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HRC
Pacific news
October 2014
New model for promoting the health of
young Cook Islanders
By Suzy Botica
Auckland-based researcher Dr Neti Tamarua Herman from the small island of Manihiki in the
Cook Islands, has become the first Cook Islands nurse to gain a doctorate. Neti graduated from the
University of Auckland in May. Her PhD thesis, which was funded through a HRC Pacific Health
Research PhD Scholarship, lays out a new holistic model to promote the health of young people –
one of the first to do so within a Cook Islands context.
decided to do her PhD to further
develop herself and to “motivate and
inspire other Cook Islands nurses and
women to pursue doctorate studies”.
For her PhD, Neti set about developing
a health promotion model within a
Cook Islands context to improve the
health and well-being of young people
in Vaka Takitumu, a specific district of
Rarotonga.
Dr Neti Tamarua Herman
Neti began her PhD in 2008 after more
than 40 years of service in health care
in Fiji, New Zealand, Australia and the
Cook Islands, including five years as
Senior Tutor and six years as Principal
for the Cook Islands School of
Nursing, five years as the Chief Health
Education and Promotion Officer for
the Department of Public Health, and
seven years as Chief Nursing Officer
with the Cook Islands Ministry of
Health. She is married to Dr Tamarua
Teariki Herman and they have four
sons and a daughter – all graduates
of the University of Auckland. She
“Although most young people engage
in positive life activities and become
healthy adults, some become involved
in risky behaviours. The major areas
of concern in the Cook Islands are
substance abuse, especially alcoholrelated motor vehicle crashes and
violence; suicide; teen pregnancy;
sexually transmitted infections; obesity;
truancy; and criminal activities.”
To develop the model, Neti explored
the health and well-being of young
people within a socio-ecological
framework, and how cultural, social,
spiritual, health beliefs and social
networks affect their behaviours.
“There has been so much emphasis
on the negative aspects of young
people, but very little on positive youth
development. I wanted to change that.”
Neti carried out a community
assessment in Vaka Takitumu, which
involved conducting semi-structured
interviews with 12 focus groups of
young people; 20 key stakeholders;
and 20 key informants. She asked
the participants about what being
healthy means to them; the positive
contributions made by young people;
the issues and concerns young people
face; and strategies for solving or
minimising the effects of these issues
and concerns.
Her findings highlight the urgent need
for parents and families, communities
and non-governmental organisations,
and government leaders to listen to
young people’s voices.
“Young people need to belong
and to be connected to family and
communities to thrive. They also need
to be empowered, have knowledge, a
voice, and learn the competencies and
skills to prepare them for adulthood
and leadership roles,” says Neti.
(Continued on page 3)
HRC Pacific News October 2014
Message from the HRC’s Project Manager,
Pacific Health
Greetings. Time has flown by so quickly this year and soon it will be Christmas. I, for one, am
looking forward to the Christmas break!
Planning for the International Pacific
Health Research Conference 2014 has
proceeded well, and the conference
is shaping up to be an extraordinary
opportunity for interdisciplinary
dissemination of health research,
practice, and knowledge. This issue
of HRC Pacific News features articles
on several researchers who will be
presenting at the conference, including
recent PhD graduates Dr Neti Tamarua
Herman and Dr Sione Vaka, and Dr
Dianne Sika-Paotonu.
Dr Nuhisifa Seve-Williams
This will be the last newsletter of the
year and I am writing this on behalf
of the HRC’s Pacific Health Research
Committee.
2014 has been a busy year for Pacific
health research at the HRC. A major
achievement was the launch of
the revised Pacific Health Research
Guidelines in June. The guidelines have
been well received by Pacific and nonPacific researchers alike. The Pacific
Health Research Committee is grateful
for all the effort that has gone into
this document, and acknowledge the
work that Dr Karlo Mila and her team
have done on the first edition of the
guidelines.
In other work, a new Pacific Career
Development Award has been
established: The Sir Thomas Davis Te
Patu Kite Rangi Ariki Health Research
Fellowship. I was invited to attend a
reception hosted by representatives
of the Cook Islands Government and
community leaders in July as they were
deeply honoured by the naming of an
award after Sir Davis. The HRC was
gifted with a framed photograph of Sir
Davis, which now resides outside our
main meeting room.
2
The HRC has been fortunate to partner
up with a number of international
and national organisations to deliver
this conference. The Pacific Health
Research Committee would like
to thank the Conference Planning
Committee who have guided much
of the work: Dr Colin Tukuitonga
(Secretariat of the Pacific Community);
Dr Sela Panapasa (the University
of Michigan); Abba Fidow (Le Va);
Professor Peggy Fairbairn-Dunlop
(AUT University); Dr El-Shadan
Tautolo (the Pacific Islands Families
Study); Dr Tai Sopoaga and Brad
Watson (the University of Otago);
Dr Teuila Percival (the University of
Auckland); Eseta Finau (the Pasifika
Medical Association); Hilda Fa’asalele
(the Ministry of Health); Professor
Keawe’aimoku Kaholokula (John
A. Burns School of Medicine, the
University of Hawai’i at Mānoa);
Everdina Fuli (Pasefika Proud, the
Ministry of Social Development); and
Dr Yvette C. Paulino (the University
of Guam). Registrations for the
conference are currently open and you
are encouraged to register.
Thank you also to our two sponsors,
Auckland Council and the Health
Promotion Agency.
Health Research Council of New Zealand
Te Kaunihera Rangahau Hauora o Aotearoa
Lastly, we welcome Dr Paula Vivili
and Dr Debbie Ryan as new sitting
members of the Pacific Health
Research Committee, and congratulate
Dr Mele Taumoepeau on her
appointment as the Pacific Health
Research Committee’s new Chair.
We also thank and acknowledge the
valuable contribution that former HRC
Chief Executive Dr Robin Olds and the
outgoing Chair of the Pacific Health
Research Committee, Dr Edward Saafi,
have made to Pacific health research at
the HRC.
Monuina
Dr Nuhisifa Seve-Williams
HRC Project Manager, Pacific Health
Contact the HRC
Project Manager,
Pacific Health
Dr Nuhisifa Seve-Williams
Project Manager, Pacific Health
[email protected]
(09)
303 5225
✆
Mobile: 021 588 155
Website: www.hrc.govt.nz
Physical address: Level 3, 110
Stanley Street, Grafton,
Auckland, New Zealand
Postal address: PO Box 5541,
Wellesley Street,
Auckland 1141, New Zealand
HRC Pacific News October 2014
generating aspects that are relevant
for the development of young
people’s health and well-being
(Continued from page 1)
• the beautiful flowers and their sweet
perfume reflect a young person’s
beauty (external and internal) and
sweet smell
• the colourful fruit represent the
physical, mental, spiritual, emotional
(self-esteem) nutritional, and
economic aspects of health
Dr Neti Tamarua Herman celebrates gaining her PhD with her supervisors Dr Jennifer Hand (left)
and Professor Julie Park (right). “Their individual and joint knowledge, encouragement, enthusiasm,
cultural understanding, and belief in me helped keep me going,” says Neti. (Photographs courtesy of
the University of Auckland)
The results of Neti’s findings led
her to develop the “Pu Ara” health
promotion model with the help and
support of young people and key
stakeholders in Vaka Takitumu. The
Pandanus Tectorius tree, known as
the Pu Ara in Cook Islands Māori, is
used by the traditional leaders in the
district to represent their leadership
body ‘The Pu Ara O Takitumu.’
With the recommendations of some
participants, and the permission of the
traditional leaders, the Pu Ara concept
was adopted as the working metaphor
for the model, giving it significant
cultural and spiritual meaning, value,
and mana.
The focus of the model is based on
the principles of strength and positive
youth development. It takes a holistic
approach to health, which is sensitive to
the physical, mental, social, emotional,
economic, political, cultural and
spiritual needs of young Cook Islanders.
“The model reflects a major shift in
thinking in that adults need to work in
close partnership with young people
to provide them with the appropriate
educational opportunities, learning
experiences and support, especially in
matters and policies that concern them.
Ultimately, the implementation of the
model requires a collaborative effort by
everyone in the community, including
young people.”
Neti explains that there are about 600
species of the Pandanus tree globally
and four main species in the Cook
Islands. In the model, every part of
the tree represents positive aspects of
a young person, as described in the
following:
“The Pu Ara model requires adults to
recognise and acknowledge that young
people must be listened to and not
just considered a problem, so they can
engage in meaningful activities and
decision making, take responsibility for
their actions, and actively participate
and contribute positively to their
families, communities, and nation. We
are all responsible and accountable for
making sure that our young people’s
health, well-being, and potential are
realised,” says Neti.
Since completing her PhD, Neti has
been sharing her findings with Cook
Islands communities through a series
of workshops. She would like to see
the model first implemented in Vaka
Takitumu and then evaluated to see
whether it has made a difference to
the health of the young people before
transferring it to other areas in the
Cook Islands.
• the many different species of Pu
Ara represent the diversity in young
people
• the Pu Ara tree is part of nature’s
vegetation; it represents young
people as part of the “big picture” of
communities
• the strong trunk, which is used
as posts for traditional houses,
represents the strengths in young
people
• the roots anchoring the tree into
the ground signify the family (both
nuclear and extended) that provide a
strong foundation for young people,
and connectedness to the land
• the branches and stems connect
young people to their communities
and environment, such as peers,
neighbours, schools, churches,
sports groups, government and nongovernment organisations.
• the leaves provide thatched roofs for
shelter and safety, and are also used
for weaving mats, hats and baskets –
this relates to economic and revenue-
“My thesis is the beginning of a
journey to create the conditions where
the young people in Vaka Takitumu,
and eventually the Cook Islands as
a whole, can help themselves, not in
isolation, but as partners in youth and
national development.”
Neti says she is indebted to her
supervisors at the University of
Auckland, Dr Jennifer Hand and
Professor Julie Park, the HRC for her
scholarship award, and the young
people and communities of Vaka
Takitumu in Rarotonga.
“It has been an amazing educational
journey and I thank my husband,
children and families for their
encouragement and support. Meitaki
maata e Kia Manuia.”
Health Research Council of New Zealand
Te Kaunihera Rangahau Hauora o Aotearoa
3
HRC Pacific News October 2014
Study suggests a rethink of approach to
mental illness for Tongan community
By Suzy Botica
Massey University lecturer and nursing graduate Dr Sione Vaka has completed his PhD research,
which shows that Tongan people’s understanding of mental illness is very different from that of
New Zealand’s mainstream hospital system. These differences could affect future mental health
treatment options for New Zealand’s Tongan community.
community leaders, service users of
mental health services, families, and
young people. The participants were a
mix of those who were born and grew
up in New Zealand and those who
were born in Tonga. After analysing
his findings, Sione classified Tongan
constructions and understandings
of mental illness into three main
categories:
Dr Sione Vaka with his wife and son
Sione’s research, which was funded
by a HRC Pacific Health Research
PhD Scholarship, has focused on
understanding Tongan cultural
attitudes towards mental health.
Initially, Sione wanted to explore why
the 2006 ‘Te Rau Hinengaro: The New
Zealand Health Survey’, showed that
Pacific people born in the islands have
a lower risk of developing mental
illness than those who are born in
New Zealand. However, as Sione
began his PhD, he says it became
clear that he needed to first find out
what mental illness means for Pacific
people. Coming from Tonga himself,
Sione decided to drill his study down
to focus on the Tongan community
because “while there are similarities
4
between Pacific communities, we also
have our important differences”.
“I’m really glad that I asked ‘what
does mental illness mean for Tongan
people?’ first. All the time we’ve been
talking about depression, yet our
Tongan community doesn’t think of
depression in the same way as the New
Zealand health system. There’s not
even a Tongan word for depression
or schizophrenia. Sometimes in the
health field, we try to get in and fix
the problem quickly, rather than first
ask what the problem actually is,” says
Sione.
For his study Sione used the traditional
talanoa process of telling stories with
seven groups of Tongan men, women,
Health Research Council of New Zealand
Te Kaunihera Rangahau Hauora o Aotearoa
The Tongan construction of
mental illness. This approach views
people with mental illness as being
“possessed by the spirit” or suffering
from “illnesses from the grave”.
Sione says this view is strong in the
Tongan community, especially among
men and community leaders. “In
the traditional Tongan view, health
is about our relationship with the
living and the supernatural world.
Any disruptions to this relationship
causes illness. In terms of treatment
[for mental illnesses], people will try
to find a healer who can restore those
relationships that have been broken
rather than go to hospital.”
The biopsychosocial construction of
mental illness. This approach views
biological (e.g., chemical imbalances in
the brain), psychological (e.g., thoughts
and emotions), and social factors as
all playing a part in a person’s state
of mind. This view is predominant in
the New Zealand health system and
is more common among young New
Zealand-born Tongans. “New Zealand’s
hospital system focuses much more on
the relationship between the physical
processes of the brain and mental
health, whereas the Tongan view
HRC Pacific News October 2014
focuses more on the spiritual side,” says
Sione.
An intersection of the Tongan and
biopsychosocial constructions of
mental illness. Sione found that this
combined approach was more common
among Tongan women and families.
Sione says his findings suggest that our
mental health system’s cultural services
may not be taking into account the
views of different groups within an
ethnic community.
“Sometimes our health system’s cultural
services might suit only one group of
people. For example, New Zealandborn Tongan youth might think that
the traditional Tongan construct is not
really helping them, and they are happy
to be in the hospital system. However,
it might be a different story for those
youths’ parents who may have been
brought up in the traditional system.”
Sione has been approved the award of
Doctor of Philosophy for his thesis and
plans to graduate with his students at
Massey University’s School of Nursing
in April next year. After that, he would
like to return to his original research
proposal and explore why New
Zealand-born Tongans are more at risk
of mental illnesses than those born
in Tonga. He suspects that the 2006
New Zealand Mental Health Survey
may have only picked up those in the
Tongan community who accessed the
hospital system, and not those who
went to traditional healers.
With the World Health Organization
predicting that mental illness will be
the second biggest health issue facing
the globe by 2020, only behind heart
disease, Sione says it’s very rewarding
that his research has contributed new
indigenous knowledge to the mental
health field.
“It would be really interesting to find
out why our Tongan kids born here are
at higher risk of mental illnesses. Do
they access hospital care or traditional
healers? There are other issues to
consider as well. Growing up in Tonga,
the social network is strong. In New
Zealand, society is more fragmented
and drugs and alcohol are much more
readily available.”
Although I may be the one who gets
the certificate, this PhD research was
a collective effort with my community
who have supported me throughout
and for whom I hold close to my heart.”
New Pacific health
research fellowship
In July the HRC was pleased to
announce a new Pacific Career
Development Award named
The Sir Thomas Davis Te
Patu Kite Rangi Ariki Health
Research Fellowship.
This fellowship recognises the
contributions that Sir Davis
LLD honoris causa, DTM
and H, MBChB, MPH, MD honoris causa, has made
to clinical practice and biomedical and public health
research, in a distinguished career spanning 62 years in
the Cook Islands, New Zealand, and the USA.
“My people have been struggling
here in New Zealand. This study has
informed health services that this is
how Tongan people feel about mental
illness, and the findings could translate
to other Pacific groups as well.
* Dr Sione Vaka will be presenting
his findings on Tongan constructions
of mental illness at the International
Pacific Health Conference in Auckland
on 3–5 November 2014.
Upcoming closing dates
For an up-to-date list of all application registration,
opening and closing dates, please go to the HRC
website: www.hrc.govt.nz.
Programmes
Full application – online submission system closes
15 October 2014, 12pm (noon)
Programmes
Full application – hard copy due at the HRC
17 October 2014, 5pm
Explorer Grants
Full application – online submission system closes
31 October 2014, 12pm (noon)
Explorer Grants
Full application – hard copy due at the HRC
4 November 2014, 5pm
Representatives of the Cook Islands Government and
community leaders gifted this framed photograph of
Sir Davis to the HRC in honour of the new award.
Projects
Full application – invitation only – online submission
system closes 19 November 2014, 12pm (noon)
For more information on this fellowship, go to
www.hrc.govt.nz/funding-opportunities/pacificdevelopment.
Projects
Full application – hard copy due at the HRC
21 November 2014, 5pm
Health Research Council of New Zealand
Te Kaunihera Rangahau Hauora o Aotearoa
5
HRC Pacific News October 2014
Curing cancer a life-long dream for
awarding-winning Pacific researcher
By Suzy Botica
A succession of serious illnesses in her family, combined with the sudden passing of her beloved
father, severely tested Dr Dianne Sika-Paotonu’s resolve to complete her PhD. But finish it she did.
Now, numerous awards later, Dianne has carved out a successful research and academic career,
which is centred on her passion for cancer and immunology research.
More success was to follow when
in 2006 Dianne, who is of Tongan
descent, was awarded a HRC Pacific
Health Research PhD Scholarship to
work with the cancer vaccines team
at the Malaghan Institute of Medical
Research in Wellington. Dianne’s role
in the research team was to carry out
the basic science preclinical studies.
Her thesis was titled ‘Increasing
the potency of dendritic cell-based
vaccines for the treatment of cancer’.
Dr Dianne Sika-Paotonu
“When I was eight years-old, I had
a close family friend pass away from
cancer. This was the first time that I
had seen someone battling with this
disease. I decided then and there that I
wanted to cure cancer,” says Dianne.
After taking all the science subjects
at school and gaining a Bachelor of
Science and Bachelor of Biomedical
Science at Victoria University in
Wellington, Dianne completed a
Master’s degree (First Class Honours)
in Molecular Pathology at Victoria,
undertaking her project with the
Wellington School of Medicine
and Health Sciences at Otago
University. This research involved the
computerised morphometric analysis
of renal cell carcinoma tumours, and
culminated in the publication of three
articles in the American Journal of
Surgical Pathology.
6
“This work explored the modification
of these cancer vaccines to launch
stronger immune responses against
cancer tissue,” explains Dianne.
“The vaccine approach to fighting
cancer holds tremendous potential,
although further development is still
required before these cancer vaccines
can become a front-line treatment.”
For her part in this work, Dianne
received numerous national and
international awards, including the
MacDiarmid New Zealand Young
Scientist of the Year (Advancing
Human Health & Wellbeing category);
Colmar Brunton Research Excellence
Award; and the Australasian
Society of Immunology BD Science
Communication Award.
“There’s cancer in my family and that
definitely served as an impetus for me
to persevere with my research,” says
Dianne.
In 2011, Dianne moved to Victoria
University of Wellington to establish
and coordinate the postgraduate
pharmacology course and co-teach
Health Research Council of New Zealand
Te Kaunihera Rangahau Hauora o Aotearoa
the pathophysiology paper at the
university’s Graduate School of
Nursing, Midwifery and Health based
at Wellington Hospital. Still there,
she has relished the opportunity to
communicate science and research
that is meaningful for students, and
to promote science in the Pacific
community.
“There’s a famous quote by Einstein,
that ‘those who have the privilege to
know have a duty to act’. That’s a quote
I’ve always carried with me,” says
Dianne.
“Although my career has been focused
on biomedical science, I’ve always
had a strong pull to give back to
my Pacific community. I’m actively
involved in mentoring young Pacific
people in Wellington, and do so in a
voluntary capacity. I regularly speak
with church-based Pacific groups and
visit schools to promote science among
Pacific students. I’m also a member of
the Equity team here at the Graduate
School, offering guidance and support
to Pacific students.”
Dianne is currently awaiting funding
decisions on potential project
collaborations and has spent part of
this year studying with the Otago
University of Wellington Department
of Public Health.
“Being a Pacific researcher means that
I have the opportunity to not only
serve my Pacific community, but also
contribute to the biomedical science
and health research communities. I’m
honoured to act as a bridge between
these groups.”
HRC Pacific News October 2014
HRC Pacific Health Research Committee
welcomes new members
Dr Paula Vivili – Acting Director of the Secretariat of the
Pacific Community’s (SPC) Public Health Division – has
joined the HRC’s Pacific Health Research Committee as its
Pacific regional representative.
Before joining SPC in 2013, Paula was the Medical Superintendent of
Vaiola Hospital in Tonga and had also been head of the hospital’s NonCommunicable Diseases/Health Promotion Unit and Ophthalmology
Section. He was involved with the development of the ‘Tonga National
Strategy to Prevent and Control Non-Communicable Diseases 2010–2015’
as well as the establishment of the Tonga Health Promotion Foundation
(TongaHealth). Paula was the President of the Tonga Medical Association
from 2010 to 2013 and a board member of TongaHealth from 2008 to 2013.
He is currently Vice-President of the Pacific Eye Care Society.
Dr Debbie Ryan was confirmed as a new sitting member
of the HRC Pacific Health Research Committee at the HRC
Board meeting in Auckland last month.
Debbie is the Director of Pacific Perspectives, a company she established
in 2008 to deliver mentoring, and Pacific workforce and capability
development in public sector organisations. She is a medical practitioner
and a former public service leader of Pacific health policy and
implementation.
Debbie has more than twenty years of involvement in the health sector as
a clinician, and in governance, management, public policy development,
regulation, national standards, implementation, and health service delivery
in New Zealand and the Pacific. Her key areas of interest have been health
inequalities, primary care, evidence-based health care policy and the service
delivery interface with Pacific populations.
The HRC Pacific Health Research Committee extends a very warm welcome to both Paula and Debbie.
(Continued on page 8)
Health Research Council of New Zealand
Te Kaunihera Rangahau Hauora o Aotearoa
7
International Pacific Health Conference 2014
Packed programme for International
Pacific Health Conference 2014
Presentations
The HRC has had a fantastic response to
its call for abstracts for the International
Pacific Health Conference in Auckland
on 3 to 5 November 2014. More than
90 speakers will present their research
findings at the conference. The speakers
featured reflect the rich diversity of
the Pacific and beyond, and include
those from New Zealand, Australia, the
United States (including Hawai’i and
Guam), Tonga, American Samoa, Papua
New Guinea, the Federated States of
Micronesia, Northern Mariana Islands,
Bangladesh, and Thailand.
The presentations are divided up
into the following streams: child
and youth; partnerships and
capacity building; innovation and
technology; behavioural and mental
health; reproductive health; noncommunicable/communicable
diseases; and environmental health.
You can view the full programme
on the conference website at http://
pacificconference.hrc.govt.nz.
To give you a taste of what’s in store at
the conference, here’s a sample of some
of the presentations:
Dr Ofa Dewes – The University of
Auckland
Parent-focused weight management
programme for Pacific children
Dr Ofa Dewes is principal investigator
of a HRC-funded implementation and
evaluation study on a systems-based
approach to obesity prevention and
weight management in Pacific church
communities, in collaboration with
investigators from the University of
Otago and University of Hawai’i at
Mānoa. The study discussed in this
presentation builds on her previous
work in the ‘Obesity Prevention in
Communities’ project and its successor,
a parent-focused randomised controlled
trial on weight management in children.
Ms Gayle Lafaiali’i – New Zealand’s
Ministry of Health
Rheumatic fever: Pacific engagement
strategy
Gayle has been programme manager
across three Ministry of Health-funded
rheumatic fever prevention contracts
which rolled out in New Zealand
under urgency from September 2013.
Rheumatic fever hospitalisation data
over the last decade has been on
the rise despite government health
interventions. Pacific families are
over represented in the statistics, with
significantly higher incidence rates
among Pacific communities. Incidence
rates of rheumatic fever for children
aged 5 to 14 years were 40 times higher
for Pacific and 20 times higher for
Māori children compared to nonMāori non-Pacific children from 2000
to 2009. In this presentation, Gayle
Health Research Council of New Zealand
Te Kaunihera Rangahau Hauora o Aotearoa
discusses the key Pacific engagement
strategy activities for turning these
statistics around.
Dr Melissa Stoneham and
Professor Mike Daube – Public
Health Advocacy Institute, Western
Australia
If it bleeds, it leads – the portrayal of
indigenous health issues in the media
One of the factors impacting on
the relationship of indigenous
Australians to mainstream society is
the way in which the media portray
indigenous people and issues. There
is growing research that suggests
that negative media in relation to
indigenous Australians perpetuates
racist stereotypes among the wider
population, and that this type of racism
has a major impact on the health of
indigenous Australians. To ascertain
how the media portrayed Aboriginal
health issues in the Australian media,
the Public Health Advocacy Institute
of Western Australia collected and
analysed all articles relating to
Aboriginal health from print media
in The West Australian, The Australian
and The Sunday Times and from the
ABC Online news service during 2012.
Dr May Okihiro – University of
Hawai’i, John A. Burns School of
Medicine, Hawai’i, USA
Rapid growth in early childhood predicts
risk of increased adiposity and insulin
International Pacific Health Conference 2014
resistance in Native Hawaiian and
Samoan adolescents
Insulin resistance is one of the
most serious complications of
childhood obesity. It increases for
type 2 diabetes mellitus, metabolic
syndrome, and cardiovascular disease.
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific
Islanders (NHOPI) children and
adults demonstrate a high prevalence
of early obesity and obesity-related
comorbidities, especially diabetes and
cardiovascular disease. Research has
shown that early life factors, including
formula feeding and rapid growth
in infancy and early childhood, are
associated with obesity. However, few
of these studies have focused on highrisk indigenous populations, such as
NHOPI. May and her team sought to
understand (1) what early life factors
influence the development of chronic
disease risk, such as early obesity
and insulin resistance, in NHOPI
adolescents; and (2) when these factors
have their greatest impact on future
chronic disease risk.
Keynote speakers
We are delighted to have six
exceptional keynote speakers
presenting at the conference,
including Professor Sir Mason Durie,
KNZM, and Professor Keawe‘aimoku
Kaholokula, both of whom have a
wealth of experience and knowledge
in health research. You can read full
biographies of the keynote speakers at
http://pacificconference.hrc.govt.nz/
keynote-speakers.
Professor Sir
Mason Durie,
KNZM
(Retired) Professor
of Māori Research
and Development
and Assistant Vice-Chancellor (Māori
and Pasifika), Massey University
Keynote presentation:
Monday, 3 November 2014:
Principles for the advancement of
Pasifika health in the 21st century
Professor
Keawe‘aimoku
Kaholokula
Dr El-Shadan
Tautolo
AUT University,
Auckland
John A. Burns
School of Medicine
at the University of
Hawai’i at Mānoa,
Hawai’i, USA
Keynote presentation:
Pacific fathers: Cultivating our future
leaders
Keynote presentation:
Tuesday, 4 November 2014:
Register now
Pacific aspirations and determinants of
health in a global context
Panel of Pacific health
leaders of tomorrow
(Wednesday, 5 November 2014)
Dr Dianne SikaPaotonu
Lecturer
(Pharmacology and
Pathophysiology),
Victoria University
of Wellington
Keynote presentation:
Designer vaccines: A Pacific journey
through the New Zealand science, health
and research communities
There’s still time to register for
the International Pacific Health
Conference, with registrations open
until Friday, 24 October 2014.
Full registration (waged) is $380.00
(including dinner), while full
registration (unwaged) is $230.00
(including dinner). The day rate is
$100 (waged) and $50 (unwaged), with
dinner $80 per person. To register,
just go to the conference website at
http://pacificconference.hrc.govt.nz/
registration.
Please note: There is no cost for
attending the welcome reception hosted
by the HRC for conference attendees on
Sunday, 2 November at 6pm.
For more information about the
conference, please contact Dr Nuhisifa
Seve-Williams at the HRC, email:
[email protected].
Sponsors:
Dr Yvette C.
Paulino
Assistant Professor
of Health Sciences,
University of Guam,
Guam, USA
Partners:
Keynote presentation:
Areca (Betel) nut chewing and health
implications in Micronesia
Seini Jensen
Pasifika Futures,
Auckland
Keynote presentation:
Pacific evaluation for our Pasifika future
Health Research Council of New Zealand
Te Kaunihera Rangahau Hauora o Aotearoa
HRC Pacific News October 2014
(Continued from page 7)
New Chair appointed to Pacific committee
Dr Mele Taumoepeau has been appointed the new Chair of
the HRC’s Pacific Health Research Committee, replacing the
outgoing Chair Dr Etuate Saafi.
Dr Taumoepeau, who is a current member of the committee, is a lecturer in
the Department of Psychology at the University of Otago. The HRC Board,
Secretariat, and members of the Pacific Health Research Committee would
like to congratulate Dr Taumoepeau on her appointment and thank Dr Saafi
for his valuable contribution to the committee.
Dr Taumoepeau’s research interests include preschool children’ socioemotional development, the role of parent-child conversations about
mental states in preschool children’s social understanding, cross-cultural
differences in parent-child conversations about the mind, and child
language development. She has extensive experience in conducting small
scale longitudinal studies with children and their families.
For the past three years her research has focused on understanding the
role of parent-child conversations in the development of children’s social
cognition in Pacific Island families.
Dr Taumoepeau trained and practiced as a speech and language therapist
before obtaining her PhD in developmental psychology from the University
of Otago in 2006. In 2008 she was awarded a HRC postdoctoral fellowship.
She joined Otago University’s Psychology Department in 2011.
(Source: University of Otago website)
About HRC Pacific News
Current and past issues of HRC Pacific News can be
viewed on the HRC website: www.hrc.govt.nz.
Contributions are welcome. All articles in HRC
Pacific News may be reprinted, provided the source is
acknowledged.
If you would like to subscribe to HRC Pacific News,
please email [email protected], put ‘Subscribe HRC
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HRC Pacific News.
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Health Research Council of New Zealand
Te Kaunihera Rangahau Hauora o Aotearoa