K’aute Pasifika Village opens in the heart of Kirikiriroa Hamilton

From left to right, Chair of K’aute Pasifika Trust, Namalau’ulu Lale Ieremia, CEO Leaupepe Rachel Karalus with MBIE CE Carolyn Tremain, and Kānoa-RDU General Manager for Regions, Kay Read (background right).

The first of its kind in New Zealand, the Village will provide Pasifika-focused holistic, wraparound services including an early learning centre and an iconic fale (meeting house) for community and cultural events.

The Village will provide services across education, employment and housing and will include new integrated GP and other clinical services. The Waikato region has a growing Pacific population of almost 25,000.

K’aute Pasifika Trust Chief Executive Officer Leaupepe Rachel Karalus says the driver for the project is to improve health and wellbeing outcomes for Pacific and broader communities,” through Pacific models of care”.

The project has created 298 jobs and has been supported by Kānoa -RDU, the Government’s Regional Economic Development and Investment Unit, with a $6.6 million grant and $2 million loan.

The Village is also supported by Hamilton City Council who approved leasing of the site to K’aute Pasifika. In addition, funding contributions came from Trust Waikato, Ministry of Education, Ministry of Social Development, Department of Internal Affairs, Wel Energy Trust and Len Reynolds Trust.

Chair of K’aute Pasifika Trust, Namalau’ulu Lale Ieremia says the Village development “is reflective of an attitude that if we move together, it might take a little longer, but we will travel a lot further”.