Pūtahi Manawa - Healthy Hearts for Aotearoa NZ

23/08/2025

🇹🇴 𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐒𝐩𝐨𝐭𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭: 𝐃𝐫 𝐒𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐫𝐚 𝐇𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐝, (𝐊𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐦𝐨𝐭𝐮'𝐚 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐍𝐞𝐢𝐚𝐟𝐮, 𝐓𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐚)

For 𝐔𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐊ā𝐭𝐨𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐚’𝐢 ‘𝐨 𝐞 𝐥𝐞𝐚 𝐟𝐚𝐤𝐚-𝐓𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐚 | 𝐓𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐚 𝐋𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐮𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐖𝐞𝐞𝐤 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟓, we caught up with Pūtahi Manawa Research Fellow, Dr Sandra Hanchard, and asked her how / if this significant Tongan proverb - 𝑻𝒂𝒌𝒂𝒏𝒈𝒂 '𝑬𝒏𝒂𝒖 𝑭𝒐𝒉𝒆 meaning strength in unity, appears in her research and her life outside of work.

"In my research, I have investigated how higher hospitalisation, readmission and mortality rates for Māori and Pacific peoples with heart failure can be addressed by improving discharge planning.
In our stocktake of heart failure services across the country, we have found that secondary and primary care services are fragmented and siloed. This means that patients experience distressing gaps in continuity of care.

The Tongan proverb Takanga ‘Enau Fohe relates to everyone paddling together in synergy. This speaks to the need for strong collaboration between providers and teams to share specialist heart failure knowledge and to ensure systems enable providers to work across boundaries.

Achieving equity-focused discharge planning means strengthened relationships with Māori and Pacific kaimahi who are leading pathways and solutions that are codesigned with whānau to address barriers to care. By working together, we can ensure our whānau with heart failure can live an active, fulfilling life."

𝐃𝐨𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐭𝐡 𝐢𝐧 𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐢𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞 𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐡?

"Yes. Takanga ‘Enau Fohe means that everyone is pitching in to help at times such as birthdays, weddings and funerals. These occasions are the responsibility of the extended family. Working together involves hard work, some personal sacrifice, and growing up can mean learning not to complain about doing your part!

However, it also means that when we uplift one person, we are uplifting the whole family and that we all look good. We can celebrate together, enjoy the fruits of our labour and be grateful for God’s bounty on this Earth."

22/08/2025

Dr Karen Brewer, Pūtahi Manawa Co-Director Māori and some of our Pūtahi Manawa team joined the Health Coalition Aotearoa Healthy Futures Summit in Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland, on Thursday — a powerful gathering of people committed to shaping a healthier, more equitable Aotearoa.

Hosted by the welcoming whānau at Te Mahurehure Cultural Marae Society Inc. in their beautiful buildings, it was an incredible day of kōrero and challenges from key speakers, Mayor Wayne Brown, Honourable Dr Ayesha Verrall Professor Gary Sacks, Dr Elana Curtis, Shamubeel Eaqub, Dr Corina Grey, Dr Nick Chamberlain, Professor Lisa Te Morenga, and Professor Boyd Swinburn.

Dr Verrall spoke about what it will take to shift pressure, shape systems, and drive prevention first for the future of Aotearoa. She said the first step is to make the case for prevention by linking the everyday experience and policy that affects this.

“The reason that we can’t guarantee, in this country, timely care for a heart attack, is because more people are ending up sicker because we have not confronted the social determinants of health”

Economist Shamubeel Eaqub emphasised the need for policies that last across political cycles because the nature of public health initiatives is necessarily long-term.

“Public health is slow, gradual, progressive change that we’ve just got to fund and stick at for a long period of time.”

Reflecting on this, Dr Brewer said,

“This shows how important CoREs (Centre of Research Excellence) are for public health. Pūtahi Manawa has funding across several political cycles, and we are able to work on long-term solutions such as growing and looking after the Māori and Pacific workforce.”

We were especially inspired by the youth panel, Dantzel Tiakia, Jesse Thompson, Ronan Payinda, Jessie Witeri, & Taryn Hainsworth-Fa’aofo, & Amy Clements, whose bold voices and aspirations reminded us that rangatahi are not just the leaders of tomorrow — they are leading right now.

We’re proud to be part of this collective movement towards a health system grounded in equity, prevention, innovation, and compassion.

20/08/2025

🇹🇴 𝐂𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐛𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐔𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐊ā𝐭𝐨𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐚’𝐢 ‘𝐨 𝐞 𝐥𝐞𝐚 𝐟𝐚𝐤𝐚-𝐓𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐚 | 𝐓𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐚 𝐋𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐮𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐖𝐞𝐞𝐤 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟓

The Tongan proverb - 𝑻𝒂𝒌𝒂𝒏𝒈𝒂 '𝑬𝒏𝒂𝒖 𝑭𝒐𝒉𝒆, refers to the rowing of the Kalia, the Tongan double-hulled sailing canoe, urging the rowers to move in unison so the vessel stays on course.
When everyone's strokes are matched in speed and rhythm, the Kalia gains momentum and stands out for its performance. At the core of the proverb lies this message: 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐭𝐡 𝐢𝐧 𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲.

We love this proverb because Pūtahi Manawa is the realisation of collaborative efforts of different groups working together to achieve a common desired outcome.

In achieving our vision of heart health equity for Māori and Pacific Peoples, our strength lies in our unity.

20/08/2025

💜 Pūtahi Manawa is proud to support the MedTech Explorer Showcase

𝐖𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞: 𝐅𝐚𝐥𝐞 𝐨 𝐒𝐚𝐦𝐨𝐚, 𝐌𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫𝐞
𝐖𝐡𝐞𝐧: 𝐓𝐡𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐝𝐚𝐲, 𝟐𝟖𝐭𝐡 𝐀𝐮𝐠𝐮𝐬𝐭 | 𝟏𝟎 𝐚𝐦 - 𝟐 𝐩𝐦

We’ll be there showcasing some of the technologies used by heart clinicians as well as the fun, hands-on side of science and technology!

If you work in Health, Pacific communities, Technology or Education, feel free to register and drop by at the Fale Mangere.

This is a free event!

𝐑𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐍𝐨𝐰 https://events.humanitix.com/medtech-explorer-tiki-tour

Moana Connect

Meet our friendly researchers, innovators, and experts bringing cutting-edge healthcare technology to our communities. Don’t miss this opportunity to learn, con

19/08/2025

Congratulations to Erina Korohina & Te Whare Tukutuku organising Rōpu for the well-deserved recognition, winning the Indigenous Prize Award at The Cardiac Society of Australia and New Zealand (CSANZ) Annual Scientific Meeting in Brisbane last week.

Te Whare Tukutuku is a dedicated network for Māori and Pacific heart health professionals and researchers. Professor Matire Harwood, Dr Anna Rolleston, Erina Korohina, Professor Martin Stiles, and Dr Joshua Agnew were there to collect the award.

Read more about Te Whare Tukutuku - https://www.putahimanawa.ac.nz/news/healing-hearts-honouring-culture-new-network-uplifts-maori-pacific-aboriginal-and-torres-strait-islander-heart-health-workforce

Photo credit: Erina Korohina

18/08/2025

𝐉𝐨𝐢𝐧 𝐮𝐬 𝐌𝐨𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐧 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐟𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲!

𝐋𝐞 𝐀𝐥𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐚 Pūtahi Manawa

This Pacific Project Fund supports high-impact, Pacific-led projects that advance heart health equity through research, innovation, and community leadership.

If you have a project in mind and want to learn more, come along to our online Q&A sessions:
𝐌𝐨𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝟏𝟖 & 𝟐𝟓 𝐀𝐮𝐠𝐮𝐬𝐭, 𝟕-𝟖 𝐩𝐦. Zoom link in the comments.

❗ 𝐔𝐩𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐞: Get 𝐛𝐮𝐝𝐠𝐞𝐭 𝐭𝐢𝐩𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐚𝐝𝐯𝐢𝐜𝐞 from a member of the Pūtahi Manawa Operations team at our final talanoa, Monday 25 August.

Inspired by the Samoan proverb “E fofo le alamea le alamea” – “the alamea heals itself” – this fund honours the strength and knowledge within Pacific communities to lead their own solutions.

𝐂𝐡𝐞𝐜𝐤 𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐤𝐞𝐲 𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐢𝐧𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞:
https://www.putahimanawa.ac.nz/our-research/funding-opportunities

15/08/2025

𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐃𝐢𝐬𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞 𝐂𝐨𝐬𝐭𝐬 𝐍𝐙 - 𝐒𝐨𝐥𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐀𝐫𝐞 𝐀𝐥𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐲 𝐇𝐞𝐫𝐞

Monday’s Kia Manawanui Trust - The Heart of Aotearoa New Zealand Cardiac Impact Report laid out some stark truths — heart disease costs New Zealand billions each year, and Māori and Pacific peoples bear the heaviest burden.

Professor Julian Paton, founding Co-Director of Pūtahi Manawa, says that the report doesn't paint a new picture, and Pūtahi Manawa's model directly answers the equity recommendation.

https://www.putahimanawa.ac.nz/news/heart-disease-costs-nz-solutions-already-here

13/08/2025

𝐔𝐥𝐢𝐦𝐚 𝐓𝐨𝐟𝐢: 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐦𝐩𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐖𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐛𝐞𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐌ā𝐨𝐫𝐢 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐏𝐚𝐜𝐢𝐟𝐢𝐜 𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐡 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐜𝐞

Pūtahi Manawa Māori and Pacific Doctoral Scholarship recipient, Vaea Ulima Tofi (Rongowhakaata, Ngāti Maniapoto, Tufulele, Vaipuna) is on a mission to give Māori and Pacific heart health professionals a tool to assess an organisation’s safety and readiness to be a good employer. To do that, Ulima is uncovering what makes a good workplace for Māori and Pacific heart health workers, beyond a short commute and good parking.

For Vaea Ulima Tofi (Rongowhakaata, Ngāti Maniapoto, Tufulele, Vaipuna), pursuing research has sprung from his ultimate life purpose: serving his people. Supported by a Pūtahi Manawa Māori and Pacific Doctoral Scholarship, Ulima is on a mission to give Māori and Pacific heart health professional...

12/08/2025

Call for Māori Doctoral Scholarship Applications

𝐀𝐩𝐩𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐧 𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐥 𝟑𝟎 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟓 𝐨𝐫 𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐥 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐩𝐨𝐨𝐥 𝐫𝐮𝐧𝐬 𝐨𝐮𝐭.

The mission of Pūtahi Manawa Centre of Research Excellence (CoRE) is to improve equity in heart health for Māori, for Pacific Peoples and for women through research excellence and precision medicine.

The purpose of these scholarships is to provide direct support for Māori doctoral students undertaking research in heart health in Aotearoa New Zealand.

𝐒𝐮𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭

🫰🏽Three-year period.
🫰🏽A tax-free stipend of $36k/year.
🫰🏽$5k/year in research expenses and payment of tuition fees.

𝐄𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐢𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲

✔️Students must be Māori.
✔️Students must study at a New Zealand tertiary institution.
✔️Study will usually be undertaken full-time. However, if your circumstances mean you need to study part-time, please contact us to discuss.
✔️You do not have to be a New Zealand Citizen or Resident.
✔️Proposals will be aligned with our Funding Principles.

𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐭𝐨 𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐥𝐲:

Apply through our member portal or send your application to
✉️ hhanzcoregrants@auckland.ac.nz

For more information, including the scholarship application forms and scholarship regulations, please see our funding opportunities: https://www.putahimanawa.ac.nz/our-research/funding-opportunities

𝐒𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐢𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐬𝐭𝐮𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐥𝐲!

11/08/2025

Congratulations Dr Monica Liva! A well-deserved recipient of The Royal New Zealand College of General Practitioners (RNZCGP) Community Service Medal.

The award recognises College members who have made significant contributions to general practice and rural hospital medicine through work in their communities.

Dr Liva is of Samoan and Niuean descent. She was born and raised in New Zealand and has lived in Māngere for over 30 years, currently practising at Turuki Health Care in Tāmaki Makaurau.

Dr Liva was Chair of the College’s Pacific Chapter for three years and dedicated countless hours to governance, education and advocacy, as well as implementing initiatives that support Pacific registrars and Fellows.

We are privileged to have Dr Liva's guidance, support, and talent on the Pūtahi Manawa Pacific Leadership Team.

See all the recipients of the Community Service Medal here: https://www.rnzcgp.org.nz/news/media-releases/12-gps-dedicated-to-improving-health-outcomes-recognised-with-community-service-medal/

07/08/2025

🌺 Talofa lava, Mālō e lelei, Fakaalofa lahi atu, Malo ni, Ni sa bula, Kia Orana, Kam na mauri, Halo Olgeta, Kia ora 🌺

𝐍𝐞𝐰 𝐅𝐮𝐧𝐝 𝐀𝐧𝐧𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭!

Whether your project is grounded in science, tech, data, arts, or community, we want to hear from you.

This Pacific Project Fund supports high-impact, Pacific-led projects that advance heart health equity through research, innovation, and community leadership.

Inspired by the Samoan proverb “E fofo le alamea le alamea” – “the alamea heals itself” – this fund honours the strength and knowledge within Pacific communities to lead their own solutions.

We're looking for projects that:
🤎 Advance Pacific-led heart health research
🌱 Grow the Pacific research and health workforce
🫱🏿‍🫲🏾Promote heart health through education and partnerships

Whether your project is grounded in science, tech, data, arts, or community – we want to hear from you.

𝐂𝐡𝐞𝐜𝐤 𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐤𝐞𝐲 𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐢𝐧𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞:
https://www.putahimanawa.ac.nz/our-research/funding-opportunities

If you have a project in mind and want to learn more, come along to our Le Alamea Pūtahi Manawa Q&A online session:

📅 𝐌𝐨𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝟏𝟏 𝐀𝐮𝐠𝐮𝐬𝐭, 𝟕𝐩𝐦. Zoom link in the comments.

06/08/2025

Pūtahi Manawa founding Co-Director, Professor Julian Paton, discussed his Land Rover New Zealand journey with RNZ, sharing insights from his travels across New Zealand. He highlighted efforts to raise awareness and engage communities about Rheumatic Heart Disease, as well as his innovative research that offers groundbreaking solutions.

"𝑵𝒆𝒘 𝒁𝒆𝒂𝒍𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒊𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒎𝒐𝒔𝒕 𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒎𝒊𝒏𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝒅𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒍𝒐𝒑𝒆𝒅 𝒄𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒕𝒓𝒚 𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒍𝒅 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝑹𝒉𝒆𝒖𝒎𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒄 𝑯𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒕 𝑫𝒊𝒔𝒆𝒂𝒔𝒆, 𝒘𝒉𝒊𝒄𝒉, 𝒇𝒓𝒖𝒔𝒕𝒓𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒍𝒚, 𝒊𝒔 𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒑𝒍𝒆𝒕𝒆𝒍𝒚 𝒑𝒓𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒂𝒃𝒍𝒆, 𝒃𝒖𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒔𝒆𝒒𝒖𝒆𝒏𝒄𝒆𝒔 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒂𝒃𝒔𝒐𝒍𝒖𝒕𝒆𝒍𝒚 𝒅𝒆𝒗𝒂𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈"

Heart researcher Professor Julian Paton is director of the University of Auckland Heart Research Centre, as well as the national Centre of Research Excellence.