MAS Foundation: Helping Pasifika families thrive with SIAOLA

MAS Foundation is MAS's philanthropic arm and takes a Te Tiriti o Waitangi partnership-based approach to funding projects that address health and wellbeing equity issues in Aotearoa. MAS Foundation is committed to working alongside communities to help them find their own solutions.

In this series, we profile some organisations and initiatives MAS Foundation has supported, and find out how partnering with MAS Foundation helped them make an impact.

Supporting SIAOLA

In early 2020, MAS Foundation gave SIAOLA a grant to help them connect the Tongan community to health and wellbeing services during COVID-19. 

Operating under the Vahefonua Tonga Methodist Mission Charitable Trust umbrella, SIAOLA is on a mission to strengthen and support Pasifika families around the country, particularly Tongan people and families. 

SIAOLA Chief Executive, Kathleen Tuai-Ta'ufo'ou, who is Tongan and was born and raised in Auckland, joined the organisation in 2016. She says SIAOLA was created in 2006 by church and community leaders within the Methodist church.

They came together to address the social gaps that Tongan families were experiencing since they migrated to New Zealand, including housing, unemployment, family violence, education, and health. The organisation now runs its own programmes as well as links with other providers. 

SIAOLA delivers grassroots solutions for grassroots problems, says Kathleen.

How does SIAOLA support its community?

Kathleen says, "SIAOLA is about understanding our community's needs, and doing things in a way that can make a real difference. We ask our families 'what is your vision for your family, and your life, and how can we help you get there?'"

Since the last lockdown in August 2021, SIAOLA has supported over 14,500 Tongan and Pacific people getting vaccinated in Auckland, as well as in Hamilton, Dargaville, and Wellington, through partnering with government and primary health organisations. 

The organisation has also distributed thousands of food parcels, face masks, gloves, cleaning products, and hand sanitiser to community members and churches.

SIAOLA is also supporting families to use online resources to access services. COVID-19 has highlighted the lack of digital devices and wifi in many of the homes they work with, a gap Kathleen says SIAOLA is determined to bridge. 

Kathleen says COVID presents an opportunity to build deeper relationships with its community.

"People have come to trust SIAOLA and what we represent, so we have formed a deep connection with our families. This means they know who to call when they need support, and we can help navigate them through to a place of peace and confidence to carry on."