As one of the few providers in Rotorua serving Pacific families, the trust are equipped to serve and support families with a broad range of needs including mental health support, Covid-19 support and financial education.

Manager for the Trust, Mata Mafileo, says that a key mission for them is to help families thrive and move forward.

“Rotorua has a growing population of Pasifika people which means that the needs are growing rapidly with time. By moving our Pasifika people forward and the continuity of serving our Pacific community, it means that the livelihoods and future stability of our communities will only continue to grow and thrive.”

Navigator for the Trust, Tupou Cook, explained that the key to their everyday roles is to identify the needs of families and address them accordingly. As the Pacific population in Rotorua continues to grow, having structure is a priority for the team of 17 to ensure the work is being executed to the highest standard.

“There are so many broad reasons why our families need us; Covid-19 was a huge time for the organisation. We had families in need of everything from food support, petrol, utilities and mental health support. Rotorua has a high demand for seasonal workers too so employment was a key need when the pandemic took some of those jobs away. 

We aim to work hard, deliver and make plans for our families; no matter what the needs are, we strive to be good listeners and ensure that our families know they are being heard.”

Mafileo emphasised the importance of a positive team culture as being crucial to the success of their organisation in serving their families. 

“We always make sure and check in that our staff have heart in their work and that they truly care for these families. That is what makes us achieve outcomes and deliver daily for our people.”

She also expressed her gratitude to Pasifika Futures (PFL) for the aid that their Whānau Ora commissioning has contributed to Rotorua and Pacific families in need. 

“Pasifika Futures trust us to deliver that service and that’s what we love to do. They help us, and don’t tell us and that’s what makes this relationship different. It’s a partnership we want to keep and we’re so thankful for that support. It’s our job to provide services to show that the needs exist here in Rotorua.”

Rotorua continues to be a growing and developing area of Aotearoa and the team at the Rotorua Pacific Islands Development Charitable Trust have high hopes for the future of their organisation and how they can continue to serve the Pasifika community. They aspire to one day have a Pacific focused medical centre to meet the demands and needs of their local community.