Pacific Peoples and Māori focus groups identified community institutions with established mechanisms which could provide useful vehicles for the dissemination of information and engaging with the community. With a community engagement perspective the role of the health agencies would be that of consultant to the community or a change agent rather than trying to disseminate directly to the public in a top-down approach. For all segments of the population, the effectiveness of risk communication can be increased by using community engagement and empowerment principles that help tailor information to the needs and expectations of diverse groups.