Pacific Health at Otago
Pacific in Aotearoa
Overview
Here we embrace the vibrant tapestry of cultures that make up some of the Pacific peoples in Aotearoa, New Zealand. Pacific peoples make up 8.1% of the New Zealand population (2018 census). There are about sixteen different Pacific ethnicities identified in Aotearoa but we will focus on the eight main Pacific groups as determined by the New Zealand census in our learning.
We will share into the others when opportunities present, as these other Pacific Island communities, particularly from Melanesia and Micronesia are growing here in New Zealand.
Diversity is a theme that is woven into our learning and by embracing the diversity of Pacific cultures, you'll be better equipped to provide patient-centred care that respects individual beliefs and values. It is important to recognize the importance of cultural competence, to allow us to develop into culturally safe healthcare workers. Our hope is that it fosters a deep appreciation for the intricacies of Pacific cultures both within the region and within New Zealand itself.
By understanding and celebrating this diversity, future healthcare professionals can build stronger connections with patients and communities, leading to improved healthcare outcomes and a more inclusive society.
Population Breakdown
When you look at the population proportions of Pacific Peoples in Aotearoa you will see Samoans make up almost half of the Aotearoa Pacific population at 49% with the next biggest proportions being Cook Islands and Tonga at 21% each. This reflects the historical relationship each has had with New Zealand.
Reflect back to the table you were linked to in the elearning One resource on the populations of the different countries in the Pacific region. Reflect on the populations of some of the Pacific Island countries that have close relationships with New Zealand and then think about this as you learn more about the the eight main Pacific populations here in Aotearoa.
This table is a reminder and includes the distribution of Pacific Peoples in Auckland, recognised as the one of the largest Polynesian cities in the world:
Table: Distribution of Pacific Peoples in New Zealand
Population in
Auckland 2018
Pacific
Groups
Total
Population %
Population in rest of New Zealand 2018
Population
in the Islands
118,503
Samoa
182,721 (48)
64,218
197,705
62,403
Tongan
82,721 (22)
19,986
105,047
46,668
Cook Island Maori
80,532 (21)
33,864
17,555
23,088
Niuean
30,867 (8)
7,779
1,620
11,202
Fijian
19,772 (5)
8,520
892,967
2,406
Tokelauan
8678 (2)
6,270
1,348
7,485
Other Pacific Islands
15039 (4)
7,554
n/a
243,966
"Pacific peoples"
381,642 (100)
137,676
n/a
“O ananafi e fau ai taeao”
We will be learning more about the “main eight” as you journey through your medical education but before that, we need to learn a bit more about the historical relationships that exist between Aotearoa New Zealand and some of our Pacific Island countries. For Pacific peoples, relationships and in particular historical relationships is vital.
A Samoan proverb that is used to remind us to draw on our past to guide us into our future and it means “Yesterday (our past)will build tomorrow”. To understand your Pacific patients, you must have an understanding of these relationships as these stories have been passed down and continue to be passed down and may be at the core of the health concerns you see today. As well, current relationships and particularly in the space of Climate change, are leading stories today.
Special Relationships
Samoa’s relationship with New Zealand began in 1914 at the beginning of World War One when Britain requested New Zealand to “seize German Samoa” (1). Which was considered to be a threat to Britain. (click on the URL to learn more) This led to New Zealand administrating over Samoa from 1920 until 1962 when Samoa became the Pacific’s first independent nation. This administration time was not without its problems with a couple of events that marred this relationship. The first was what was documented as a “mishandling” of the 1918 influenzae pandemic that saw more than one-fifth to a quarter of the local population die within two weeks. History records the handling of this situation as being “inadequate and in some instances inappropriate” causing much distress for the Samoan people (2).
Another event that marred the Samoan – New Zealand relationship involved the Mau which was a movement by the Samoan people seeking independence from the New Zealand colonial administration (3). This resulted in an unfortunate event that is recorded in history as “black Saturday” and refers to an incident that ended in the shooting and death of a prominent Samoan leader, Tupua Tamasese Lealofi III during a peaceful protest for Independence (4).
Samoa later gained independence from New Zealand in 1962 becoming the first Pacific Island nation to achieve Independence in the region.
In the years around this gaining of Independence, New Zealand, going through a difficult economic downturn, invited Pacific peoples to come to New Zealand for employment to address this situation. However, once things improved for New Zealand, this changed leading to an event that again marred the relationship between Samoa (and many other Pacific Island ethnicities) and New Zealand. This event is known as the “Dawn Raids” and has been described as “the most blatantly racist attack on Pacific peoples by the New Zealand government in New Zealand’s history” (5).
Since then, New Zealand has apologised formally and signed a treaty of friendship with Samoa (6)(7).
Samoa now makes up almost half of the Pacific population in Aotearoa reflecting the long and strong relationship between these two countries.
The Cook Islands, Niue and Tokelau are recognised as New Zealand realm countries. The Realm of New Zealand is an area of over which the “monarch of New Zealand” is head of state (8).
A Realm is a collection of states and territories united under its monarch. The Cook Islands and Niue became New Zealand’s first colonies in 1901 and then protectorates. In 1965, the Cook Islands became self-governing, as did Niue from 1974. Tokelau came under New Zealand control in 1925 and remains a non-self-governing territory.
As Realm countries, peoples born in either of these Pacific Islands are automatic New Zealand citizens entitled to all the same services New Zealand citizens born in New Zealand are entitled too including healthcare services.
Impacts of Colonisation
Description?
Now that we know a little about Pacific peoples in Aotearoa, we encourage you to take this learning to your first lecture to help you think about the “context” of our Pacific peoples. But before that, return to medmoodle and complete the assessment to unlock your lecture material.
The Main Eight
There are eight main Pacific ethnicities in Aotearoa as identified by their population numbers making up the total Pacific population in Aotearoa.
These eight Pacific Islands are Samoa (49%), Cook Islands (21%), Tonga (21%), Niue (8%), Fiji (5%), Tokelau (2%), Tuvalu (1%), and Kiribati (<1%) (pronounced Kiribass – see language learning component for explanation). Percentages indicate the proportion of each Pacific ethnicity in the total Aotearoa, New Zealand population from 2018 census.
Samoa, Cook Islands and Tonga are often referred to as the “The Big 3” being the most populace Pacific ethnicities in Aotearoa, New Zealand. Cook Islands, Niue and Tokelau are recognised as Realm countries to Aotearoa.
The Main Eight
These eight Pacific Island ethnic groups represent the three different subregions in the Pacific region of:
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Polynesia: Cook Islands, Niue, Samoa, Tonga and Tuvalu
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Melanesia: Fiji and
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Micronesia: Kiribati
Instructions:
Click on each Pacific ethnicity to learn more about the demographics of people in these different Pacific Island nations compared to their Communities in Aotearoa.