Contact Details
- Phone
- +64 21 199 6525
- jane.taafaki@otago.ac.nz
University Links
- Position
- Postdoctoral Fellow
- Qualifications
- PhD (Otago), MPA University of Hawaii, BA George Washington University.
- Research summary
- Focused on Pacific and rural health
- Teaching
- Pacific health curriculum across allied health sciences (pharmacy, public health, dentistry, oral health, physiotherapy)
- Memberships
- Early Researchers Advancement Group
- Southern All Clinical Immunisation Advisory Group
- National Pacific Bowel Screening Advisory
- Clinical
- Pacific health and rural health
Research
- Postdoctoral research: Creating a Pacific model of care based on success of Oamaru Pacific Island Community Group immunisation programme
- HRC Activation Grant: Tauhi Va - building relationships between Pacific communities and community pharmacists
- HRC Activation Grant: Empowering pathways in health for Pacific meatworkers
- Paykel Trust: Vaccine hesitation among rural Pacific communities
- HRC Project Grant: Rural health outcomes
Dr Taafaki is also Research Lead and health navigator for Oamaru Pacific Island Community Group.
Additional details
Tuvaluan-British by birth, Jane was born in England and lived in India until she was 11, before her family moved to the USA for her parents’ graduate school education. After university, she moved to the Marshall Islands for seven years before pursuing her Master’s in Honolulu, Hawaii where she worked for 15 years before moving to Oamaru, Otago to do her PhD studies. Her research was focused on the lived experiences of rural Tuvaluan migrants navigating the Aotearoa New Zealand healthcare system.
Jane's postdoctoral fellowship at the Va’a o Tautai - Centre for Pacific Health is on creating a model for COVID-19 response, based on the experiences of a small rural Otago Pacific Organisation. She is also heavily involved with a number rural health and school of Physiotherapy studies relating to COVID-19, Pasifika health and long-term musculoskeletal injuries of Pasifika meat workers.
Jane is married with three beautiful daughters. She is currently a full-time researcher within the Va’a o Tautai – Centre for Pacific Health, and has a role teaching the Pacific Health curriculum in Health Professional Programmes in the Division of Health Sciences.
Publications
Taafaki, J. (2026, April). Health outcomes for Pacific peoples in Aotearoa New Zealand: Exploring the impact of rurality and socio-economic deprivation. Verbal presentation at the 21st WONCA World Rural Health Conference, Te Whanganui-a-Tara Aotearoa, Wellington New Zealand. Conference Contribution - Verbal presentation and other Conference outputs
Crengle, S., & Taafaki, J. (2026, April). Childhood Māori:Non-Māori health inequities: The social impact of rurality and socio-economic deprivation. Verbal presentation at the 21st WONCA World Rural Health Conference, Te Whanganui-a-Tara Aotearoa, Wellington New Zealand. Conference Contribution - Verbal presentation and other Conference outputs
Crengle, S., & Taafaki, J. (2026, April). The impact of rurality and socio-economic deprivation on Māori:Non-Māori health inequities. Verbal presentation at the 21st WONCA World Rural Health Conference, Te Whanganui-a-Tara Aotearoa, Wellington New Zealand. Conference Contribution - Verbal presentation and other Conference outputs
Taafaki, J. (2026, April). The lived experiences of rural Tuvaluan migrants navigating the New Zealand healthcare system. Verbal presentation at the 21st WONCA World Rural Health Conference, Te Whanganui-a-Tara Aotearoa, Wellington New Zealand. Conference Contribution - Verbal presentation and other Conference outputs
Hilder, J., Taafaki, J., & Stubbe, M. (2025, November). Views on vaccination in a rural Pasifika community: An exploratory study. Verbal presentation at the Academic GP conference, Hamilton, New Zealand. Conference Contribution - Verbal presentation and other Conference outputs