The extreme weather events in Auckland over the weekend have seen many Pacific families request urgent food and welfare support, and Pasifika Futures Ltd (PFL), the Pacific Whānau Ora Commissioning Agency, have mobilised quickly to respond to these needs by working closely with core partners such as The Fono and Etu Pasifika Auckland to serve our most vulnerable communities.

Minister for Whānau Ora, Hon. Peeni Henare, visited The Fono's Feleoko Food Hub in Mt Wellington to help pack food parcels into delivery vans and discuss key concerns and actions that were being voiced by the Pacific community.

Chief Executive for PFL, Mrs Debbie Sorensen, provided Minister Henare with an update of their flood relief response, highlighting the important work being done to reach families in need.

"We have mobilised over $1million in funding to our Whānau Ora partners in Auckland to enable them to prepare and respond to needs of families.

We have over 7,000 Whānau Ora families in Auckland that our partners have actively engaged with to assess their needs and provide immediate support."

Hon. Henare is grateful for the work that PFL partners are doing to support the community, thanking Mrs Sorensen, Chief Executive Officer for The Fono, Mr Tevita Funaki, and Service Manager for Etu Pasifika Auckland (EPA), Mr Malae Koria.

EPA's Etu Rere Call Centre has also moved quickly to respond to requests for food and essential items, activating their 0800 ETURERE help line over the weekend to provide families with food parcels and connecting them with other support mechanisms available.

"The last 3 years especially have taught us a lot about responding to unprecedented events in country, so we are confident in our partners, in our processes, and will continue to help however we can", Sorensen says.

If you have been affected by the Auckland floods and need assistance, please call 0800 ETURERE (0800 388 7373) or visit our website for more information.

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