Join Moana Connect and Te Tītoki Mataora for the next Vaka Moana workshop series delivered across two days, aiming to support researchers in their awareness, understanding of, and responsiveness to the needs of Pacific communities.

Thursday September 4th 2025

10:00 am - 12:00 pm

• Pacific Worldviews: This session will introduce attendees to the landscape of Pacific peoples, Pacific worldviews, Pacific values and Pacific frameworks.

• Culturally safe engagement with pacific peoples: This session explores unconscious bias, racism, and intersectionality, essential for understanding perceptions of Pacific communities. Using a strengths-based approach, it guides researchers on culturally safe engagement with Pacific families, emphasising Pacific frameworks and practices to nurture the Vā.

Thursday September 11th 2025

10:00 am - 12:00 pm

• Navigating the Digital Va: This session will introduce attendees to the relationship Pacific communities have with digital technologies and its considerations when developing future technologies.

• Pacific Data Sovereignty: This session will introduce attendees to Pacific Data Sovereignty and the unified voice, collective guardianship and advocacy of data and information about Pacific peoples living in New Zealand.

This workshop series is designed for New Zealand researchers who are in the early-stages of developing new medical technologies and health innovations.