95bFM New study shows almost 90% of New Zealand-born Pacific adults experience burnout
3 December, 2025
Interview by Vihan Dalal, adapted by Samantha Watson-Tayler
As stigmas around mental health have been in decline in recent years, there has been a push for better understanding and treatment for these issues.
Despite this, a recent study by the University of Auckland, published in the Journal of Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities, shows Pacific people between the ages of 18 and 65 are experiencing concerning levels of burnout, with almost 90% reporting feeling burnout, 49.4% experiencing burnout regularly.
Asetoa Sam Pilisi, a PhD candidate at the University of Auckland and leader of the study, told 95bFM’s The Wire that one way to alleviate rates of burnout within the Pacific community is to dismantle stigma surrounding mental health.
Pilisi says there is an emphasis among Pacific communities on ‘collectivism’ compared to ‘individualism’. This emphasis on collective wellbeing over personal wellbeing can lead to mental wellbeing going by the wayside, leading to poor mental health outcomes.
“[There is] a lot of emphasis on collective wellbeing, and younger people typically don't have the leadership autonomy or some of the life skills to balance that.”
Pilisi says that in Pacific communities, discussions of healthy boundaries can be difficult due to social hierarchies between different generations. He believes a communal level of effort is needed to lift the stigma about prioritising one’s own space when needed.
“I think what we can do as migrant Pacific ethnic minority communities is socialise better ways of sustainable practices, how we can do things for others, but also lift the stigma around personal boundaries, personal wellbeing, and these ideas of what is selfish and what isn't.”
Pilisi adds that collective responses should extend beyond the community at home and encompass the workplace. In his view, there is a lot more that employers can do to battle issues like burnout.
He suggests flexible work-from-home options and supporting Pacific employees.
He also believes there is a role in the government to combat high burnout rates in Pacific communities, such as by adopting economic policies to ease financial burdens.
Pilisi says that a cultural change he would like to see is less emphasis on financial giving when it comes to showing love for others. He thinks that there needs to be a point where Pacific people can tell their family members ‘no’ when they have nothing left to give.
“There's quite a yearning around trying to unpack, I guess, this correlation between love and serving, be it with our finances or so, and find a better way to demonstrate our love to others with our finances, but in a more sustainable approach.”
Pilisi says the way to start making these changes is through dialogue with family about healthy boundaries.
