Our approach
Le Afio’aga o Aotearoa represents a collective of partners and providers that span generations in South Auckland and across Aotearoa. We are whānau-centred.
Le Afio’aga o Aotearoa
Le Afio’aga o Aotearoa is a collective of community-based partners who collectively recognise the need to work together to achieve community aspirations.
Le Afio’aga o Aotearoa represents the partnership of Mana Whenua and the collective of partners signed to the Locality Charter in the work towards achieving community aspirations for Otara-Papatoetoe.
Le Afio’aga o Aotearoa is a registered Charitable Trust since early July 2023.
We are working together to develop localized, community led solutions to address and learn to activate solutions for pressing Wellbeing and Health challenges.
Le Afio’aga is underpinned by…
People’s Place in Ōtara to make it easy for locals to access the services they need and avoid going through multiple agencies.
A village of providers working to integrate services and deliver at scale.
Professional shared systems and funding processes to ensure that services are well managed, targeted and delivered to the highest standard
A high level of cultural competence and direct community accountability.
Our Priorities
What Communities Told Us Matters Most
· Health
· Wellbeing
· Prosperity
· Housing & Economic Development
· Support During Hardship
· Safe Communities
· Environment
· Financial Wellbeing
At Le Afio’aga O Aoteraroa, our work is guided by the aspirations, needs, and priorities of the communities we serve. During the Ōtara-Papatoetoe Locality prototype, extensive engagement was undertaken with residents, whānau, community groups, iwi, health providers, and local stakeholders. Through these conversations, more than 20,000 community voices were gathered, creating one of the most significant community-led insights processes in the locality's history.
What emerged was a clear message: communities wanted a future that extends beyond healthcare alone. While access to quality health services remains important, people consistently spoke about the broader factors that influence their quality of life, wellbeing, and ability to thrive. These insights identified eight key areas that matter most to our communities: Health, Wellbeing, Prosperity, Housing and Economic Development, Support During Hardship, Safe Communities, Environment, and Financial Wellbeing.
The establishment of Le Afio'aga O Aotearoa reflects a commitment to ensuring these community aspirations continue to shape action and investment beyond the original locality programme. As a collective of community, provider, iwi, and government partners, we work to champion these priorities, strengthen collaboration, and support initiatives that create lasting and meaningful outcomes for individuals, whānau, and future generations. These priorities remain at the heart of our vision and guide the work we undertake to help communities flourish.
Wellbeing
Creating the conditions for people and communities to thrive by fostering social connection, belonging, cultural identity, resilience, and overall quality of life.
Health
Supporting individuals and whānau to achieve better physical, mental, and emotional health through accessible, culturally responsive, and community-led services that promote prevention, early intervention, and holistic wellbeing.
Prosperity
Enabling individuals, families, and communities to achieve their goals and reach their full potential through access to opportunities, education, skills development, employment, and pathways to success.
Housing & Economic Development
Advocating for safe, secure, and affordable housing while supporting initiatives that strengthen local economies, create employment opportunities, and contribute to sustainable community development.
Support During Hardship
Ensuring individuals and whānau can access timely support, resources, and services during times of financial, social, health, or personal hardship, helping communities remain resilient during challenges.
Safe Communities
Building communities where people feel safe, connected, respected, and supported, through strengthening relationships, promoting inclusion, and addressing factors that contribute to harm and vulnerability.
Financial Wellbeing
Supporting individuals and whānau to achieve financial stability and confidence through access to financial education, resources, employment opportunities, and pathways that reduce financial stress and improve long-term security.
Environment
Protecting and enhancing the natural and built environments that communities rely on, recognising the connection between healthy environments, cultural wellbeing, and future generations.
Our foundations
Working together for collective prosperity.
Purposeful interactions strengthen our dependencies and capacities to be more responsive, especially in a developmental environment where historic inequalities and challenges exist.
Purpose
Vision
E malumanuiale afio’agaileaiga, E malumanuiafoile aiga ileafio’aga.
ENGLISH TRANSLATION The wellbeing of the local community lies in the family. The wellbeing of the family lies in the local community.
Vision in action
To achieve our vision, we embrace the strengths of the Soalaupule Pacific ecosystem.
This concept describes the resilient informal network of Pacific people, families, churches, non-profits, businesses, service providers and other groups that have evolved into a uniquely powerful way of creating shared value and fostering community vision.
The Soalaupule ecosystem is connected by shared values and identity, including the collectivistic worldview that recognises the importance of collective needs and wellbeing. This approach reflects the Pacific stewardship role for our Locality model, and supports alignment with overlapping Māori and mainstream ecosystems.
Partnerships
We have set partnership with mana whenua at the heart of our plan while acknowledging the deep and sustained connections that Pacific peoples have to this place and the changing social and demographic make-up resulting from the many New Zealanders who make Ōtara-Papatoetoe their home.
Le Afio’aga o Aotearoa recognises the Post Settlement Governance Entities (PSGEs) of our mana whenua partners and their mana as tangata whenua authorities and as direct Tiriti Partners of the Crown.
Values
We recognise the underpinning Māori values of manaakitanga, aroha, wairuatanga, and whānaungatanga. We recognise our individual and collective obligations to Te Tiriti o Waitangi–now and into the future.
For Pacific peoples, leadership, acceptance, and affirmation is earned through active participation and dedicated service to families and their communities of belonging and identity.
“O le ala i le pule, ole tautua”
(The pathway to leadership is through service)
Samoan proverb
