Source: New Zealand Government
Tēnā koutou katoa, and warm Pacific greetings to you all. Thank you for the opportunity to gather for this important fono.
I want to begin by thanking Reverend Hiueni for opening today’s fono and bringing us together in prayer this morning.
Thank you also to MC Fuimaono for your welcome and introduction.
I also acknowledge Public Service Commissioner Sir Brian Roche.
I also want to greet former parliamentary colleagues Dame Winnie Laban, Aupito William Sio and the Honourable Alfred Ngaro. Thank you for your longstanding commitment to Pacific peoples in New Zealand.
To our Pacific leaders and public sector leaders, thank you for attending this second Stakeholder Fono and for the valuable insights you shared at the first gathering in November.
At the first fono, you heard from senior officials who provided important context about the global, geopolitical and domestic pressures shaping our environment. These forces are changing the face of how we work, how community needs are changing, and how the public sector must respond.
New Zealand is of the Pacific, and our country is enriched by the strength, culture, and contribution of Pacific peoples. Your success is New Zealand’s success. Pacific communities are among the youngest and fastest-growing in the country. That growth represents enormous potential; for families, for communities, and for the future workforce and economy.
That is why the Government is focused on delivering practical improvements in the areas that matter most: safer communities, better education, stronger health outcomes, secure housing, and real economic opportunity.
Delivering for Pacific Communities Strategy
Not long after the first fono, the Ministry published its Delivering for Pacific Communities Strategy, a practical three-year plan to ensure Pacific peoples benefit directly from government policies and programmes.
The Strategy focuses on the priorities Pacific communities told us matter most: economic opportunity, health, housing, education, and law and order, the fundamentals that support strong families and thriving communities.
Across these areas, the Government is committed to delivering real results, not just intentions.
I will briefly precis these areas of law and order, education, housing, health and economic opportunity.
Good societies are safe societies. In the 2025 Global Peace Index, New Zealand ranked third highest. Safety is foundational. Pacific peoples are disproportionately affected by crime, and we need to continue to address the drivers and the remedies.
We have taken strong steps to restore law and order. There were 49,000 fewer victims of violent crime in the year to October 2025 than there were in October 2023. Ram raids are down by 85 per cent and there has also been a 22% drop in serious repeat youth offending compared to when we took office – well ahead of our target of a 15% reduction by 2030.
Alongside this, we are supporting community-led pacific initiatives that make a difference on the ground. For example, the Government is investing $1 million over four years in the Auckland Pacific Wardens Trust, recognising the vital role Pacific Wardens play in keeping people safe and strengthening community wellbeing.
Safer communities allow families, businesses, and young people to flourish.
Education is the pathway to social mobility and improved quality of life. Social investment insights tell us the huge impact education has on our life’s trajectory.
Pacific learners, on average, face lower achievement across several indicators. To address this, we are seeing the highest shakeup in education in years. We have mandated one hour each of reading, writing, and maths every day, supported by structured literacy and phonics checks to improve reading outcomes.
We are already seeing progress. The proportion of new entrants meeting expected phonics levels has risen from 36 per cent to 58 per cent.
At the same time, programmes such as Tupu Aotearoa are creating pathways into employment, education, and training. We have already exceeded our target, placing more than 1,000 Pacific people into new opportunities.
I am also encouraged by the huge increase in Pacific People enrolling in tertiary education.
Investment in STEM is also important to participate in jobs and the workforce of the future. The Toloa Scholarships programme is seeing hundreds of Pacific students supported to carry out study in fields vital to New Zealand’s future.
Here is where we are cutting new ground with the Ministry. I have ministerial responsibility for the Integrated Data Infrastructure (IDI) and in June I also safely uploaded the largest amount of data ever into the IDI. As part of this I also recently uploaded Toloa Scholarship data into the IDI. The first grant-related data set to ever go into the IDI. This will provide two sets of insights: a look back at the attributes of the recipients, and a look forward to data insights of attributes of success.
Education is not just for youth but for adult learners also, and programmes such as MSD’s Alo Vaka are helping Pacific adults build skills and economic security, supporting over 300 people into better employment or business opportunities, and helping participating households increase incomes by around $9,000 to $12,000 on average.
I am also exploring converting the certificates of completion that people receive from the Centre for Pacific Languages into micro-credentials that then sit on their CV for future stacking. This will add immense value.
Health is closely linked to housing, both of which are key priorities for this Government.
We have made significant investment into Pacific housing initiatives, totalling $150 million.
We are cutting some never-trod ground in Pacific health. Healthy Homes is an HNZ initiative directed at improving young people’s health outcomes against ED attendance, and against off-work and off-study impacts.
Do healthy homes also benefit older people? In 2024, I landed the Pacific Healthy Homes Initiative which for the first time in any agency includes older people in the eligibility criteria. More specifically, Pacific people over 45 years with an ASH condition. We commissioned Otago University for before and after assessments. Initial data concludes older Pacific people benefit from warmer homes.
The programme is achieving real results, including delivering more than 5,200 interventions to date, such as insulation, heating and minor repairs in Pacific households.
We are investing $35.9 million to deliver 41 homes through the Pacific Building Affordable Homes Fund, and it has been a privilege to personally open Penina homes in South Auckland, and the Pacific Trust in the Waikato, and providers in New Brighton, Christchurch.
The Our Whare Our Fale programme in Eastern Porirua, shows the power of partnership between iwi, community organisations, and government to improve economic and health outcomes for families.
Supported by a substantial $114 million Government investment over three years, it will deliver up to 300 affordable homes by 2034. On assuming the portfolio three years ago, this was still requiring sign off, but for me the vision was impactful and the implementation deliverable.
I signed it off, and the first stage has already delivered 18 warm, energy-efficient homes and a communal fale, and I was glad to be there with Minister Potaka and Sir Bill English to mark its completion.
This project will support families into stable homes designed for multigenerational living, with families expected to begin moving in by the end of the year.
Homes are kept affordable through shared-equity support, perpetual land leases from Ngāti Toa that remove land costs, and construction at cost rather than market rates.
I want to acknowledge Central Pacific Collective, Te Rūnanga o Toa Rangatira, and the Ministry for Pacific Peoples for their collaboration on Our Whare Our Fale.
It is an initiative that is delivering real results, with a further 32 homes expected by late 2026 and ongoing employment throughout construction.
Strong financial capability supports long-term economic resilience and home ownership, which is why the Ministry funds 12 providers to deliver the Financial Capability Programme across New Zealand.
Since July 2025, 674 individuals completed financial literacy training and 266 were supported with tailored home ownership plans.
Together, these initiatives enable Pacific families to step into home ownership while also creating Pacific-led construction and employment opportunities.
The progress in Pacific-led affordable housing reflects the Government’s broader focus on fixing the housing system and enabling long-term supply.
Alongside this work, the Government is focused on unlocking land for housing, supporting infrastructure, and reducing the barriers and costs that slow down building.
Unfortunately, we know that Pacific peoples continue to experience poorer health outcomes, which is why improving frontline health services is a priority.
Recent results show encouraging progress on the targets that matter most for families:
- Childhood immunisation rates at age two have risen to 82.6 per cent, the largest improvement across all targets
- Faster cancer treatment, supported by $604 million funding for new medicines
- Shorter emergency department stays despite higher demand
- Reduced waiting times for specialist appointments and elective procedures
Our Elective Boost has delivered thousands of additional surgeries that make a real difference to people’s lives – hip and knee replacements, cataract surgeries, and other procedures – helping people return to work, family life, and the activities that give them purpose.
Economic growth is central to long-term wellbeing.
Pacific communities are a powerful driver of New Zealand’s economy, and strengthening Pacific businesses creates jobs and prosperity that benefit everyone.
Unfortunately, we know Pacific unemployment is unacceptably high. The cost-of-living crisis, an economic downturn and high inflation hit our most vulnerable communities the hardest.
That is why we have prioritised practical initiatives to support Pacific communities into sustainable employment and economic opportunity.
Alo Vaka has provided targeted support to over 1,200 individuals and supported more than 300 individuals into better employment.
We are investing in programmes such as the Pacific Business Trust, which has created hundreds of new jobs.
Our Toloa Scholarships Programme will see hundreds of secondary students supported through strong education to employment pathways in high growth industries, enabling skills that are critical for the future economy.
Pacific people already play a vital role across essential industries. Strengthening skills, entrepreneurship and leadership will lift productivity and competitiveness across the country.
At the same time, this Government is focused on getting the broader economic settings right. Inflation has already more than halved from its peak, easing pressure on families and businesses, and we have lifted the incomes of working households experiencing hardship through tax relief and more affordable childcare. While it is encouraging to see inflation trending downward and pressure beginning to ease, we know there is still more work to do.
Our young people are our greatest asset and backing them to succeed is essential to building a stronger future for New Zealand.
Pacific youth are one of the youngest and fastest-growing population groups in New Zealand, and their wellbeing will shape our collective future.
They carry Pacific languages, cultures, and identities forward. They are not only the leaders of tomorrow, but innovators and change-makers of today.
I warmly acknowledge our Youth Panel – Lyonah, Tyler, Lupe, and Kaiata. Your perspectives ensure policies remain grounded in lived experience and focused on real opportunities.
When young people are equipped to thrive, our communities and our economy thrive with them.
Thriving Pacific communities
Across all these areas, safety, education, health, housing, and economic opportunity, the goal is the same: strengthening the fundamentals so Pacific families can thrive.
When communities are safer, children are learning, people can access timely healthcare, families have stable homes, and businesses are growing, the benefits extend far beyond any one group. Strong Pacific communities contribute to a stronger New Zealand.
Progress takes sustained effort, partnership, and trust. Government can’t do this alone, and we value the leadership and expertise within Pacific communities.
Lastly, as the previous Ministers here will agree, it’s a great privilege to be the Minister for Pacific Peoples and to be able to engage and support the Pacific community in New Zealand. In this task, I am ably supported by the staff here at the Ministry for Pacific Peoples.
I know there has been some discussion in the previous months regarding the Ministry for Pacific Peoples and where it sits within the structure of government. I want to be clear with everyone here that I believe it is important that there is strong voice for Pacific peoples within government, both at a ministerial level and within the public service. I am also very proud of the Ministry being in the top agencies or better across a range of public service performance measures reported over the recent months.
The Prime Minister has said there will be no structural change regarding the ministry in this term of Government.
That’s not to say that there isn’t room for improvement. This government believes that the entire public service needs to do better to ensure they are truly delivering for the communities they serve. That includes things like improved efficiencies, through use of AI and streamlining back-office services. Others will speak more on this.
In closing, thank you for coming here today and prioritising this fono.
MIL OSI
LiveNews: https://livenews.co.nz/2026/03/04/speech-to-second-pacific-stakeholder-fono/
