ESR in the Pacific
ESR empowers the Pacific region with scientific expertise, information and tools to strengthen policy, programmes and practice to support healthy, safe and resilient communities.
About
ESR has been working with Pacific Island nations for over twenty years, assisting the region with scientific expertise, information and tools to strengthen policy, programmes and practice to support healthy, safe and resilient communities.
Our focus is aligned with the New Zealand Aid Programme’s strategic plan and sector priorities, particularly providing scientific and operational support to the enablers of sustainable development (environment, health and water, sanitation and hygiene), and to the environment cross-cutting issue.
We work in partnership with regional organisations such as The Pacific Community (SPC), the World Health Organization (WHO), UNICEF, Pacific governments, Civil Society Organisations, not-for-profit organisations, and New Zealand CRIs and universities.
In order to maintain and improve health and wellbeing now and for future generations, countries need to build resilient health systems to protect people, particularly the most vulnerable, from the health risks related to natural hazards, disaster events and climate change.
We support communities and local and national governments with technical advice around water quality, sanitation and hygiene measures to improve and sustain water standards. Working in countries like Tonga and Kiribati, we take a community-first approach to make sure the strategies are culturally and geographically appropriate and have the on-the-ground support to make them sustainable and effective.
Projects
Projects
Healthy Tonga Environments
ESR worked with the Tonga Ministry of Health to deliver the Healthy Tonga Environments Activity to provide support and development to the Environmental Health department at the Tonga Ministry of Health.
The Activity was co-designed and supported development of environmental health through a whole system approach. ESR and the Ministry of Health worked together to deliver outputs that developed strategy and actions for the team; identified areas for support; developed operational manuals; provided a distance learning Undergraduate Certificate course for the Environmental Health inspectors; built and developed an Environmental Health Laboratory, and supported information management within the team.
Safe and Secure Drinking Water Vanuatu
ESR were Technical Advisors supporting Unicef Vanuatu in the development of a ‘National Implementation Plan for Safe and Secure Drinking Water’ (NIP). The plan was approved by the National Water Resources Advisory Committee (NWRAC). ESR led the technical support to the Department of Water Resources (DoWR) during development of the NIP in 2016 and 2017. DoWR again contracted ESR to support the effective implementation of the NIP.
The key deliverables of this were to support DoWR staff to refine the NIP documentation previously approved by NWRAC, and draft a Transition Plan to achieve full implementation of the NIP and Capital Assistance Programme (CAP).
At the completion of this contract, ESR had delivered:
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revised final versions of the National Implementation Plan documents
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a first and second draft of a Transition Plan for the NIP
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a draft job description for a new position, NIP Coordinator
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suggested additions to DoWR job descriptions, and Provincial Water Resources Advisory Committee (PWRAC) to reflect the expected roles these positions will have
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feedback and additional information/analysis on the WASH capacity and needs assessment for Vanuatu draft report by International Water Centre (IWC), to reflect the knowledge and skills required to implement the NIP
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a mock-up of a community water supply page for a website, to include descriptions and quick-links to the steps in participating in NIP.
Healthy Tonga tourism
ESR worked in partnership with the Tongan Ministry of Commerce, Tourism and Labour and the Tongan Ministry of Health to provide public and environmental health support to the tourism industry in Tonga.
The Healthy Tonga Tourism project was a New Zealand Aid Programme funded collaboration, and produced guides for tourist accommodation businesses based on ESR expertise:
Guide to Safe Rainwater Harvesting
This guide is designed as a training and reference resource for health inspectors, Tonga Mark assessors and accommodation business owners to enable them to identify risks to providing safe drinking-water and to plan appropriate improvements.
Guide to Controlling Mosquito-borne Diseases
This guide is designed as a training and reference resource for health inspectors, Tonga Mark assessors and accommodation business owners to enable them to identify risks to providing physical surrounds free from these disease-carrying insects and to plan appropriate improvements. The guide is equally useful for communities, schools, churches and other settings that host guests.
Guide to Food Safety and Hygiene
This guide is designed as a training and reference resource for health inspectors, Tonga Mark assessors and accommodation business owners to enable them to identify risks to providing safe and hygienic food storage and preparation and to plan appropriate improvements. The guide is equally useful for communities, schools, churches and other settings that provide food to guests.
These guides are all available to read below.
Climate Change Adaptation Strategies in the Pacific
ESR is involved in an Endeavour grant within MFAT's Climate Change Programme (CCP) that is focused on the Pacific region and adaptation strategies. This programme is a collaborative effort between multiple Crown Research Institutes (CRIs), underscoring our shared commitment to addressing the pressing challenges posed by climate change. Our joint initiative is dedicated to comprehensively understanding the current and future vulnerabilities to both fast- and slow-onset disasters resulting from climate change impacts. Through collation and review of existing data, including past events, we aim to identify crucial information gaps and assess Pacific assets such as populations, infrastructure, and culturally significant sites to better grasp potential damages and losses.
WASH in schools
ESR is a partner with UNICEF New Zealand to deliver a range of programmes that help improve WASH (water, sanitation and hygiene) practices in the Pacific, including the New Zealand MFAT funded project Vanuatu WASH in Schools, or VanWINS.
The project supports policy, standards and guidelines development to mobilise schools and communities around the importance of better WASH practices, install WASH facilities, and train students, teachers and committees to use and maintain the facilities. ESR’s contribution was to facilitate the development of the schools WASH technical support model (WASH Safety Planning), including: consultation and participatory design on the support model description, guidelines for school-specific risk assessment and prioritisation, guidelines for maintenance and improvements to existing facilities and practices, process to select appropriate water and sanitation options, and ways to monitor for, avoid and respond to problems
We also partnered with UNICEF New Zealand to provide support to the MFAT Partnerships for International Development Fund Solomon Islands Better Learning Environments (SIBLE) project.
Based in the Guadalcanal Province, the project supports policy, standards and guidelines development to mobilise schools and communities around the importance of better WASH (water, sanitation and hygiene) practices, install WASH facilities, and train students, teachers and committees to use and maintain the facilities.
ESR’s contribution is to facilitate the development of the schools WASH technical support model (WASH Safety Planning), including: consultation and participatory design on the support model description, guidelines for school-specific risk assessment and prioritisation, guidelines for maintenance and improvements to existing facilities and practices, process to select appropriate water and sanitation options, and ways to monitor for, avoid and respond to problems.
ESR also worked with UNICEF New Zealand and UNICEF Pacific colleagues to deliver “Kiribati WASH in Schools”. This project aimed to improve the water, sanitation and hygiene of 36 outer island schools in Kiribati. ESR’s provided a technical decision-making resource to be used by the outer island schools to choose appropriate and affordable water, sanitation and hygiene options along with training in how to use the resource.
Get in touch
To find out more about our expertise and experience, and how ESR can assist in the Pacific and beyond, contact Matthew.Ashworth@esr.cri.nz or Pacific_dev@esr.cri.nz
Resources
Strengthening Adaptation Planning and Action to Climate-Related Health Impacts in Pacific Islands Countries: Tonga
A natural hazard and climate change vulnerability and adaptation tool was applied in Tonga to identify health and health system-related climate and natural hazards, and to create and prioritize adaptation strategies and opportunities
Guide to Safe Rainwater Harvesting For Tourist Accommodation Businesses in Tonga
This Guide to Safe Rainwater Harvesting for Tourist Accommodation Businesses in Tonga is designed as a training and reference resource for health inspectors, Tonga Mark assessors and accommodation business owners to enable them to identify risks to providing safe drinking-water and to plan appropriate improvements.
Guide to Controlling Mosquito-Borne Diseases for Tourist Accommodation Businesses in Tonga
This guide is designed as a training and reference resource for health inspectors, Tonga Mark assessors and accommodation business owners to enable them to identify risks to providing physical surrounds free from these disease-carrying insects and to plan appropriate improvements. The guide is equally useful for communities, schools, churches and other settings that host guests.
Guide to Safe Rainwater Harvesting For Tourist Accommodation Businesses in Tonga - Tongan Translation
Ko e Tohi Fakahinohino ki hono tokanga’i e Fakatali mo Ngāue’aki ‘a e Vai melié ki hono tauhi ‘o e Kau Folau Takimamata na’e fa’u ia ko ha naunau ki hono teuteu’i pea ke ngāue’aki ‘e he kau ‘Inisipekita Mo’ui, kau faisivi pea pehē foki ki he kau pule pisinisi ’o e ngaahi fale nofo’anga ke fakaivia kinautolu kenau fakatokanga’i ‘a e ngaahi fakatu’utāmaki ‘e ala tupu ‘i hono inu ‘o ha vai ‘oku ‘uli. Ko e vai inu ‘i Tonga, ‘oku ma’u ia mei he vai mei lalo fonua. ‘Oku lahi mo faingofua ange ‘a hono fakatali tānaki’o e vai melié ke hoko ia ko e ma’u’anga inu ‘a e ngaahi fāmili tokolahi pea mo e ngaahi pisinisi nofo’anga ki he kau folau takimamata. ‘Oku ‘i ai ‘a e fatongia ‘o e ngaahi pisinisi nofo’anga ‘oku nau talitali mo tauhi fakatakimamata ke fakahoko honau fatongia tauhi ‘i ha foungangaue ‘oku malu mo hao pea ‘i he ‘atakai ‘oku ma’a mo mo’uilelei. Ko e taha e ngaahi me’a mahu’inga ‘oku fiema’u ko ha vai inu ma’a mo tuha ke nau ngāue’aki.
Guide to Food Safety and Hygiene for Tourist Accommodation Businesses in Tonga
This guide is designed as a training and reference resource for health inspectors, Tonga Mark assessors and accommodation business owners to enable them to identify risks to providing safe and hygienic food storage and preparation and to plan appropriate improvements. The guide is equally useful for communities, schools, churches and other settings that provide food to guests.
ESR’s Pacific Strategy: Healthy Pacific Environments
In delivering benefit to New Zealand, we also support the sustainable development of our Pacific neighbourhood. Each of ESR’s core outcomes has value for the Pacific, and mapping directly onto what are considered the enablers of achieving sustainable economic development – safe water and food, good health, education, and safe and just environments.
ESR in the Pacific
As a national resource of New Zealand, ESR is wellplaced to assist the Pacific region with scientific expertise, information and tools to strengthen policy, programmes and practice to achieve healthy, safe and resilient communities.