The sudden announcement of a nationwide Alert Level 4 lockdown last month put a halt to the journey back home for members of the Tongan Olympic team, who found themselves stranded in Christchurch.

The largest Pacific health provider in Christchurch, Etu Pasifika, is continuing to see high demands from Pacific families for the Covid-19 vaccine. They will be running a vaccination drive for their Pacific community this weekend.

Etu Pasifika the largest Pacific health provider in Christchurch re-opened their Covid-19 vaccination centre last week and are experiencing a surge in bookings for the vaccine from Pacific families.

As we continue to live in this “New Norm” and adjust our lives to different Alert Levels, the Pasifika Medical Association (PMA) through Pasifika Futures (PFL) – the Whānau Ora agency for Pacific families – remains resolute and active in its support of Pacific families.

The team at Etu Pasifika is urging more Pacific individuals and families to the clinic’s next vaccination drive set for Sunday 29 August 2021 and assures the community that the vaccination is safe, and the clinic is a safe environment to get the vaccine.

Lose Sipiki received a timely call from her mother this morning to remind her how special this day is for her and the family. But Lose didn’t need reminding and she knew the call from her mother was actually a chance to celebrate as family and as Solomon Islanders the significance of Solomon Islands Independence Day.

More than 446 families and 2200 Pacific individuals received packages of support from South Island Pacific health providers, Etu Pasifika and Fale Pasifika o Aoraki to help them in the aftermath of the recent North Canterbury floods.

It has been over a week since the opening of the Etu Pasifika Covid-19 vaccination centre in Christchurch and already more than 240 Pacific individuals have been administered with their first doses.

The recent Canterbury floods coincided with the opening of Etu Pasifika’s new health clinic and Covid-19 vaccination centre, so although it was a time of celebration, once the heavy rainfall hit crisis point, the team at Etu Pasifika responded swiftly and prioritised the immediate support and relief of Pacific families affected by the floods.

More than 150 Pacific families living in the Ashburton area have received support packages from Pasifika Futures partner – Fale Pasifika O Aoraki to help them recover from the one-in-a-hundred-year flood that damaged homes and roads in the North Canterbury area.

The rain did not dampen the opening celebrations of the new Etu Pasifika health clinic in central Christchurch on Saturday morning. Local priest and Etu Pasifika board member, Father Paulo Filoiali’i, spoke at the opening and said that the rain was a good omen for a very special occasion.

Moving to Christchurch from Samoa with her family, mother-of-five Malia Fonoti was searching for places and communities that could help her settle into her new country.