Pacific input sought Fono to be held

The Trust is developing its first Pacific Strategy to support our work with Pacific communities in the Auckland and Northland regions.

TrustLine newsletter, March 2010

• See: Fono times and venues
• See: background information in Cook Island Māori, English, Fijian, Tuvaluan and Tokelau languages.

To help us achieve this, we will be holding a series of fono (meetings) in April and May, where we will listen to what specific communities have to say about how the Trust can support them. Those able to attend and share their views will be helping us develop our Pacific Strategy.

Grants Advisor Peter Stowers says these fono will also be an opportunity for communities to hear more about the Trust and what areas we already support.

“ASB Community Trust is committed to enhancing equity for Pacific communities by ensuring that our programmes are accessible and meet their needs,” he says.

“The Trust wants to support organisations that work with, or for, Pacific communities to address their issues and priority needs. Ideas and input are welcome, as they will help improve the Trust’s work with Pacific organisations in our region.”

The fono will help us find out how much Pacific communities already know about the Trust, what experiences they have regarding funding and what their real issues and priorities are.

“By listening to the community we can find out how the Trust can improve its work with Pacific organisations, in order to improve the social and educational outcomes of their communities,” says Peter.

Wilmason Jensen, who was an ASB Community Trust Trustee when the consultation fono were being planned, says the Trust wants to ‘respond’ to the needs of Pacific communities, and in particular their social providers, to contribute to the goal of enhancing equity in the Auckland region.

“To do so meaningfully,” says Wilmason, “requires a degree of understanding of how Pacific communities are held together. In a cultural sense, the proposed process has been designed to activate the ‘va’ between the Trust and Pacific communities.
“The calling of the fono is a statement by the Trust that they have a responsibility to Pacific communities.”

If you would like to attend the fono (meetings) and contribute to the development of our Pacific Strategy, please contact us on
(09) 360 0291, 0800 272878, or email pacific@ASBCommunityTrust.org.nz

• Read the strategy: Working together: ASB Community Trust and the Pacific community

Fono dates