s 18th anniversary.

Over the last twenty years, Kaupapa Māori has become central to the work of researchers in the field of Māori education and indigenous studies and in the areas of social policy and practice from architecture to law to public health. But what is its future for Māori and New Zealand?

Press Release: Creative New Zealand
Arts Pasifika Awards celebrate excellence and innovation in Pacific Art

Some of New Zealand’s most talented Pacific artists were recognised for their contribution at the 2017 Creative New Zealand Arts Pasifika Awards last night.

The growth of interest in Māori politics has been recognised in this year’s Massey University Ngā Kupu Ora Awards: Celebrating Māori Books and Journalism.

The 2017 line-up of seven Pacific language weeks has come to an end with Tokelauan Language Week, Vaiaho ote Gagana Tokelau being celebrated this coming week.

Ministry for Pacific Peoples Chief Executive Laulu Mac Leauanae is urging all New Zealanders to get behind Niuean Language Week.

Victoria University of Wellington’s 2017 Dr Michael Volkerling Memorial Lecture will examine the impact of climate change on coastal farming through art and design.

Recreational Services is one of New Zealand’s largest and most diverse parks, grounds and facility management organisations. Founded in 1992 as a specialist golf turf management company, it has grown into a multi-million dollar operation with a huge inventory of plant and machinery, with over 350 staff carrying out all aspects involved with the development and maintenance of parks, reserves and sports fields - including facilities and asset management, project management and long-term contract management across 3,281 park sites.

A first-year Marine Biology student and star swimmer from American Samoa has won Sportsperson of the Year at Victoria University of Wellington’s annual sports awards.

In week 5 of this term, a small group of Year 12 and 13 students took part in a competitive national exam for entry to the New Zealand International Biology Olympiad.

Victoria University’s New Zealand Sign Language Studies (NZSL) programme is celebrating two decades of helping to make more New Zealanders understood.

Victoria University of Wellington and Va’aomanū Pasifika, Victoria’s Pacific and Samoan Studies programme, will launch a new scholarship fund in memory of Dr Teresia Teaiwa, who passed away in March 2017.

The first major exhibition of Māori portraits in the United States opens tomorrow, Saturday 9 September, at the de Young Museum in San Francisco.

To coincide with World Suicide Prevention Day on Sunday, LifeKeepers - a new evidence-informed suicide prevention training programme designed especially for New Zealand communities, was officially launched by Le Va in South Auckland today.

The first ever Te Rerenga Manu fono (conference) will take place next week on 31 August and 1 September at the Papatoetoe Seventh Day Adventist Church (PAPSDA) Campus.

New Zealand has awarded a Pacific woman as the nation's Poet Laureate for the next two years on National Poetry Day.

The Prime Minister of Samoa, a New Zealand QC, a top business journalist and academics from universities in Australia, New Zealand, Samoa, Fiji and the United States are among the line-up of speakers to present at Victoria University of Wellington’s second Pacific Climate Change Conference in February next year.

The role of engineers in post-disaster recovery will be brought to light at an upcoming lecture at Victoria University of Wellington.

The Māia video series released today brings the employability skills framework to life for rangatahi Māori, says Associate Tertiary Education, Skills and Employment Minister Louise Upston.

Toka Tu, a Rotorua based Kapa Haka Hip Hop fusion group, have been announced as the winners of Toyota’s #YOUARECHR social media campaign.

At its 2nd annual conference in Wellington, the Prime Minister Rt. Hon. Bill English told a hundred partners from the Pasifika Futures network that “the work you are doing is so important because you are doing something government just can’t do”.
Mr English talked about the stories of change experienced by Pacific families through the Whanau Ora programmes that are commissioned by Pasifika Futures.

With over 85 percent of Māori now living in urban areas, a Victoria University of Wellington researcher is exploring how whānau have adapted their environment to fit cultural needs.

Ngā Pae o te Māramatanga (NPM) is delighted to announce the appointment of Professor Linda Waimarie Nikora (Te Aitanga a Hauiti, Ngāi Tūhoe) to the position of Co-Director of NPM, and Professor of Māori Studies based at Te Wānanga o Waipapa, University of Auckland.

The two-day conference focuses on the past three years since Pasifika Futures was established as a Whanau Ora commissioning agency to specifically work with Pasifika families to support families to succeed in education, healthier living, financial freedom, leadership, culture and community.

Businesses and organisations wanting to build relationships and collaborate with Māori and Pacific peoples are being urged to register now for the CulturePRO Masterclass in Auckland next month.

Acclaimed Samoan-Scottish dramatist Victor Rodger will be the new convenor of Te Hiringa a Tuhi, the Maori and Pasifika Creative Writing Workshop at Victoria University of Wellington’s International Institute of Modern Letters (IIML).

HUNDREDS of smart, ambitious and innovative Māori entrepreneurs will spend this Saturday focusing on how technology can help realise their business dreams.

The Tu Tangata Wellington Secondary Schools’ Poly festival 2007 will take place this Tuesday, 25 July at the Michael Fowler Centre, featuring 9 student led groups with close to 700 students showcasing Pasifika performance.

Education Minister Nikki Kaye has congratulated 30 highly-accomplished Maori and Pasifika student teachers who have been awarded Kupe Scholarships.Hon Nikki Kaye

Returning for a third year, Te Pou Theatre are preparing to throw open their doors for Kōanga Festival, running from Friday 1 – Sunday 17 September in a celebration of new stories and storytellers. Based in the home of Māori theatre in Auckland, this year’s programme will present a range of performances, showcases, workshops, readings, and social events, all held in Te Pou’s various spaces.

As Matariki brings into focus the past year, Auckland Libraries is starting to sow the seeds for our future. As a connection point for libraries and mātauranga Māori in our communities, our Library assistants fulfil a vital role in sharing knowledge and information with all ages, cultures and whānau.

Māori Development Minister Te Ururoa Flavell has announced a $70,000 investment in Tai Poutini Māori Tourism.

Mr Flavell says the investment supports the preparation and implementation of the Tai Poutini (West Coast) Māori Tourism Strategy and Action Plan to guide iwi investment in the region.

Māori Development Minister Te Ururoa Flavell says more young Māori will get help to obtain essential documents to help set them up for their futures after an additional $8 million was allocated in Budget 2017 for Passport to Life.

Writer Taika Waititi (Thor: Ragnarok, Hunt for the Wilderpeople) and Performance and Talent Director Rachel House are excited about the developments of the reo Māori Version of Moana

The Crown has signed a Deed of Settlement with Ngāti Tūwharetoa at Waitetoko Marae, Minister for Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations Christopher Finlayson announced today.

A single by Auckland-based electronic group SoccerPractise, sung entirely in Te Reo Māori, has reached number one on student radio charts in Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch and Dunedin within a few weeks of its release.

Cawthron Foundation and Ngā Pae o te Māramatanga (NPM) have launched a new scholarship for Māori undergraduate students wanting to pursue a career in science. The scholarship, 'Te Pītau Whakarei Karahipi', is valued at $5,500 and will be available for the first time this coming 2017/2018 summer.

University of Canterbury researchers looking into strategies for addressing dyslexia and related language learning disabilities have been awarded $350,000 in funding by the National Science Challenge, A Better Start, in partnership with the child health research charity Cure Kids.

The New Zealand Film Commission (NZFC) is pleased to announce the recipients of the Ramai Hayward Directors' Scholarship for wahine Māori.

Accomplished poet, editor, art critic and journalist David Eggleton has been awarded the Fulbright-Creative New Zealand Pacific Writers’ Residency.

A landmark pay equity deal is just one of a number of government policy changes coming into effect tomorrow that deliver for New Zealanders, Prime Minister Bill English says.

Another Kiwi is starting his basketball dream in the USA.

A major socio-economic summit to improve the health, education, leadership and economic standing for Northland will be held at Waitangi on Saturday.

The success of New Zealand's Pacific nurses will be the focus of a special event at Te Papa Museum this evening with the Prime Minister and a number of Pacific health leaders in attendance.

Reviewing the evidence, innovative work and planning for the future will be the centre of Pasifika Futures’ Whānau Ora Conference, to be held at the James Cook Hotel Grand Chancellor in Wellington on 31 July and 1 August.

Small Business Minister Jacqui Dean, and Māori Development Minister Te Ururoa Flavell are looking forward to meeting with Māori businesses when the Small Business Roadshow travel to Kaitaia and Whakatāne later this month.

The last issue of Rugby prints from Internationally renown Wellington artist Michel Tuffery has just been released. The perfect gift for that Rugby mad person in your house. Take a look what is on offer and feel free to contact Michel directly via his Facebook shop to purchase these wonderful artworks.

On Saturday, May 20th, two talented Otahuhu College writers performed excerpts from their work at the Auckland Writers Festival in the Aotea Centre in central Auckland.

It’s been a double celebration for the Puka family of Lower Hutt this week, as father and daughter donned matching gowns and trenchers to graduate from Victoria University of Wellington.

One of New Zealand’s leading Maori health companies, Navilluso, has again been recognised for its enormous work helping people’s health all over New Zealand.

A Victoria University of Wellington researcher has developed a number of recommendations that she says are needed to improve Samoans’ understanding of cardiovascular disease to help lower rates of the disease in this high-risk demographic group.

Māori Development Minister and Associate Minister for Economic Development Te Ururoa Flavell will leave tomorrow for a business and cultural mission to Malaysia with a focus on the food and beverage sector.

A new bilingual children’s book written by a Victoria University of Wellington academic is using te reo Māori to connect with a new generation of speakers.

A group of budding Māori digital entrepreneurs have been selected as finalists in the DIGMYIDEA Māori Innovation Challenge which aims to stimulate interest and involvement of Māori in New Zealand’s innovation ecosystem.

One hundred young Pasifika people have presented an Act outlining legislation they believe will enhance Pacific Peoples development, in a strong push to be heard in election year. The Act, titled Pacific Youth Parliament (Our Movement) Act 2017 is …Pacific Youth MPs present their Act

The history of the 28th Māori Battalion’s D Company will be documented by Harawira Craig Pearless, Education Minister Hekia Parata and Arts, Culture and Heritage Minister Maggie Barry have announced.

The 2017 Creative New Zealand Arts Pasifika Awards are open for nominations, showcasing excellence and innovation in Pacific arts.

Wesley, who is studying a Bachelor of Engineering with Honours, will tonight receive a Youth Champion Award for individuals who have made a significant contribution to young people.

Le Va has a new website. Key features of the colourful new site include its responsiveness across devices, integrated social media and more streamlined navigation. It has also been designed to ensure data use is not excessive.

The recent finding of myrtle rust on Raoul Island pohutukawa trees marks a significant and very sad milestone in a long history of impacts of invasive pathogens, pests and weeds on New Zealand’s unique flora and fauna, says Dr Andrea Byrom, Director …Media statement by the National Science Challenge for NZ’s Biological Heritage:

It’s hardly big news that a ground-breaking, game-changing virtual digital health business, Navilluso, has reached the finals in two innovative categories of the New Zealand Hi-Tech awards.

Victoria University of Wellington in collaboration with Ngāti Toa is today launching an urban design competition asking people to imagine what a decolonised city might be like using two sites in Porirua.

Auckland-based dance group Pukepuke o’ Tonga will make music history on Saturday 8 April, when they perform New Zealand’s premiere of ‘Lomipeau Aotearoa’, an album of unique recordings based on the mythical poetry of the late Queen Salote Tupou III, at Auckland Council’s Mangere Arts Centre.

Budding Māori digital entrepreneurs are being urged to get in quick and submit their entries to the DIGMYIDEA Māori Innovation Challenge which closes this Friday, 31 March.

Once you understand that whatever your age you should be learning, keeping your mind active becomes even more crucial as we grow older. Committing to personal development will help you stay young and of course provide you with new skills and awareness.

Well I am glad to say I tried the new VR tool from the New Zealand Fire Service and managed to 'escape my house'. However, it immediately reminds you to check if everyone managed to get out. This VR app should be applauded it really send you a strong message. It feels real and the fact it uses clever technology so that when you finally escape your house, you find yourself actually outside your real house the real impact of a fire at home hits you.

Māori Development Minister Te Ururoa Flavell and Primary Industries Minister Nathan Guy have congratulated this year’s Ahuwhenua Trophy competition sheep and beef farming finalists, celebrating excellence in Māori farming.

Widely acclaimed for his achievements in promoting Māori health, David Tipene-Leach is EIT’s newly appointed Professor of Māori and Indigenous Research.

Pack your picnic rug and head along to the 25th anniversary Pasifika Festival, this weekend!25th Pasifika Festival – This Weekend!

Today, the Aniva programme will celebrate the first graduation where three graduands will be awarded the inaugural Master of Professional Practice (Leadership) by Whitireia Community Polytechnic.

A group of undergraduate students who have just completed Summer Research scholarships at Victoria University of Wellington’s Te Kawa a Māui—School of Māori Studies have contributed to research projects and lent a youth perspective to current te ao Māori and New Zealand issues.

Auckland’s Pasifika Festival celebrates its 25th anniversary this year, with special programming to mark this significant milestone. The festival, the largest Pacific Island cultural festival in the world, takes place at Western Springs Park on Saturday, 25 and Sunday, 26 March.

A new plan to improve outcomes for disabled Pasifika people is being welcomed by Associate Health Minister Nicky Wagner.

Faiva Ora, which means Work for Life, is a five-year improvement plan developed by the Ministry of Health.

Science numbers are growing at Otahuhu College, with more students also going on to degree level study at University. In 2016 Education Counts data show that more Pacific Island students from Otahuhu College were going on to degree level study than any other coeducational school in Auckland.

It is with great pride and pleasure that the Kumara Vine in association with JobCafe will be working with the New Zealand Warriors to help find jobs for there young, physically fit emerging players.

Azaria Felagai has gone from carpentry training at Whitireia last year to working on projects for construction firm Hawkins.

Whitireia Graduate Forges the Way for Young Women in the Building Industry

DIGMYIDEA Māori Innovation Challenge launches to seek out budding digital entrepreneurs

DIGMYIDEA, which was first held in 2015, aims to inspire more Māori to engage in the digital economy by helping emerging Māori innovators turn their creative ideas into reality.

University of Canterbury Professor Steven Ratuva has won a prestigious Fulbright Senior Scholar Fellowship to carry out research as a visiting professor in the United States next year.

Radio New Zealand has announced the establishment of a significant new training and development programme to support Te Reo Māori and foster Māori journalism.

Victoria University of Wellington is for the first time, running a free academic camp to help prepare newly-enrolled first-year Pasifika students for university life.

Nestlé Cook for Life - Ka Tuna Ka Ora, has partnered with Mangere Mountain Education Centre (MMEC) with the aim of delivering a unique, interactive daylong workshop to over 750 secondary school students across Auckland this year.

Students from Otahuhu College achieved their best ever results at Level One, Two and Three NCEA in 2016. The improvement in NCEA pass rates over the last four years has been impressive, with Level Three being a highlight through matching the national average last year. Indeed in the last four years Otahuhu College has achieved its four best ever results for each of the three levels.

Connect with your community: Matariki Festival 2017 wants you.
Want to be part of Tāmaki Makaurau’s celebrations of the Māori New Year?

Dr Kiki Maoate, Chairman of Pasifika Futures has congratulated Alfred Ngaro on his recent appointment to Cabinet as Minister for Pacific Peoples.

Victoria University of Wellington has taken its partnership with 12 iwi and other Māori groups to a new level as part of its ongoing commitment to improve academic success of Māori.

A Victoria University of Wellington law researcher studying Māori constitutional principles is focusing on traditional kōrero pūrākau (stories) rather than documents, statutes and court reports.

Last week, five Pasifika students graduated from Victoria University of Wellington with a PhD, the highest number ever for one of the University’s biannual graduation celebrations.

Finding the most effective methods for families to increase and normalise the use of Māori language in their homes is the focus of new research from Victoria University of Wellington.

Te Rito Maioha Early Childhood New Zealand (ECNZ) is pleased to announce that it has been granted approval by NZQA to deliver the Graduate Diploma of Teaching (ECE).

When her grandmother graduated from university, Erin Roxburgh (Ngāti Porou) remembers her getting photos taken in her academic dress in her childhood backyard.

As Christmas, fast approaches, and then we celebrate the start of a new year I am preparing myself for my annual ritual of reviewing my lifelong dreams and goals and setting the course for a successful 2017.

As Christmas, fast approaches, and then we celebrate the start of a new year I am preparing myself for my annual ritual of reviewing my lifelong dreams and goals and setting the course for a successful 2017.

Eighty-three new scholarships, worth $1,880 each, have been awarded to high achieving Māori and Pasifika students studying at Victoria University of Wellington.

Victoria University of Wellington is celebrating the thirtieth anniversary of Te Herenga Waka Marae’s wharenui located on its Kelburn campus.

Kaikōura’s Takahanga Marae is a shining example that Māori are a vital cog during a civil emergency says Minister of Whānau Ora Te Ururoa Flavell.

One of the highlights of the Hollywood Disney Animation, Moana, is the soundtrack provided by The University of the South Pacific’s (USP) Pasifika Voices choir, according to New Zealand actor, Mr Temuera Morrison.

One of New Zealand’s largest tourism operators, Ngāi Tahu Tourism, has won the Māori Excellence in Export award He kai kei aku ringa at the 2016 New Zealand International Business Awards.

The National Maori Authority, Nga Ngaru and one of Australia’s oldest and largest Aboriginal service organisations, Babana Aboriginal, have today embarked on a strategic relationship with the signing of a memorandum of understanding that will lead to a joint venture between Maori and Indigenous and Torres Strait Islanders.

University of Waikato researchers in collaboration with Rauawaawa Kaumātua Charitable Trust (Rauawaawa) have been awarded more than $900,000 for a new study for the Ageing Well National Science Challenge.

A record number of Māori and Pacific graduate doctors from the University of Auckland joined the workforce this week.

The newly established Pacific healthcare provider in Christchurch, Etu Pasifika Ltd today launches its new location of operation at 173 Montreal St in Christchurch central.

The Kumara Vine in partnership with JobCafe are currently driving a project to develop a comprehensive talent pool of te reo Māori speakers for career and contract opportunities with some of Aotearoa's most sort after employers

The winners in the annual Pacific Business Trust Awards have been named Friday evening, including Pasifika Futures chief executive Debbie Sorensen who took out the Business Executive Award title against Tevita Funaki, The Fono, Taulalo Fiso, Intueri Education Group and Angus Malietoa of Kyocera Document Solutions.

Theres a spirit in the tree. If you have the gift, you will hear its whispering, letting you know if your midwifery talents will born a vaka to sail the South Seas.Tokelau’s traditional artists showcase talent and exchange knowledge with New Zealanders
For Pacific Guardians | by Lealaiauloto Aigaletaule’ale’a F. Tauafiafi

University of Canterbury’s (UC) Master of Teaching and Learning is fast developing a reputation for excellence and innovation.

Massey University's new Assistant Vice-Chancellor Māori and Pasifika, Dr Charlotte Severne of Ngāti Tūwharetoa and Ngāi Tūhoe, is a geologist, former chief scientist for oceans and Māori development at the National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research and, most recently, Deputy Vice-Chancellor Māori and Communities at Lincoln University.

Kai Pasifika a community based restaurant project based out of Auckland New Zealand is looking for potential community investors. You can take part in the share offer for as low as $500 please read more

Māori Language champions are not only making a difference for te Reo Māori, but also helping ignite the Māori economy, says Steven Renata, CEO of Māori owned technology company Kiwa Digital.

Callaghan Innovation is today opening a centre for Māori business innovators at the Gracefield Innovation Quarter in Lower Hutt.

Te Whare a Māui - The Maori Innovation Hub is a shared working space, with tools to assist collaboration and innovation.

A bold new initiative targeted at young Māori and Pasifika students launches in Auckland on Thursday.

The University of Otago will renew an important Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Te Runanga o Toa Rangatira on Monday this week.

The Labour Party’s Pacific Candidates who stood for local elections in Auckland came out on top with 14 winners, says Labour’s Pacific Island Affairs spokesperson Su’a William Sio.