by Tusi Tala, Staff Writer
The recent visit of Dr. Saia Ma’u Piukala, the Regional Director for the Western Pacific of the World Health Organization, to New Zealand has garnered significant support from local Pacific community leaders. Dr. Piukala, who became the first Pacific Islander to assume this role in January, spoke at the University of Auckland’s Fale Pasifika this week, emphasizing the importance of amplifying the voices of Pacific communities on a global scale.
He mentioned that the WHO is in the process of finalizing its vision document, scheduled for presentation to the regional committee in October. Additionally, there are ongoing efforts to complete the regional action plan, which Dr. Piukala likened to the intricate weaving of pandanus leaves—a practice rich in cultural and historical significance for Pacific communities—using a pattern of five strands in portrait and three strands in landscape.
The consensus in the Pacific was that in order to ensure representation and to have a local Pacific viewpoint included in the WHO, particularly from the region, pacific nations must stand in solidarity. This is exactly what they did by rallying behind Dr. Piukala.
