Opinion: IronMāori part of subtle cultural change

Hawke's Bay Today Senior Reporter Doug Laing. Photo / File

A university graduate's research into the benefits of now-iconic Hawke's Bay triathlon IronMāori should prove to be a valuable exercise in moving society away from the "economic impact" benchmark usually accorded evaluation of big events.

IronMāori, this year being held for the 10th time, is much more than the sporting phenomenon for which it is already known but also part of cultural and social change, the benefit of which seems to be taking time to sink in with a significant proportion of the greater masses.

It is joined by such other phenomena as the resurgent wave of kapa haka and national biennial festival Te Matatini, and water sport waka ama, in bringing about, in a quite subtle way, remarkable cultural and social change in New Zealand.

As graduate Sharon Fabish says, Maori "on average, have the poorest health status of any ethnic group in New Zealand".

"Initiatives like IronMāori play an important role in reducing this disparity by promoting good health and wellbeing," she explains.

To fully understand, one needs to go to the kaupapa, and the meaning of "health and wellbeing" by its widest definition, and one will find that, even if some of the masses, including the myth-driven arm of politics and power, doesn't want to accept it, New Zealand is starting to turn a corner.

Some of the worst statistics are about to take a right-old lopping, a crucial point being that such initiatives are coming not from the legislative chambers but from the people, who will have had a gutsful of the Māori-bashing and being blamed with so little comprehension of the decade-after-decade demise and systemic stripping of capacity that lies behind it.

But heading towards the year 2020, eyes and ears are much wider open and it is time for society, and politicians for that matter, to better appreciate what is happening.
It may be that regardless of the economic impact we are all a lot richer for it.