There are persistent life expectancy differentials among Pacific people in Aotearoa compared to non-Pacific (Came et al., 2019; Curtis et al., 2015; Health Quality & Safety Commission, 2021; Walsh & Grey, 2019). There are consistently low numbers of Pacific allied health professionals in Aotearoa, and there is an urgent need to prioritise more Pacific health professionals across the healthcare sector.

This qualitative study explored the challenges and opportunities for Pacific allied health staff to enable culturally responsive care in Aotearoa. The research provides insight into the perspectives of five Pacific allied health professionals utilising Talanoa methodology and thematic analysis. The four main themes and 13 sub-themes are identified and discussed. The collective voice of the research participants details the opportunities for allied health staff to achieve culturally responsive care.

This study identified three key overarching meta-themes of cultural isolation, cultural intelligence, and cultural load. Cultural knowledge and expertise are crucial in helping non-Pacific allied health clinicians to recognise, acknowledge and embrace culturally responsive healthcare. This current study contributes to the gap in the literature identified by highlighting the challenges and opportunities. The research provides a platform that allows my colleagues to build further, more specific research exploring Pacific allied health professionals’ experiences across Aotearoa.