Delivering for Pacific Communities serves as the Government’s strategy to provide tangible outcomes that create lasting change for Pacific peoples and communities in Aotearoa New Zealand.
Delivering for Pacific Communities Strategy (PDF, 9MB)
By leveraging quality data, fostering strong relationships, and implementing targeted interventions informed by our shared values, this strategy aims to strengthen prosperity, resilience, and wellbeing, ensuring meaningful and sustainable progress.
The Strategy focuses on five priority areas where we can make the greatest impact: economic growth, health, housing, education, and law and order. It provides a practical, sustainable approach that responds to today’s challenges while staying grounded in Pacific values and aspirations.
It builds on the insights and aspirations captured in Lalanga Fou and the Pacific Wellbeing Strategy, which have guided our work in recent years. While those frameworks set the vision, the Delivering for Pacific Communities Strategy sharpens the focus on delivery, accountability, and measurable outcomes.
The Ministry invited feedback from 9 September to 3 October 2025.
We received feedback in the form of 150 online submissions, 10 direct engagements, and 13 submissions from government agencies, providers, and individuals. A mix of 18 online and in-person consultations were held across the country, including seven in the Northern region, three in Central and eight in the Southern region.
A summary of the consultation feedback is below.
The Strategy now more strongly acknowledges Pacific cultural foundations and includes new content on:
Across all areas, feedback called for holistic, interconnected solutions that reflect Pacific values and deliver long-term outcomes.
The Strategy focuses on five priority areas where the Ministry can make the greatest difference:
The Strategy identifies practical levers for change, including:
Public consultation ran from 9 September to 3 October 2025. The Ministry received feedback from three channels including targeted engagements with Pacific stakeholders, interagency engagement and from an online questionnaire for the general public.
The Ministry received 150 submissions from the online questionnaire.
Overall, changes to the Strategy following the consultation period were minor because there was strong and consistent support for the Strategy’s overall direction and all five priority areas. Much of the detailed feedback focused on the lived experiences of Pacific peoples and the barriers and challenges encountered in everyday life, rather than on altering the Strategy’s strategic intent. The Ministry will use these insights to inform future work.
The 150 online submissions showed support for the five strategic priority areas:
Economic growth emerged as a dominant theme, with respondents calling for greater support for Pacific-owned businesses, improved financial literacy, and pathways to sustainable employment. Many submissions stressed the importance of addressing income disparities and creating opportunities for entrepreneurship, alongside targeted initiatives to close the digital divide.
Education was consistently identified as a foundational enabler, with feedback emphasising culturally responsive teaching, including bilingual education, and stronger education-to-work pathways. Respondents supported investment in scholarships, mentoring, and digital skills to ensure Pacific learners thrive in a rapidly changing economy.
Housing concerns were also prominent, focusing on affordability, overcrowding, and the need for homes designed for multigenerational living. Submissions highlighted the link between housing security and improved health and educational outcomes, reinforcing its role as a cornerstone of wellbeing.
Feedback on the Health priority centred on equitable access to culturally safe services, prevention-focused initiatives, and growing the Pacific health workforce. Respondents highlighted cost and cultural disconnect as barriers, advocating for Pacific-led models of care.
Law and order responses called for a shift from punitive approaches to a model that is founded in prevention and rehabilitation, with strong support for community-led, culturally grounded justice initiatives. Across all areas, submissions underscored the need for holistic, interconnected solutions that reflect Pacific values and deliver long-term, sustainable outcomes.