Lay summary
Lūsia ki taulaga, a Tongan proverb referring to seafarers’ struggles through stormy weather to reach land, will activate the potential of an ethnic-specific Pacific integrated services provider and population group to inform solutions to the burgeoning inequities they face, and the imminent monitoring of health and wellbeing outcomes under the new health system reforms. This activation activity will draw on the to’a (strengths) of the Tongan community in which knowledge and capabilities abound. Together with a cross-disciplinary research network, we will use a strengths-based experiential process of ‘learning by doing’ approach. The experiential approach between the Tongan Health Society and academic researchers will bring together a strong mix of skill sets to create new ways of providing ‘self’-management support for people living with life course conditions. This approach will demonstrate how community-driven initiatives, community empowerment, and consultation, can build insights into more accessible and sustainable practices that could become routine.