Pasifika Child and Family Mental Health Symposium and Fono – Butterfly Creek, Mangere

Kia orana, Talofa lava, Malo e lelei, Fakaalofa lahi atu, Ni sa bula vinaka, Na maste, Taloha ni, Talofa, Noa'ia, Kia ora. Warm Pacific greetings. I am delighted to open the first ever national gathering of Pacific people working in Child and Adolescent Mental Health.

Thank you to Moeseni Sioli for the opening prayer. May I also thank the Werry Centre for its vision and support in funding and co-ordinating this inaugural meeting, particularly Director Sue Treanor and the Pacific Clinical Advisor Dr Monique Niumata-Faleafa.

May I acknowledge our facilitator Afioga Fuimaono Karl Pulotu-Endemann, the staff of the Werry Centre, our Pacific providers, medical practitioners, invited dignitaries and fono delegates for your tireless dedication towards the mental well-being of Pacific people.

The aim of this fono is to assess the quality of safety, care and support given to people with disabilities, to ensure the best standards of service are delivered throughout Auckland.

I am informed the findings from today will feed into the Foundations 2005 Child, Adolescent and Youth Mental Health Conference in Dunedin later this month - I am confident your work today will contribute to the development of a more culturally responsive mental health service for Pacific people throughout New Zealand.

Mental Health
The state of mental health for New Zealanders is one of the areas recognised in the Government’s ten year plan Te Tahuhu: Improving Mental Health 2005-2015.
We know that Pacific people tend to use mental health services at less than half the rate for all New Zealanders (1.4% of the Pacific population compared with 2.4% for the total population.)
We also know that when our people use mental health services, it tends to be at the more advanced stages often being identified by mental health services and the justice system, these are classified as forensic services and generally they are used when people are seriously ill.

In short, our people are not getting the most out of the mental health services to which they are entitled to - until it is almost too late.
The delivery of mental health services to people must be improved.
Pacific cultures and values
In Pacific cultures, the cause of mental illness is often viewed as being spiritual or inherited, and is treated in a traditional way by 'spiritual' healers. For Pacific people, the Western concepts of chemical imbalances or a biological cause are sometimes new. In some respects Pacific approaches to mental illness differ markedly from Western medical approaches.
It is therefore important that understanding Pacific values be shared with all mental health providers.

One core value for many Pacific people is spirituality as it is often recognised as an essential part of a person's health - in other words a person’s emotional and physical wellbeing.

I have seen progress made with government agencies developing relationships with churches - working together to promote positive information to Pacific communities. I commend the churches and government agencies for the work being developed in this area.

Another core value for many Pacific people is the family. Families, encompassing the extended family, are the natural care-givers - providing love, care, respect and support for those who are ill. This is admirable, but our families may not have the skills or the knowledge to choose the best treatment options for our loved ones despite our best intentions.

Pacific providers
These values play an integral part of a Pacific provider's approach to the treatment and promotion of mental health. I am pleased to learn that some District Health Boards have already developed, or are in the process of developing cultural competencies across a range of Pacific ethnic groups.
In addition, the Mental Health Commission has recently published pamphlets in Pacific languages that serve as a guide to Pacific people using health services. This guide highlights Pacific services and where to access information.

I acknowledge the work of Pacific providers such as Pacificare & Lotofale in Auckland and Pacific Community Health (PaCH) in Wellington for their continued relationship with health policy in dealing with Pacific mental health, and adapting mental health support services for Pacific people.

Pacific Workforce Development
Can I take this opportunity to promote the Ministry of Health's Pacific Health Workforce Study Awards – for example the South Auckland Health Foundation are currently offering specific health care scholarships for Maori and Pacific workers. These scholarships are ways in which the Government is committed to promoting and developing medical careers for Pacific people. So I encourage all of you to promote these scholarships to young Pacific people and if eligible apply yourselves.

Conclusion
It is important that we educate mainstream providers to appreciate and reflect our Pacific values in the delivery of services to our people. The findings from today will contribute to this cause.
I wish you well in your deliberations. It is now my great pleasure to declare the Pasifika Child and Family Mental Health Symposium and Fono 2005 officially open.