New Zealander to share experience in Pacific quality assurance
Pefi Kingi, a New Zealander of Niuean heritage from Auckland, will present her decades of work on developing a quality
assurance framework for Pacific cultural practices in healthcare at the second Cross-Cultural Health Care Conference in
Honolulu, Hawai‘i next month. Pefi’s trip is supported by a Fulbright-Ngā Pae o te Māramatanga Travel Award, designed
for New Zealand academics, artists or professionals to present their work in areas of indigenous development to
audiences in the United States of America.
The Cross-Cultural Health Care Conference aims to provide an overview of critical issues facing healthcare professionals
who work with diverse indigenous patient populations, and to examine how cultural factors can be incorporated into the
training of healthcare professionals and how culture can potentially influence treatment. Pefi’s presentation will
contribute to an evidence base of case studies of cross-cultural healthcare training and treatment interventions.
She will discuss the ‘Mitaki’ framework she has developed through her own work to provide best cultural practices in the
provision of services to Pacific communities, including public and mental health services, social community services and
education. The framework draws its name from the Niuean language question “Mitaki nakai?”, meaning “Is it good?”, and
provides a platform for healthcare practitioners or other service providers to review, assess and monitor their work in
order to provide the best possible service to Pacific clientele. Pefi looks forward to sharing her experience in quality
assurance, although she acknowledges that while such practices are still developing and evolving in Pacific communities,
the bottom line may actually be “Mitake fefe?” or “Is it good enough?”.
In addition to her work in service provision and Pacific community development, Pefi is passionate about retention of
indigenous languages, culture and performing arts. While in Hawai‘i she will visit a number of Native Hawai‘ian health
and education organisations including Hālau Lōkahi Public Charter School, a family-oriented indigenous school with a
holistic approach to achieving personal sovereignty through the principles of lōkahi – harmony of body, mind and spirit.
ENDS