One Year On: The Police and Champions of Change
It's been a year since the Police Pacific Responsiveness Work Group in Auckland signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Nga Vaka o Kāiga Tapu’s Champions of Change (CoC). The partnership marks a significant milestone in the ongoing efforts to address critical issues within Pacific communities, including family harm, youth challenges, and navigating the legal system in New Zealand.
Above | Fiji Men's Champions of Change Group with NZ Police
Senior Sergeant Sanalio Kaihau reflected on the past year, emphasising the importance of this collaborative effort.
"This MOU has been pivotal in fostering a deeper understanding and mutual respect between the police and the Pacific communities. It's about working together to create safer, more supportive environments for our families," he stated. This partnership aims to break down barriers and build trust, essential elements for effective community engagement and support.
Nga Vaka o Kāiga Tapu focuses on educating Pacific families about maintaining safe and healthy homes while respecting cultural values and heritage. The CoC initiative, a key component of Nga Vaka o Kaiga Tapu, has worked closely with ethnic specific community leaders and members to advocate for positive change and is designed to tackle various issues affecting Pacific communities. These include family harm, youth-related challenges, and other specific concerns unique to each ethnic group. The programme has only been in existence for a year, and it is still in its early stages, having recently launched the Tongan and Samoan Champions of Change.
Kaihau emphasised the importance of understanding the diverse needs within these communities. "Different champions of change focus on different areas, like the Fijian group concentrating on men, while others focus on youth," he explained. This tailored approach ensures that each group receives the specific support they need.
Above | Samoan Champions of Change Community Engagement with Police Pacific Responsiveness Team
The Cause Collective (TCC) are funded and commissioned by Pasefika Proud to deliver Nga Vaka o Kāiga Tapu strengths-based programmes. According to TCC, these sessions enable community members to engage closely with law enforcement and better understand the police's role in family safety.
"Initially, some community members were hesitant about police involvement," noted a representative from TCC. "But these talanoa sessions have proven transformative, leaving participants informed and appreciative of the chance to interact closely with the police." The respectful and culturally sensitive manner in which these discussions have been conducted has been crucial in building trust and facilitating open, productive conversations.
Kaihau agreed stating, "Some of the youth, initially, were standoffish, but over time, they became more comfortable,". The consistent presence of familiar faces from the police force has been crucial in building trust and confidence. The work group's ability to communicate in languages like Tongan and Samoan further bridges the gap, making the police more accessible to the community.
A significant aspect of the partnership between the Police Pacific Responsiveness Work Group and COCs involves educating community members about the law and ensuring their safety. This includes helping people obtain driver's licenses and informing them about the police's role in handling family harm situations. The work group's engagement with the community is hands-on and personal. They meet regularly with lead agents and the Champions of Change to plan community events, discuss topics like family harm, and provide practical support and information.
Above | Senior Sergeant Sanalio Kaihau from the Pacific Responsiveness Team at a Champions of Change meeting
Measuring the success of such an initiative goes beyond numbers. For Kaihau, success lies in the growing engagement and trust from the community. The increased willingness of community members to interact with the police and seek their help is a positive sign. The ultimate goal is to create a safer and more informed community, where families can thrive, and young people can achieve their potential.
"The Police have been very good at meeting people where they are, both literally and metaphorically," noted TCC, emphasising how the police have tailored their approach to align with the specific needs and values of each ethnic group. This culturally informed method has been crucial in building trust and facilitating more open, productive conversations about sensitive issues like violence and community safety.
This partnership is deeply rooted in the values and frameworks that guide Pasefika Proud. Nga Vaka o Kaiga Tapu, along with other ethnic-specific cultural frameworks, underscores the importance of culture as the foundation for addressing family violence.
As we look back on a year of collaboration, it’s clear that the partnership between the Police and Champions of Change is a model of how culturally informed approaches can lead to more effective and sustainable solutions. This aligns with the foundational principles of Pasefika Proud, where frameworks like Nga Vaka o Kaiga Tapu emphasize that culture must be the cornerstone of any solution to family violence.
Above | Tokelau Champions of Change and NZ Police Pacific Responsiveness Team
PASEFIKA PROUD funds and commissions The Cause Collective to deliver the Nga Vaka o Kāiga Tapu strengths-based training programmes to practitioners and community based on the Nga Vaka o Kāiga Tapu cultural framework to address, minimise and eliminate family violence and sexual violence amongst Pacific families and communities. To this end there are several platforms dedicated to the Nga Vaka o Kāiga Tapu cultural frameworks which operate in unison.
- Nga Vaka o Kāiga Tapu a Pacific community developed, owned and mandated conceptual framework underpinning Pasefika Proud (encompassing eight ethnic-specific cultural frameworks) - Summary
- Nga Vaka o Kāiga Tapu dedicated website - https://ngavaka.nz/
Also of interest - NZ Police and Pasifika Champions Unite Against Family Violence
PASEFIKA PROUD - CHAMPIONS OF CHANGE
In 2010, the Pacific Advisory Group (PAG) to the Taskforce for Action on Violence within Families conducted fono in four regions throughout the country. The purpose of each fono was to seek the views of Pacific people and practitioners on how best to address family violence in their communities.
In June of the same year, the culmination of these regional discussions resulted in the Champions of Change fono – a ‘Call to Action.’ The participants at this fono called for the inclusion of culture as the basis for developing new and more robust programme approaches in service provision. The fono also highlighted the importance of Pacific peoples taking the lead in developing a programme of action to prevent and stop violence in Pacific families and communities.
At the Champions of Change Fono, participants identified that any serious approach to addressing violence in Pacific families would require a critical exploration of fundamental issues around culture, its values, practices, traditional contexts, and its ability to encompass the dynamics of contemporary Western society.
Two proposals that were strongly supported at this fono were:
- The community needs to take primary responsibility for leading the development of a programme of action to prevent and ultimately stop family violence.
- There is a need to explore how service provision could incorporate culture as the basis for constructing new and more robust programme approaches.
In March 2011, Hon Tariana Turia, as Minister responsible for Whanau Ora, Family Violence and Disability Initiatives, secured government funding for the development and delivery of a family violence training programme, aimed at building the capacity and capability of Pacific family violence practitioners and providers.
In the same year Pasefika Proud: Our Families, Our People, Our Responsibility took flight as a Pacific-owned initiative drawing on cultural values and strengths to build family and community wellbeing to prevent and address violence.
New training programmes would bring together cultural knowledge and evidence-based prevention, and intervention delivery approaches designed to be appropriate and responsive to the diverse circumstances of victims, perpetrators, and their families.
Nga Vaka o Kāiga Tapu (Nga Vaka) is a Pasefika Proud key milestone. Launched in 2012, Nga Vaka is community developed, community owned and community mandated, providing an overarching conceptual framework and eight ethnic-specific cultural frameworks to prevent and address family violence in New Zealand. The frameworks are rich with ethnic-specific values and concepts on the understanding that culture must be the basis for constructing any solution to family violence. Nga Vaka (and the ethnic-specific cultural frameworks) underpins all aspects of Pasefika Proud and our Pathways for Change framework.