24/06/2026
"O le tatou va’a e fau fa’atasi” — our boat is built together.
This proverb speaks to the heart of how we work. Nothing meaningful is built alone. When we serve our Pasifika communities, we do it through relationship, partnership, and collective strength.
North Harbour Pasifika Hauora Collective is proud to be part of Pou Pasifika, a national movement co-designed by and for Pasifika youth development workers across Aotearoa.
For too long, youth workers have carried our young people, families, churches, schools, clubs and communities, often without being properly recognised, valued, or compensated for the depth of the work they do. They are not babysitters. They are mentors, cultural navigators, advocates, safe spaces, connectors, and often the first people our young people turn to when they need support.
Alongside Harbour Sport, we are grateful to be part of the Auckland Action Team and to help strengthen the North Harbour voice in this kaupapa. We are also proud to bring others on the journey, including our Hibiscus Tuakana representative Heleina from the Coast, and our sister Moe from Mahu Vision Trust in Warkworth.
Often, the Harbour region is overlooked when it comes to Pasifika investment and resourcing because our population is not seen in the same way as South Auckland. But our communities are here. Our young people are here. Our families are here. And the latest census data shows that the Pacific population across the North Harbour region continues to matter and must be seen.
This is why collective movements like Pou Pasifika are so important. They remind us that every part of the vā matters — South, West, Central, North, the Coast, Warkworth and beyond.
As North Harbour Pasifika Hauora Collective, we will continue to build the boat together with those who are already serving our people on the ground.
Because when our youth workers are valued, supported and strengthened, our young people and families thrive.
