Pacific health group celebrates excellence in community care

Medical professionals and practices have been honoured for their outstanding practices at the ninth annual Practice Network Celebration Awards in South Auckland.

The Cause Collective (TCC), New Zealand’s only Pacific Primary Health Organisation (PHO), recognised top-performing clinics across Auckland that excel in areas such as cervical screening, childhood immunisations, diabetes reviews, and cardiovascular care.

Speaking with William Terite on Pacific Mornings, Dr Anae Neru Leavasa, Clinical Director of TCC, says the awards provide an opportunity to acknowledge the hard work of healthcare colleagues.

“This is one event during the year that all the practices can come together, fellowship, and just celebrate each other because the amount of work they do is awesome, and they produce some really good health outcomes for our people.”

Among the standout achievements, Queen Street Medical Centre in Ōtāhuhu) excelled in several national targets for diabetes annual reviews and cardiovascular risk assessments.

The Tongan Health Society, which operates the Langimālie Clinics, was recognised for its effective models of care and strong focus on Pacific health.

Watch Dr Anae Neru Leavasa's full interview below.

Leavasa says the awards reflect a Pacific perspective, celebrating both strong health outcomes and cultural values.

“We do it Pacific style, we have our own flavour. We have other non-Pacific clinics, but they understand that being a PHO that’s Pacific-led, we bring that flavour to the forefront … but also make sure that we’re producing health outcomes for our people, especially in South Auckland as well.”

The awards brought together clinics within TCC’s network, celebrating the dedication and innovation of those working to improve health outcomes for Auckland’s diverse communities.

The Practice Network Celebration Awards celebrated standout medical practices and individuals. Photo/Supplied

The Practice Recognition Awards highlighted clinics that go “above and beyond” to deliver community-led initiatives, including Rosehill Christian Medical Centre, Bader Drive Doctors, Waikuku Health Centre, and Lifeline Medical Centre in Ōtāhuhu. Clevedon Road Medical Centre was singled out for its unique patient engagement strategy, which involves providing hand-knitted gifts to new parents during six-week baby checks.

Leavasa highlights the major benefits of achievements in immunisations, diabetes checks, and cardiovascular assessments.

“Diabetes annual reviews are a signpost for us, a reminder to get patients in regularly. It helps with management and prevention, checking medications and immunisations, making sure we’re producing the right outcomes.”

The Individual Achievement Awards recognise clinicians and leaders, with Dr Glenn Doherty, CEO of the Tongan Health Society, being named GP of the Year and receiving the Distinguished Fellow Award from the Royal New Zealand College of General Practitioners. Other award winners include Gurjit Kaur from Lifeline Medical Centre, Marewa Tibble (Wai Health), Stella Tang (Life Doctors), Terri Ross (Clendon Family Health Centre), and Dr Juliet Tay (Te Iti Pounamu Hauora).

The event was held at the Due Drop Events Centre in Manukau, Auckland. Photo/Supplied

Challenges for community health providers

The Cause Collective supports more than 40 clinics serving 165,000 enrolled patients. Amid workforce pressures and growing clinical demand, TCC reveals it’s dedicated to assisting practices through innovative approaches and outreach efforts.

“We look at artificial intelligence and digital tech to help support our practices, whether that be AI transcribing or using new AI avatars to make sure that we’re triaging quite well, trying to save time for our clinicians… there’s a lot of future-proofing for our clinics,” Leavasa says.

The Cause Collective was awarded the Pacific-focused Whānau Ora commissioning role earlier this year, succeeding Pasifika Futures.