Online vault aims to return Pacific research to the community

A new digital initiative is making decades of Pacific research freely available to the public and shifting crucial knowledge out of university archives and directly into community hands.

The University of Auckland’s Measina o le Pasefika platform gives families, schools and policymakers open access to vital studies on healthcare, policy, and cultural identity across Aotearoa and the Pacific.

Instead of keeping valuable findings locked behind paywalls, the searchable repository allows readers to freely explore critical research including health studies on gout and hyperuricaemia, as well as works on indigenous teaching methods like talanoa.

Dr Charmaine 'Ilaiū Talei, Fofonga Director at the university, says the project ensures research reaches those who can use it to improve lives.

"Research should not remain confined to the ivory tower,” Talei says.

“Measina o le Pasefika is about ensuring Pacific knowledge reaches those who need it the most, namely our communities we serve, the government policymakers, our funders and our potential collaborators.”

Dr Charmaine 'Ilaiū Talei, Director of Fofonga for Pacific Research Excellence. Photo/University of Auckland

The platform already features groundbreaking clinical studies such as a paper published in Nature Reviews Rheumatology that examines gout - an inflammatory condition causing severe pain and high hospitalisation rates across Pacific communities.

The study highlights how socio-cultural factors worsen the condition, while pointing to archaeological evidence showing gout existed in the Pacific well before the Europeans arrived.

Another featured study from Pacific Health Dialog explores how the traditional talanoa methodology empowers communities in research and education, calling on institutions to embed cultural methods into their core work rather than treating them as optional add-ons.

Watch Nicola Keen-Biggelaa, chief executive of Arthritis New Zealand and Zachariah Reuelu, who works in Pacific engagement for the organisation, speak on Pacific Mornings about the impacts and misconceptions of gout:

Officially launched at the Fa'anānā Efeso Collins Space in the university's General Library, the portal was built through a partnership between Fofonga for Pacific Research Excellence and Te Kahu Tauira (Student and Scholarly Services).

Pro Vice-Chancellor Pacific Professor Fonoiā Jemaima Tiatia-Siau, who named the platform which translates to “Treasures of the Pacific” says the repository is built to be an active community tool rather than a static storage space.

"It is a living vessel of Pacific scholarship, connecting past, present and future generations while ensuring Pacific voices, identities, and ways of knowing, being and doing are preserved, celebrated and accessible for generations to come," she says.

Professor Fonoiā Jemaima Tiatia-Siau, the Pro Vice-Chancellor Pacific for the University of Auckland. Photo/University of Auckland

Talei praised research assistants Arielle Clarke and Vaiola Tauti, who worked directly with academics across the university to gather and gather and upload their work.

"Thank you to all our researchers for entrusting us with your work,” Talei says.

“This repository celebrates your amazing research. It reflects the power of partnership and our collective commitment to ensuring Pacific knowledge is accessible to all."

Measina o le Pasefika portal page. Photo/University of Auckland

Adding cultural depth to the digital design, Benjamin Work, a Tongan artist, contributed original artwork inspired by the kupesi Humu or triggerfish, symbolising ocean navigation, ancestral connections, and the passing down of knowledge.

The Measina o le Pasefika platform is open now for community members, researchers, and policymakers to access for free online.To visit the Measina o le Pasefika page, click here.