Pacific people broadly open to weight-loss medication, study finds

A new survey shows seven in 10 Pacific adults consider weight-loss medication an acceptable treatment, but concerns about cost and community attitudes could stand in the way of accessing it.

Researchers from the University of Auckland surveyed 190 Māori and Pacific adults living with overweight or obesity.

Overall, 78 per cent considered medication acceptable: the figure was 70 per cent for Pacific participants, compared with 86 per cent for Māori.

The findings, published in the New Zealand Medical Journal, come as national health data shows 69.5 per cent of Pacific adults are classified as obese, compared with 34.2 per cent of adults overall.

Pacific participants also had greater concerns about convenience, how long they might need medication, interactions with other medicines and whether it was taken as a pill or injection.

Dr Tamasin Taylor, a Pacific health researcher at the University of Auckland and the study’s lead author, says cost was one of the biggest concerns, with more than 90 per cent of participants worried about the financial impact.

Listen to Dr Tamasin Taylor's full interview below.

Kayla Dove Tangira, who has shared her journey with weight-loss medication Wegovy, has spoken about the barriers to accessing treatment.

“This is my body, and I’m going to do whatever it takes to stick around for my whānau,” she told RNZ.

She’s also described how some people felt weight-loss drugs “shouldn’t be for us because they’re expensive and we’ve got better things to be spending our money on”.

New Zealand advertising features Pacific models in their marketing. Photo/Screenshot

Wegovy became available in New Zealand in July 2025. It is not publicly funded, and monthly costs can reach around $400.

Tangira was able to meet the cost after receiving a promotion and working additional hours.

Other concerns raised in the research included the medication's effectiveness, weight regain after stopping and unknown long-term effects.

Participants generally preferred pills to injections.

Dr Tamasin Taylor has done extensive research on Pacific communities who are exploring weight-loss intervention. Photo/Supplied

Taylor says family and community attitudes can also discourage people from seeking treatment. Among the one in five participants who did not consider medication acceptable, some were worried about what friends and family might think.

She says weight-loss medication can be viewed as taking the easy way out.

“When we go out and do anything, we take our social group and our families with us. But if people are actually worried about what their families and friends think, this is a huge barrier, especially for Pacific people.”

Bella Kalolo-Suraj, Pacific singer and actor, has spoken about judgement around weight loss. She underwent bariatric surgery in September after years of trying different approaches.

“I’ve had a lot of people say, ‘Why don’t you just do it naturally?’ Girl, I have tried up and down, round and round, side to side, back to front, paid lots of money for all the things,” she told the New Zealand Herald.

While Kalolo-Suraj's experience was with surgery rather than medication, Taylor says weight-loss treatment needs to be understood as care for a health condition, rather than a shortcut.

She wants the Government to invest in clinicians who can provide Māori and Pacific patients with clear, balanced and culturally appropriate information.

“The community is not the expert.”

Taylor says better clinical support and a stronger understanding of the medication's long-term effects are needed to help Māori and Pacific patients make informed decisions about treatment.