Finding compelling reasons for people to move so they can live active, healthy and long lives.
In South Auckland obesity rates are high among Pacific and Māori peoples, impacting on approximately 22% of the population. Looking at the underlying causes of poor health and wellbeing is important to understand how to get Pacific families and South Auckland communities physically active and moving to influence their behaviour towards being healthy and well. Healthy Families South Auckland – The Cause Collective identified the problem is that there are no compelling reasons for local people to be physically active even though movement plays an important role in the lives of Pacific peoples and South Auckland communities
No compelling reason to move
Despite South Auckland being home to 130,233 residents who identify with a Pacific ethnicity (15.5 percent of Auckland’s population), we were unable to identify locallyled programmes or movement initiatives which focused solely on getting Pacific peoples healthy and active or linked to pacific people.
Healthy Families South Auckland (HFSA) conducted a review of the sport sector’s investment and hosted a fono with key Pacific leaders in community activation and sport. Our findings showed that both the sport and recreation sectors investment in physical activity targeting Pacific peoples did not meet the needs of communities in South Auckland.
Conditions holding the problem in place
The review by Healthy Families South Auckland found that the current national sports policy in New Zealand, as well as the Auckland plan showed gaps of information around an indigenous worldview of health and wellbeing, pacific peoples, and ways of moving and getting active in South Auckland communities. For example, the lack of Pacific peoples involved in decision-making within the sector perpetuated dominant worldviews of health and wellbeing as well as their practices of sport and recreation. There was no association or body championing for the movement of Pacific communities. It meant that traditional or cultural means or reasons for physical activity were not factored into activities or programmes or encouraged as ways of being active and healthy
Disrupting the system
To address the real needs of communities’ and to design solutions with them, Healthy Families South Auckland utilised a design-thinking approach to explore and revive Pacific and Aotearoa traditional games with Pacific and Māori cultural advisors, local schools, and churches as well as regional and national Pacific organisations.
These sessions highlighted local champions who carry significant cultural knowledge and capital and therefore play a key role in the preservation of culture and language of their traditional Pacific homelands which we utilised to design the prototypes for the Village Games and the Church Plant movement (an exercise training programme that was implemented at Tokaima’ananga Ōtara Tongan Methodist Parish Church and EFKS Samoa East Tamaki.
Culture, identity, and social cohesion were identified as part of the compelling reason and protective factors to the health and wellbeing of Pacific peoples.
Healthy Families South Auckland found that cultural games were not well known in Aotearoa and that there were many Pacific people who had not experienced these games from their homelands. This provided the foundation to design the prototype of The Village Games and help transfer knowledge from one generation to the next in Aotearoa.
Our community, our experts
Together with the guidance and direction of people in the community, the team met with local champions and expert Pacific cultural knowledge holders.
It was through these meetings, listening, and forging strong relationships with expert knowledge holders, that the team were able to design nine online video resources for Village Games in 2020 and 2021.
The Village Games video resources consist of:
• Kiribati – Katei Bwatoro
• Cook Islands – Tuki Tuki Teni Teni
• Tonga – Hiko
• Tonga – Heu
• Niue – Toho Toume
• Tuvalu – Fuu Fuu Penu
• Tokelau – Ano
• Aotearoa – Mū Tōrere
Reach and engagement with online communities utilising the Village Games was high, including an audience reach of over 65,000, over 30,000 total views and over 3,000 people engaging with the video resources.
Village Games in the system Healthy Families South Auckland recognised that the Village Games was not a programme but a movement to amplify the authentic voices of Pacific peoples and South Auckland communities about their lived experience in Aotearoa and the barriers they face to being active. For example, to encourage Pacific peoples to be physically active and moving, we need to understand how they move. This is not possible without genuine community engagement at all levels.
In 2023/24, the Village Games movement has continued to build momentum with Healthy Families South Auckland collaborating with Ōtara primary schools – Wymondley Road School, Rongomai School, Flat Bush School and Bairds Mainfreight Primary School. This culminated in the inaugural Village Games Festival which was held in March 2024 with 100 primary-aged pupils in attendance playing Te Bwanni (Kiribati), Heu (Tonga), Lape (Samoa) and Te Ano (Tokelau).
“The majority of our kids are from Pacific countries, so for them to learn these games that many of them are unaware of, gives them a sense of belonging, identity, and empowerment.” - Vae Falaniko, Teacher at Rongomai Primary School.
When we amplify the authentic voices of Pacific peoples and South Auckland communities whilst understanding their lived experience, we can address some of the barriers they face to being active.