Fono
Tino Lelei Fono 2009
Holding Hands: Sharing our Strengths – 25 September
Sorrento in the Park, Auckland
The focus of this year's fono was collaboration. Keynote presenters included Dr Colin Tukuitonga (Chief Executive, Ministry of Pacific Island Affairs) and Professor Elaine Rush (AUT). A number of presentations are available here:
Tino Lelei Fono 2008
Healthy Pasifika Families – 3 October, Sorrento in the Park, Auckland
The focus of the 2008 Tino Lelei Fono is Healthy Pasifika Families.
Presentations were given by the Ministry of Health on HEHA and the Health Sponsorship Council on the impact of Feeding Our Futures on Pacific families.
Tino Lelei Fono 2007
Our Children Our Futures
The focus of the 2007 Our Children Our Futures Fono was on Breastfeeding, with an opening presentation by Hon Luamanuvao Winnie Laban (Pacific Island Affairs Minister). Other presentations were by Dr Teuila Percival (Pasifika Medical Association), Siniva Cruickshank (Health Star Pacific), Christine Stewart (Ministry of Health) and Julie Stufkins (New Zealand Breastfeeding Authority).
Tino Lelei Fono 2006
Celebrating Pasifika Older Peoples – 29 September 2006
Approximately 140 people attended the 2006 Tino Lelei Fono, organised by PIFNAG to celebrate Pasifika
Older Peoples. Keynote Presentations were given by Hon Luamanuvao Winnie Laban (Pacific Island Affairs Minister), Dr Debbie Ryan (Ministry of Health), Malia Hamani, and Kay Dennison (New Zealand Nutrition Foundation).
The day was a celebration of the contribution of Pasifika older people to their communities.
Our Pasifika older people have a special place as the foundation
on which our communities are built. They are the ones who not only
navigate our journeys from the Islands to New Zealand, but also
navigated our communities through their formation. – Hon Winnie Laban
Tino Lelei Fono 2005
Wellbeing of Pasifika Familes – September 2005
Over 130 people, including church ministers, leaders and
health workers from the Samoan, Tongan, Cook Island, Niuean, Tuvaluan
and Fijian communities attended the 2005 Tino Lelei Fono in Auckland.
The fono, organised by the Pacific Island Food and Nutrition Action
Group (PIFNAG), discussed the wellbeing of Pasifika families in New
Zealand, with a special focus on maintaining a 'tino lelei' (healthy
body shape).
Opening speaker, Hon Luamanuvao Winnie Laban MP, congratulated
organisers of the fono, which was an important part of the strategy for
improving the quality of life of Pacific Island People.
Improving quality of life is not only achieved through the food
we eat and the exercise we take, but there is a need to look at the
whole person in the context of their family and community. – Hon
Winnie Laban
She also emphasised the importance of cultural and spiritual values
as key to health and wellbeing, and said that in many cases Pacific
people experience health problems because they have become disconnected
from their culture, family and community.
Professor Finau, then Prof of Public Health, Fiji School of Medicine, also encouraged
building strong Pacific communities in New Zealand as a basis for good
health. His inspiring presentation, Strategies for Pacific Families to be
Pacific; A Vision for Pacificans in Aotearoa, provided a number of
suggestions for how Pacific communities can build health and wellbeing.
He reminded the fono of the need for community development approaches,
ethnic specific services and facilities, appropriate training and use of
Pacific professionals, and the need to maintain Pacific languages and
values in New Zealand.
Tino Lelei Fono 2004
The Pacific Island Food and Nutrition Action Group (PIFNAG) and ANA facilitated the delivery of the 2004 Tino Lelei Fono for Pacific communities and organisations. This was the second time these agencies had collaborated on a project designed to progress the national Healthy Eating, Healthy Action strategy with a specific focus on the Pacific Island communities in New Zealand.
The theme of the fono was 'Tino Lelei'. Tino means body in Samoan and Cook Islands, and Lelei means good in Tongan, Samoan and Pukapuka. The two words combined mean good body image or shape.
The specific aims for the 2004 fono were to
- strengthen relationships within Pacific communities to create healthy lifestyles
- share our activities and success stories
- celebrate our tino lelei
- discuss where to from here.
Fono 2003
 Obesity a Pacific Community Issue – 22 October 2003
ANA and the Pacific Island Food and Nutrition Action Group (PIFNAG – pictured right) facilitated the delivery of the first national fono in Auckland in 2003.
This fono was attended by over 100 people comprising church ministers, community leaders, health providers and others working in the area of nutrition and physical activity with the Pacific community. Aims of this fono were based on the outcome of an earlier consultation fono held with Pacific health providers in Auckland.
The national fono aimed to
- bring Pacific communities together to focus on the epidemic currently affecting Pacific people in Aotearoa
- work together with community leaders in building a partnership to help create 'Healthy Churches' and 'Healthy Pacific Communities'.
- look for solutions
- raise awareness of nutrition and physical activity issues
- engage with relevant organisations such as the Obesity Action Coalition and Sport and Recreation New Zealand to discuss ways in which obesity affects Pacific communities.
Two key findings emerged from the fono were:
- the importance of the role of church and community leaders and the potential that exists for ongoing cooperation between them and health providers
- the need to recognise the unique identity of the various Pacific peoples in contrast to the commonly used 'Pan-Pacific' approach.
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