New Zealand’s First Asian Workforce Symposium Breaks New Ground: Pioneering Wellbeing and Cultural Excellence

Auckland, New Zealand — Asian Family Services (AFS) marked a significant milestone by hosting the inaugural Flourishing Asian Communities & Workforce Symposium on 13 March 2026. The event brought together more than 200 health professionals, policymakers, researchers, educators, funders, and community leaders from across Aotearoa.

About 200 professionals, practitioners, researchers, community leaders and students gathered at the Flourishing Asian Communities & Workforce Symposium to share knowledge, strengthen connections, and advance mental health and wellbeing for Asian communities across Aotearoa.

The symposium represents an important step forward in collective efforts to enhance Asian wellbeing and demonstrate the power of partnership. Asian Family Services is proud to have initiated a new approach to addressing inequity in responses to gambling harm, in partnership with Mapu Maia and PGF Services, and supported by major PHOs. This is truly remarkable work, and only the beginning of the impact to come as we continue building the knowledge, capability, and skills needed to respond to the ongoing challenges faced in the mental health and addiction space.