A snapshot of families engaged with Whānau Ora services in Aotearoa New Zealand: a retrospective cross-sectional study

AIM: Pasifika Futures Ltd, as a Whānau Ora commissioning agency, was part of phase two of the government-funded Whānau Ora initiative that was active between 2014 and 2025 in supporting Pacific families across Aotearoa New Zealand in improving health, education, housing and employment outcomes. This study investigated wellbeing outcomes of Pacific families engaged in Whānau Ora services over 8 years of this period to identify socio-demographic groups with the highest needs. METHOD: This was an observational, national cross-sectional study of 11,999 Pacific families engaged with Whānau Ora services between July 2015 and June 2023. The Measurement Assessment Scoring Tool (MAST), a measure of multi-domain outcomes, was used to assess family wellbeing. Regression models yielded comparative mean differences and odds ratios. RESULTS: Multivariable-adjusted regressions showed that needs, assessed using MAST scores, were significantly higher in families with Sāmoan or Tuvaluan ethnicity, non-English speaking, larger family households or younger family age. Compared with Auckland, needs were higher (all p