How a by-Māori, for- Māori approach helped slow Covid-19
An indigenous-led response during a pandemic can provide a high level of protection for vulnerable groups like Māori, a study has shown.
Kayla Manuirirangi and Jonathan Jarman from the Taranaki District Health Board (DHB) carried out the research, which was published in the New Zealand Medical Journal today.
They focused on the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the eight iwi around Taranaki Maunga, and found a by-Māori, for-Māori approach, with an emphasis on relationships, was far more effective than any written plan.
The study also discussed the high levels of fear among Māori about infectious diseases like Covid-19. During the influenza pandemic of 1918, the death rate for Māori patients was seven times higher than that of non-Māori.
In the first two months of the pandemic, 16 people with Covid-19 were identified in Taranaki. None of them was Māori.
The study showed this was due to the quick actions of iwi and Māori health providers.
Those actions included the eight iwi setting up checkpoints on State Highway 3 in Urenui and Pātea, while a mobile patrol operated along the eastern entrance to Taranaki on the Forgotten World Highway (SH43).
Volunteers at the checkpoints stopped and queried why motorists were travelling into the region and if the trip was deemed unnecessary. Non-essential drivers were turned away.
Iwi rang members, had a traffic light system to identify levels of need, and used that to determine kai distribution, the paper said.
Iwi and Māori health providers also organised online mental health services, regular check-ins, care packages, and pop-up clinics in smaller rural communities.
People’s spiritual needs were met through social media initiatives, the paper said.
All the Māori organisations involved in the study talked about how proud they were of the way they responded, and how quickly they did so.
‘‘The thing that shone out was our ability to move and move really quickly. Develop a plan for our people, like overnight in a sense,’’ one respondent said.
All those involved in the study said the use of indigenous knowledge (mātauranga) contributed to resilience of the Māori community throughout the lockdown period.
The authors said the study reinforced the need for iwi-led responses and ‘by Māori, for Māori’ approach to supporting people during emergencies.
Tikanga and kaupapa Māori principles should also be integrated into responses from mainstream organisations, they said.