Le Tautua: a Pasifika health leadership journey

‘Voyage of hope: Charting a course for Pasifika addiction recovery’ was the aspirational theme for Le Va’s Le Tautua Pasifika Leadership 2024 programme, held in Māngere over two days in July.

Twenty-four successful applicants, all working in or adjacent to the addiction sector, took part in the event, which is designed to support Pasifika mental health and addiction leaders to enhance their leadership skills and cultivate their unique cultural perspectives.

A previous participant said of Le Tautua, “What was very good was the space to discuss and drive towards integration of Pasifika concepts into our leadership, with the freedom to explore meanings in the group setting – words and actions are powerful.”

Le Tautua’s speakers and panellists inspired our Pasifika leaders with hope, resilience and determination, helping them to envision a future where addiction-related harms are minimised and individuals can thrive.

Mark Esekielu, Le Va’s senior manager – mental health and addiction said, “There’s a Samoan proverb – ‘E afua mai mauga lelei o nu’u’ that translates to ‘From the mountain flows the blessings for the village’ or in other words, from good leadership flows blessings and wellbeing for families and communities.

“After two days of hearing from established leaders and seeing the calibre of our emerging leaders, I feel comfort for the present and hope for the future of the mental health and addiction sector in Aotearoa.”

This year Le Va also launched a new Addiction and Problem Gambling Harm Scholarship, aimed at increasing the capacity and skills of the workforce to reduce harm in those areas.

Alongside Le Tautua and our Futures that Work Pacific Mental Health and Addiction Scholarship, these initiatives are all intended to support the mental health and addiction workforce to grow, in order to achieve better health outcomes for everyone in Aotearoa.