South-Asian men have the highest rate of type 2 diabetes in New Zealand and face a higher-than-average risk of heart disease.

To address these long-standing health challenges, East Health Trust Primary Health Organisation has partnered with researchers from the University of Otago to develop culturally-tailored resources aimed at improving health outcomes for local South-Asian communities, and includes people with origins or cultural connections with countries such as India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, and the Maldives.

As part of this initiative, a series of collaborative focus groups and co-design sessions were held across September and November.

Community members took part, sharing their lived experiences and shaping what future health-promotion programmes should look like.

The sessions invited participants to think about what “good health support” means to them, whether that relates to preferred languages, communication styles, group settings, or the cultural comfort of venues and facilitators.

“Participants brought such thoughtful insights,” says Parvin Kapila, Health Promotion Co-ordinator.

“We heard what they wanted in terms of good nutrition, healthy living information and how that differs for this community, the different foods and the importance of it to their heritage.

“Their guidance of how we can deliver this information to create the most health impact was insightful.

“Being culturally aware and respectful, thinking about family, recognising the busyness of their lives and the importance of community will guide our next steps.”

This co-design approach reinforces collaborative health services being delivered to communities, to services developed with communities with resources developed and available for use in 2026.

Stay tuned for your next local health update in the next issue of the Eastern Times and at www.times.co.nz.