Skip to main content

Story: Pacific churches in New Zealand

Healthy exercise

Image
Healthy exercise

During the early 2000s growing obesity rates within Pacific populations led public health agencies to provide exercise and healthy-living programmes through church communities. In 2009 the Canterbury District Health Board funded Christchurch's Congregational Christian Church of Samoa to run exercise classes at a local gym. Here (from left) Emi Alavisi, Osana Pesefea, Sefulu Pouli and Margaret Sio Levy work out at a step class.

Using this item

Health First: Canterbury District Health Board

by Vanessa O'Brien

This item has been provided for private study purposes (such as school projects, family and local history research) and any published reproduction (print or electronic) may infringe copyright law. It is the responsibility of the user of any material to obtain clearance from the copyright holder.

All images & media in this story

How to cite this page

Cluny Macpherson, Pacific churches in New Zealand – Programmes and services, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/photograph/26727/healthy-exercise (accessed 4 June 2026).

Story by Cluny Macpherson, published 21 February 2011.