Adventist Leader Featured in Vaccination Campaign in New Zealand

By: Tracey Bridcutt, Adventist Record, and Adventist Review

Michael Sikuri, secretary of the South Pacific Division (SPD) of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, is featured in a New Zealand public awareness campaign promoting COVID-19 vaccination.

Sikuri is among a number of Pasifika leaders featured in posters and billboards in the “Covid Champions” campaign run by the Tangata Atumotu Trust, a non-governmental organization supporting Pasifika communities. The campaign is aimed at encouraging Pacific peoples to consider vaccination as a way of protecting their communities.

“Our Pasifika folk are one of the high-risk groups for contracting and becoming seriously ill with COVID-19, so the Tangata Atumotu Trust asked a few of us to get involved, so we’re leading by example,” Sikuri said.

He was the first “Covid Champion” to roll up his sleeves for vaccination, receiving his first dose at the Etu Pasifika Clinic in Christchurch on June 1, 2021.

Sikuri is also featured on the Tangata Atumotu Trust’s website, sharing his view on the importance of vaccination. He says while we all have free will, the choices we make can impact our community and those around us.

“We are interdependent of one another, and that calls for us to be responsible … what we do affects other people as well. Because it’s viral, [that] makes it much more transmissible.

“A simple way to do our part and get through this together is to get vaccinated. We are fortunate to live in a country where there is a lot of support and help on vaccinations.”

About Michael Sikuri

Originally from Fiji, Michael Sikuri has served since 2016 as president of the South New Zealand Conference. Previously, he served as ministerial secretary and church pastor at that conference. He was in the Trans-Pacific Union Mission from 2009 to 2014, where he served as human resources director, Family Ministries director, and Children’s Ministries Liaison. 

Sikuri also served in a variety of pastoral and chaplaincy capacities for four years in the Fiji Mission. “My objective as a minister of the Seventh-day Adventist Church is to lead people to the Lord in whatever capacity the Lord calls my family and I to,” Sikuri said. “My motto [is] to do all to the glory of God and be faithful to the calling placed upon us.”

He was confirmed as the new secretary of SPD by the Executive Committee of the General Conference on July 22.

The original version of this story was posted by Adventist Record.