The AWHI Healthy Homes Initiative is expanding the reach of their services to include Pacific
aiga (families) in Counties Manukau. The expansion will see AWHI help over 500 Pacific
families, with services like minor repairs, access to resources like curtains and heaters, to
providing advice, support and education.
The recently launched Pacific Healthy Homes initiative is an extension of the well-established
Healthy Homes Initiative (HHI) funded by Te Whatu Ora – Health New Zealand. Pacific aiga in
Porirua and South Auckland will be connected with local providers, like AWHI, who can assess
their homes and provide targeted healthy homes solutions.
As a South Auckland provider, AWHI will help connect older Pacific peoples and their aiga
(family) with local service and community providers.
The focus of the Pacific Healthy Homes initiative is on Pacific peoples who are aged 45 and
over, and have experienced an Ambulatory Sensitive Hospitalisation condition, such as
pneumonia, bronchiolitis, rheumatic fever or meningitis. To date, they have not been eligible
for similar programmes, as the initial HHI supports low-income whānau with 0- to 19-year-old
tamariki and pregnant people.
“Programmes like AWHI are crucial for improving equity in health and social outcomes for
those who need it most,” explains AWHI Programme Lead Priscilla Laita.
“Our AWHI team has hit the ground running to engage our Pacific community in South
Auckland to deliver the Pacific Healthy Homes initiative. By making homes warmer and drier,
we’re not just improving living conditions – we’re ensuring that our Pacific aiga experience
the same benefits and opportunities as everyone else.”
AWHI started as a pilot initiative in Tāmaki Makaurau over 10 years ago to reduce household
crowding and provide warm, dry, and healthy homes, and is now a well established,
successful programme for enhancing the health and wellbeing of families in South Auckland
and Waikato.
Speaking to the new initiative, Secretary for Pacific Peoples Gerardine Clifford-Lidstone says,
“We know living in cold and damp homes increases the risk of developing preventable health
conditions.
“The Pacific Healthy Homes initiative will improve home environments for older Pacific
peoples and their families in the target regions, lifting their quality of life and health
outcomes.”
AWHI is a free service provided by National Hauora Coalition, Aotearoa’s largest Māori-led
PHO. AWHI has been designed to improve housing conditions, making a difference to the
hauora (health) of those living in poorly ventilated, cold, damp and overcrowded homes.
Kaiwhakamana and kaiwhakatere (navigators/support workers) visit homes to assess the
house and identify areas that may need to be improved to make a warm, dry and healthy
home. They commit to supporting and working alongside aiga until the process is complete.
The AWHI Healthy Homes Initiative offers support with practical advice to keep homes warm
and dry.
Aiga that fit the Pacific Healthy Homes criteria are eligible for the AWHI Healthy Homes
service. Referrals can come from health professionals or aiga can self-refer – for more
information, get in touch with AWHI directly by calling 0800 100 NHC or emailing
referrals@awhi.co.nz
He kāinga ora, he tīmatanga pai
Healthy homes give tamariki the best start in life
About National Hauora Coalition
National Hauora Coalition is a Māori-led charity and PHO committed to improving health and
social outcomes for all New Zealanders, with a particular focus on Māori, Pacific, new-migrant
and other high-needs populations.
For more information visit nhc.maori.nz.
Press Contact
For more information, please contact NHC PR consultant Skye Ross:
skye@skyeross.co.nz
