|
Kua raranga tahi tātou he whāriki mō ngā tangata mō apōpō Together we weave the mat for future generations |
|||||||
 |
 |
||||||
|
Pasifika NewsPasifika News 19 May 2009 ~~ Safeguard Health and Safety Awards ~~ Pasifika News Archive ~~ Pasifika Profiles Pasifika News 19 May 2009Talofa lava and warm Pacific greetings, I have some excellent news to share with you about an exciting and innovative Pacific project. Please read on. I sat alongside a number of women who reminded me of my mother and aunties who had left their villages and families back in the islands to start a new life here in New Zealand. We sat together drinking hot Milo or tea as the Pacific mamas shared their stories as employees at Sanitarium.
By 7.30am we were all seated in the church auditorium for the official opening addresses, worship, a prayer and blessing to begin the day; which led the employees into six very highly organised health and safety workshops. Congratulations to Sanitarium staff, Sanitarium Management, Health & Safety Promoters and the Puataunofo team. Soifua, Safeguard Health and Safety AwardsInnovative Community Project Is Recognised at Safeguard Awards A community project that aims to reduce accident rates among Pacific Island workers received the judges' commendation award at the country's premier health and safety awards. The Puataunofo project in Manukau City was recognised in the category ‘Best Initiative to Encourage Engagement in Health and Safety' in the Safeguard Awards at Auckland's Sky City Convention Centre this week. Puataunofo produced a DVD Come Home Safely which was launched in September 2008 to raise awareness of health and safety issues for Pasefika workers, particularly in high-risk workplaces. Members of the Puataunofo project team also visited workplaces and were present at community events and festivals passing on the message that health and safety is everyone's business. Puataunofo project partners include the Department of Labour, the Ministry of Pacific Island Affairs, Manukau City Council/Injury Free Counties Manukau, Pasefika Injury Prevention Aukilana/Pasefika Community, ACC, the Engineering Printing and Manufacturing Union, the New Zealand CTU's Komiti Pasefika and the Injury Prevention Network of Aotearoa. EPMU spokesperson Jerome Mika is delighted Puataunofo's success has been recognised. "The Puataunofo project represents the most exciting development for health and safety in a very long time. It speaks to the whole community, even though it has Pacific Island workers and their community as its focus. "The material and activities provided are engaging and imaginative. The Pacific Island community has shown real leadership to all of us. The EPMU - through its Komiti Pasefika - is privileged to be part of this project." Department of Labour head of Workplace Health and Safety Craig Armitage says Puataunofo is a chance for Pacific people to spread the health and safety message by telling their own stories. "Come Home Safely tells the stories of two men behind the injury statistics. We wanted people to hear first-hand how devastating workplace accidents can be -not just for the people directly involved but for their families, workmates, friends and communities. He says Puataunofo's success is further evidence that everyone has a role to play in making our workplaces safer. "Everyone has to work together to keep a workplace safe, because everyone is affected if one person is hurt." Pasifika News ArchivePast editions of Pasifika News are available on our Pasifika News Archive page.Pasifika ProfilesAlisi Numia Katoanga
Alisi Numia Katoanga is currently working as an Injury Free Counties Manukau Pacific Co-ordinator in the Community Safety and Health Team for the Manukau City Council. Injury Free Counties Manukau (IFMC) is a project fully funded by the Ministry of Health, in partnership with Manukau City Council. IFCM focus mainly on reducing unintentional injury in the Counties Manukau region. Alisi is Tongan born. She went to the University of South Pacific, Suva for tertiary education. She then worked for the Ministry of Education in Tonga as a secondary teacher and a science curriculum developer. Sopo Su'a-Elia
Sopo Su'a-Elia was elected to the IPNANZ committee at our recent IPNANZ Annual General Meeting in Christchurch. Sopo is the IPNANZ Pacific Committee Representative; we at IPNANZ welcome her back into this position which she has previously held. Sopo is Samoan/Tuvaluan, born and was raised in Porirua, Wellington. She has a five-year-old daughter, Epenesa-Michelle. Sopo and her family reside in Mangere. Sopo has a Bachelor of Social Work and is currently working for Tamaki Ki Raro Trust based in Mangere. Marie Turner
Marie's focus is road safety education to the general public in the Manukau City region and, in particular, Pacific peoples who provide road safety programmes and initiatives to their communities. She works with these providers to enhance road safety through community development. This includes a range of education, enforcement and engineering issues and encourages community ownership of both problems and solutions. It thereby builds confidence, capability and a positive sustainable change in road safety attitudes and behaviours at a community level. Porirua – Safe Community
The Theme of NZ Safety Week 1-7 September is "Safety begins at home". The Porirua community will begin their celebration on Sunday 31 August (as usual) beginning with Mass at Holy Family parish by Fr Penehe Patelehio. The blessing and official launching of a road safety billboard, located in front of the presbytery, will follow after Mass. The images displayed on the billboard are members of Holy Family Parish, students and principal of Holy Family School, parents, grandparents, teachers and children from the Holy Family A'oga Amata and our new community Constable Iopu "Tango" Pakome. The message is: "Our children, our future, keep them safe". |
||||||
 |
 |
||||||
Puataunofo Sanitarium – Health and Safety Awareness Day
It was a very early 6.30am start out in Manukau City on the first day of May, but it was certainly a pleasure to join over 200 Sanitarium employees and management for breakfast; alongside His Worship the Mayor Len Brown, Honourable Minister Georgina Te Heu Heu, MP Su'a William Sio, Councillor Efu Koka and the Puataunofo team.
They proudly told me they had worked for many years for this company; some had worked for up to 12, 18, 35 years. They painted a picture of a company that looks after the wellbeing of all employees and their families. The young and the older employees described their work environment as a "family working together for a company that has good values, cares about us, our families and our safety."
Marie Turner is New Zealand born of Niuean and Dutch parents. She is currently employed as one of three Road Safety Coordinators for Manukau City Council, and has held this position for nearly six years.
The official opening of New Zealand Safety Week is on Monday 1 September which coincides with Porirua's "Safe As Community" accreditation. Petelo Alosio, Porirua Injury Prevention Consultant-Pacific writes about how this will be celebrated during NZ Safety Week.