Maori-led initiatives play key role

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By Frank Neill

M ori-led initiatives played a key role in protecting the health and wellbeing of communities a new report says.

Te Hiringa Mahara – the Mental Health and Wellbeing Commission released the report, “Exercising rangatiratanga during the COVID-19 pandemic” on 10 May.

“The work done by K kiri Marae Hauora, which is a large health and social service provider in the Hutt Valley, is just one example of many throughout Aotearoa, of an integrated, relevant and timely response,” the report says.

Although the report does not mention this fact, K kiri Marae was one of the most successful vaccination programmes in the country.

That success led to Teresea Olsen, the general manager of health and social services at K kiri Marae, being named the 2022 Wellingtonian of the Year.

As well as overseeing a Covid-19 vaccination in vulnerable communities in the Hutt Valley, Ms Olsen successfully stood her ground when ant-vaccination protesters threatened the Wainuiomata Marae and played a significant role in supporting foodbanks across the region, the Wellingtonian of the Year judges noted.

The M ori-led initiatives also played a key role in supporting connection with individuals and wh nau, and sharing information and resources, the report says.

“M ori exercising rangatiratanga during the pandemic showed that M ori have knowledge and skills to support not only the wellbeing of their wh nau and communities, but also the wider response,” says Te Hiringa Mahara Director M ori, Maraea Johns.

[Rangatiratanga is often associated with leadership, autonomy to make decisions, sovereignty and self-determination.]

“M ori wellbeing is often referred to as being collective, and exercising rangatiratanga (self-determination, sovereignty, independ-

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In the face of COVID-19, M ori didn’t just respond, they identified the need for an equity lens to be applied to the wider response by considering the needs of tangata whenua as Te Tiriti o Waitangi partners and building on work already grounded in tikanga M ori and m tauranga M ori, underpinned by established networks and relationships. This enabled their response to be agile, effective, and adaptive.

“Exercising rangatiratanga included marae adapting tikanga and kawa to develop tailored pandemic plans; establishing the National M ori Pandemic response group of M ori health experts; setting up checkpoints – invaluable for communicating information and preserving trust between government agencies and communities; using M ori networks of wh nau, hap and iwi to convey critical COVID-19 information to rurally isolated communities throughout and beyond the lockdown period; and organising and delivering resources to members of the community, on the largest scale seen in recent history.

“This comprehensive pandemic response makes it clear that M ori absolutely know what to do in the face of crises.

“A wider challenge remains, however, around sustained support and resources to continue to deliver for their communities.

“For improved future health and wellbeing outcomes, effective Government support is totally optimised when M ori responses are trusted, acted upon and enabled through the realignment of health system processes.

“What works for M ori will benefit all peoples of Aotearoa and M ori responses to the pandemic can continue to be an exemplar for how Aotearoa can support health and wellbeing outcomes in any future crises, and support wellbeing more generally,” Ms Johns says.

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Last Week: 10 May 2023