Hawke's Bay Today

Working together we can do this

Organisati­on calls for ideas to help get the whole community fully vaccinated

- Ngahiwi Tomoana Ngahiwi Tomoana is Nga¯ti Kahungunu Iwi Inc chairman

Nga¯ti Kahungunu Iwi Incorporat­ed, our taiwhenua, hapu¯ settlement groups, government agencies, health providers, health organisati­ons and our community groups have advocated that we will become the first fully vaccinated iwi, which is no easy task given the levels of hesitancy among many corners of our communitie­s.

However, just as our Tipuna Kahungunu was an innovator and a leader of high intelligen­ce, we expect all of his descendant­s to be innovative and of high intelligen­ce, and on their own will and in time, will become “fully vaccinated”.

Our Tipuna withstood mass destructio­n in the 1830s when confronted with the musket while pulling together and migrating to their maternal homeland of Te Mahia Okurarenga, now known as Kaiuku.

Rather than starve to death under massive siege, they survived on sucking clay and were able to reoccupy our lands from Wairoa to Wairarapa after the musket threat had been neutralise­d.

The current musket spread in our midst is Covid-19 and our clay-sucking rongoa for survival is to become vaccinated so that we don’t infect other wha¯nau members or manuhiri/visitors to our marae, our whare and our kainga.

We can all do it

We don’t need to threaten or growl at each other over it, but we should have proper conversati­ons and proper communicat­ions with authentic informatio­n rather than being fed by doomers and gloomers.

Facing up to the ko¯rero and to the issue kanohi ki te kanohi and working shoulder-toshoulder to encourage each other is not always easy but it’s vital if we are to remain one of the most unique tribes in the world.

Every community will be asked how the iwi can support them to become fully vaccinated because there is not one single right answer, but in true Kahungunu spirit we have a whole kaleidosco­pe of answers that all must be given due regard.

Over the past few weeks, we have seen successful drivethrou­gh venues where whole

wha¯nau have become vaccinated and the same wha¯nau have been supported with vege packs, kindling, sausage sizzle, hangi, hygiene packs and more.

There have been maraebased, community-based and isolated area-based clinics.

It’s noticeable that our people turn up to these venues rather than to generic vaccinatio­n events.

So come on communitie­s, give us your ideas and let us unlock and unravel some of the mysteries and issues stopping our people from coming forward.

An example of an event idea is the Nga¯ti Kahungunu AGM Pa¯ Sports which is usually attended by 5000 people who are mainly made up of hundreds of wha¯nau.

This year, we are looking to offer free entry to all those who are vaccinated.

You can do it

Give us your ideas and let us unlock and unravel some of the mysteries and issues stopping our people from coming forward.

Nga¯ti Kahungunu Iwi Incorporat­ed is pleased to be working shoulder-to-shoulder with our taiwhenua, the hapu¯ settlement groups, marae, the Hawke’s Bay District Health Board, the primary health organisati­ons, local and regional councils, government agencies, health organisati­ons and our groups in the community.

We admire and acknowledg­e everyone who is working in our communitie­s to support healthy wha¯nau, hapu¯ and iwi.

 ?? ?? PHO manager Henry Heke (left), HDC Ma¯ori liaison Dr James Graham and HDC CE Nigel Bickle working around the hangi hole at iwi chairman Ngahiwi Tomoana’s home. The team was getting hangi ready for giving out to wha¯nau who came to the drivethrou­gh vaccinatio­ns at Totara Health in Flaxmere last Saturday.
PHO manager Henry Heke (left), HDC Ma¯ori liaison Dr James Graham and HDC CE Nigel Bickle working around the hangi hole at iwi chairman Ngahiwi Tomoana’s home. The team was getting hangi ready for giving out to wha¯nau who came to the drivethrou­gh vaccinatio­ns at Totara Health in Flaxmere last Saturday.

Newspapers in English

Newspapers from New Zealand