(Picture caption: Tangata Atumotu Trust team members and stakeholders celebrate the launch of the Ashburton branch of the long-serving Canterbury provider.)
For over two decades, Tangata Atumotu Trust (TAT) has been supporting and empowering the Christchurch Pacific community, offering culturally appropriate services to improve health and wellbeing outcomes.
Due to growing demand for TAT services, Canterbury’s longest-serving Pacific health provider, is expanding, and building a permanent Ashburton team to deliver support for the growing number of Pacific people who call the town home.
Canterbury continues to be the fastest-growing Pacific region in Aotearoa New Zealand, with Ashburton being one of the main centres of growth.
Tailored support from organisations, such as TAT, is an essential part of nurturing growing Pacific communities while upholding cultural values.
Tangata Atumotu Trust General Manager Carmen Collie says the organisation’s Ōtautahi Christchurch team has previously delivered successful programmes in Ashburton, including working with the community to lift vaccination rates and providing financial literacy workshops.
“Seeing the reception our services receive when visiting Ashburton made it clear we need to establish permanent local support,” Carmen says.
“We’re now poised to bring impactful programmes and services to this vibrant and growing part of the Ashburton community.”
The new Ashburton hub will provide a wide range of health and wellbeing services, including mobile nursing, smoking cessation, support to create warm, dry, and healthy homes, and lifestyles to support and financial capability programmes.
Carmen says TAT will work closely with Waitaha PHO, Apia Trust, Fale Pasifika o Aoraki, Vaka Tautua and other services already making a difference locally.
“We have started building a passionate team of Pacific outreach navigators to help connect the community to the different services and make a real difference in the lives of those around them,” she adds.
The Ministry for Pacific Peoples Southern Partnerships team recently attended an event launching the Ashburton arm of TAT.
Acting Manager, Partnerships Southern Ropeta Mene-Tulia says the Ministry maintains a strong relationship with TAT, who has received funding from the Ministry for previous projects throughout the years.
Learn more about the Canterbury provider by visiting the Tangata Atumotu Trust website.