Moana Pasifika hosted their annual Leaders’ Wellness & Wellbeing Workshop today for Pasifika grassroots coaches and managers.
The panel included Moana Pasifika Talent ID Manager Leasiosiofaasisina Kevin Senio, Head of New Zealand Women’s Rugby League Luisa Avaiki and former New Zealand Warriors player and Wellbeing Manager Jerry Seuseu.
The workshop is designed to empower and support Pasifika leaders in sport with a focus on physical, mental and spiritual wellbeing.
There was a great turnout of people who attended with many gems of wisdom shared by the panel.
A key theme of the discussion was knowing who you are and your values, and knowing how to communicate that.
“You have to know who your people are and you have to value your people,” Avaiki said. “It’s about people first, strong clear leadership and leadership with empathy and with a heart of service.”
The panellists started the morning by sharing their experiences. Senio talked about his time bringing the Moana Pasifika club to life, Avaiki discussed her experience in coaching and Seuseu talked about how he helps players to open up.
They spoke about the meaning of high performance and maintaining standards.
Senio said “it’s the ability to execute a task time after time. Elite performance is the ability to do it under pressure.”
He encouraged listeners to stay persistent when they’re growing their programs.
Seuseu explained how knowing the why behind the athlete is important to understanding them as people and maximising their opportunities.
The leaders were then divided into breakout groups and worked together to come up with solutions to different scenarios which challenged them and their teams. From mental health struggles to tough decisions when standards aren’t met by the team.
They discussed how to balance cultural expectations such as finances and customs with the demands of professional sport. Overall it was an open and safe space for everyone to learn and collaborate.
ENDS
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