Moana Research and Hāpai Te Hauora announce new MoU

Hāpai te Hauora are excited to announce their new formed relationship with Moana Research. This relationship, as marked by the signing of a MoU, is instrumental as both organisations seek to work together in mutual pursuit of addressing the systematic barriers which impact the health of Māori and Pacific nations. Both organisations aim to collaborate on projects focussed on SUDI Prevention, as well as broader research work which centralise mokopuna and whānau ora.

Hāpai and Moana Research realise the strength of coming together to support the health of communities who are not always prioritised within the health sector. Through drawing on the shared skills, relationships and strategic vision of both organisations, both teams hope to produce meaningful outcomes for whānau.

"As SUDI disproportionately impacts Māori and Pacific nations, it is important that we continue to collectivise as Indigenous people to address the inequities our communities experience. We realise that it is fundamental that we continue to draw strength from one another, whilst learning and reconnecting in the way we work as Indigenous peoples. Through collectivising, we believe we have greater influence to make change at a policy level and community level and hope that this will be reflected in the outcomes of our Māori and Pacific generations to come" says Hāpai Te Hauora CEO, Selah Hart.

"Our solutions in overcoming the systemic health issues we as Māori and Pacific peoples experience, lies in our ancestral ways of being. Exploring solutions which are culturally relevant, like wahakura, allow for us to draw strength from our past to service our needs into the future. We hope that we can further support the aspirations of other Pacific nations, to allow for a culturally safe and relevant tool for Pacific nations as well" says GM of the SUDI Prevention service, Fay Selby-Law.

Moana Research, a Pacific-owned company with a focus on the wellbeing of Pacific children and their families, are thrilled with the partnership which they believe will leverage efforts in their work with Pacific families through research, training and community leadership.

Jacinta Fa’alili-Fidow, CEO of Moana Research, states that the partnership will be mutually beneficial. "Hāpai are renowned for their leadership and work in public health across a range of important issues for our communities including SUDI prevention. By working together on some of these issues we can better coordinate our work and ensure that the needs of Pacific families are met, especially during the early years, across projects within both Hāpai and Moana Research".

Please join the teams from Moana Research and Hāpai Te Hauora to celebrate the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding. It provides the guiding principles of this relationship to achieve improved health outcomes and reduced inequities for Pacific peoples and specifically for the prevention of Sudden Unexpected Death in Infancy (SUDI).

Date: Monday 2nd December