Sports Day | Aso Taalo

Sport provides a shared kaupapa and a powerful vehicle for directly connecting health researchers with Pasifika aiga and sporting communities. It creates a unique and familiar environment in which conversations about sport, hauora, physical activity, health research, and community wellbeing can take place in ways that are accessible, meaningful, and relevant to our people.

Health researchers will be invited to engage directly with our sporting communities to build genuine, respectful, and reciprocal relationships. Through these partnerships, Pasifika aiga will have opportunities to learn more about the connections between sport, health, wellbeing, research, and emerging health technologies. At the same time, researchers will gain a deeper understanding of what our communities value and prioritise, the health challenges they experience, and the important role sport plays in strengthening physical, mental, spiritual, social, and collective wellbeing.

Engagement may include opportunities for individuals, teams, families, and community groups to share their experiences and perspectives by answering questions kanohi ki te kanohi, completing surveys, participating online, or contributing through group discussions and other culturally appropriate activities. These flexible options will allow participants to engage in ways that feel comfortable and suitable for them.

The knowledge shared by Pasifika communities can help researchers design health research, services, programmes, and technologies that are more culturally relevant, accessible, and responsive to the needs and aspirations of our aiga. This approach also ensures that engagement is not simply about gathering information from communities, but about building ongoing relationships, sharing knowledge, and creating outcomes that give back to the people who contribute. By bringing together sport, research, hauora, and community voice, this initiative aims to support healthier futures and improve the collective wellbeing of Pasifika people.