Kāhu ki Rotorua: Matauranga Maori key to wellbeing

Public Interest Journalism funded through NZ On Air

See below for English translation

Te Pokapū ki te takere waka o Te Arawa

Ko te hui -ā-iwi, kua ea. Ko te whakatakoto rautaki, kua ea.

Te taha ki te rangahau, kua ea hoki tēnā, te titiro ki te pūtea, kua ea. Ko te tātari mahi, kua ea hoki tēnā. Tēnā ko tēnā, kia tāhuri kau tātau ki te mahi. Koina te takahanga waewae tuarua te haere ake nei mā Te Ara Tauwhirotanga, te waka mana nui ki te whakarite tētehi rautaki hauora mā Te Whatu Ora, te wāhanga hauora, te wāhanga warawara o Lakes.

He kaupapa kua roa e āta whakaritengia ana e āna poumahi ki a tika ai. Kua pau i a rātau ngā hui e whia kē me te hāpori. Kua pau i a rātau ngā hui e whia kē me ngā pouwhakawhiwhi ratonga, ngā tini whānau huhua, ngā hapū me te iwi.

Wheoi anō rā, kāpuia katoatia ngā maramara kōrero, ko te mutunga iho ko tētehi pepa nā te hāpori ake i waihanga kia mōhio ai ngā tōhunga ki ngā hiahia, me ngā māharatanga nui o te hāpori. Hai te hāpori ko ngā kaupapa e toru nui taioreore ka tīmatangia ki te reta, T. Ara, ko te Tangata, ko te Tikanga me te Taiao. Mā ēnei e ora ai te tangata e noho taurite hoki ai tētehi ki tētehi.

Kai whea tētehi ātamira e puta ai te reo o te hāpori, e rangona ai ngā hiahia, ngā taumahatanga me te pōuritanga o te hāpori, ka oti ana, kia tū rangatira ai ngā tangata o te hāpori me te mōhio iho e tika ana tā rātau takahi i te huarahi o te ao ngātahi me tētehi whare manaaki e tū nei hai whare mō te mārea. Anō nei he rangatira rāua tahi. Ko taua kōrero hoki e mea nei, mā te Māori tonu tētehi whare pēnei, tētehi waka e waihanga e puta ai te Māori ki Matangiareia.

Mā tēnei momo whare motuhake e āta manaaki i ngā āwangawanga o te hāpori. Ka kitea te tini pūkenga ki roto i tēnei whare. Kai te kitea hoki te tini tangata e nohonoho nei ki ngā taumata, ko te aroha iho o te hāpori te take. E ai ki ngā tātaringa kōrero rangahau, mēnā kai te pūare te aka kōrero ki te pouhāpai i te tūroro, ka pai ake te tūroro, engari rā, mēnā kua pirorehe kua itiiti noa te wāhanga kōrero, ka kino ake te māuiuitanga o te tūroro.

Nō reira te mōhiotanga ki te awhina tātau i te hunga hāpai i ngā tūroro ka piki te ora o te tūroro, nā reira te take o te whakaaraara ake i tētehi whare pēnei te momo. Me mātua mōhio ake ngā nāhi rānei te hunga kai tēnei ao e mahi ana, he rerekē te haerenga o ia tūroro, he rerekē hoki te wairua o ia tūroro.

Nō reira anō te inoi ki a kuruki whakataha atu te titiro ki te āhurea o te māuiui, ki a poupoua hoki te titiro atu ki tōna kiritāpeha me tōna hāhi me tōna aha noa atu. Ko te tangata kai te kanohi, te take kauaka ko ēra atu o ngā tūāhuatanga kai muri i a ia.

A poster child for physical and spiritual poverty in Aotearoa today, her only support a scruffy teddy. This is how some of our whanau feel.

Ko te mea nui hoki ki ngā apataki, ki te puta rātau ki ngā whare manaaki, he rangatira noa te whare. He rangatira ngā poumahi, he rangatira hoki te wairua. Mēnā kai te rangona ngā take kōrero ā te hunga mahi, ka heke iho taua wairua ki ngā apataki, ki ngā tūroro, otīā ki te whānau ake. E mea ana ko te hāpori te puku o te whare manaaki , ko te puku o te whare manaaki anō nei te hāpori. E mea ana hoki ngā rangahau, mēnā kai te noho ngātahi te apataki ki te hāpori, me te hāpori ki te poumahi me te apataki, ka rangimarie noa te huarahi ki te ao mārama.

He mea anō ko te mahi ngātahitanga o ngā pūnaha hauora. Hāpori mai, rohe mai, ā motu mai kia ngāwari noa te haere. Ko te mātauranga Māori me te tirohanga-ā-Māori nei ki te ao kikokiko ētehi atu poupou e mana ai te oranga o te māuiui, o te apataki o te tūroro. Wheoi anō, me whakaarongia te whakapapa o te tangata, te taha ki te tikanga me te kawa. Nanaohia wēnei kōwhatu kura, tuia ki ngā whakaaro me ngā rautaki kia ū, kia mau.

Ki a tātau ki tēnei taha mai o te takere waka, e tika ana ki a noho te mana whenua o Ngai Te Arawa me Tūwharetoa ki ngā tēpū whakarite kaupapa, whakatakoto rautaki. Mēnā kai ngā ringaringa o te whānau ngā kame tika, ka māmā, ka ngāwari iho te poipoi me te whakatangata i te apataki. He uaua mā ētehi o ngā whānau te toro atu ki ngā ratonga kai te hāpori, ka wehi ētehi, ka whakamā hoki ētehi engari mēnā ka tika te karanga atu, te nau mai me te whakarangatira i te whānau, kātahi nā ka rere ngā taumahatanga ki te tēpū.

Mēnā kāore e tika ana te ratonga ki tētehi whānau pai kē atu te whāki atu me te kawe i taua whānau ki te wāhi, ki te whare tika mā rātau. Wheoi anō ko te whakarauoratanga hoki tēnei o te tangata o te whānau, me te hāpori. Ko te poipoi ko te tiaki me te whakatupu ngā pēpī, ngā tamarki me te rangatahi me noho mātāmua ki te kanohi o te whakarauoratanga tangata.

Ko te karanga hoki a te hāpori kia haumarutia rātau i ā rātau kāinga ake, ngā kura hoki, otīā ngā wāhi mahi. Mātua hoki ki a mōhiotia ai rātau, mēnā he raruraru itiiti ā rātau kai te wātea mai tētehi awhina iti, whaihoki, e tārewa nei he rauemi awhina.

Ko te hauoratanga o te tangata he rite ki te waiora. Ko te āta poipoi kia tika, ko te whakarauora i te puna ki a mā, ko te rāhui hoki kia mārikangā wai wawara anei ētehi wāhanga o tēnei haerenga. Nō reira anō tētehi kōrero e mea nei e tātau he rite hoki ki te puna awhina. He mea motuhake, he wā poto hoki rānei he wā roa. Ka ora anō ai te tangata me tōna kaupapa ka kitea e ia te ara a Tāne.

Ko te tuku mōhiohiotanga, ko te mōhio hoki me pēwhea te hautū ngā huarahi o ngā ratonga , ko te amo tangata me pūare kau ā hangarau hou nei rānei ā kaupapa nei ki tētehi wāhi e pūare ana ki te hāpori.

Ko te whare-ā-hāpori nei, e kīā e tātau ko te hub, he oranga pea mō te mārea, he wāhanga rongoā, he wāhanga mō te whakapakari tinana, he wāhanga whakawhiti kōrero, he wāhanga haupuaroaro, he wāhanga awhina ki te tono mahi, ko ēnei tūāhuatanga katoa me ētehi atu wāhanga nei na te rite, ka kitea mai ki kōnei. Kai te haere tonuhia ngā huihuinga me ngā wānanga whakahonohono wheoi anō tirohia te paetukutuku nei nā.

English Translation

Consultation with iwi: tick; strategic planning: tick; surveys: tick; cost-risk analysis: tick; need: Big Tick.

Time then to get on with setting up community health hubs.

That seems the next logical step for Te Ara Tauwhirotanga, the sector wide model of care for Te Whatu Ora Lakes area mental health & addictions.

It was developed through extensive consultation with the community including service providers, service users, whānau, and local iwi. It identifies what the community said was important to them.

The community said the Three Ts were important: Tangata, people; Tikanga values; and Taiao, environment with a local service presence and equitable outcomes.

Our people want their voices heard; to feel that they are valued with family/whanau as partners supported by a well-resourced local service.

This has to be done by people holding a Maori world view, with easy quick access to help when needed. Service by providers with similar values will help in recovery and future wellbeing.

A hub would ideally contain a network of people who love and care for us can sustain us in times of wellness and ill health.

Experience has shown that when a client’s chosen supports are kept well informed and are actively involved things go better.

Service options that maintain family/whānau wellbeing are essential.

Workers within any service have to recognise that each journey is unique and that mutual respect and trust can develop.

That means that no judgement is made of cultural or religious background, or sexual orientation.

What matters most to clients is that people who work in services, are competent in what they do, are helpful, caring and kind.

When service staff are listened to and nurtured professionally, this reflects in their relationships with clients and family/ whānau.

Mental Health Addictions.

The workforce across the services mirrors the community they work within.

Surveys have found that being connected to, and with, others is the most important aspect of a client’s wellbeing.

It is essential that local, regional and national systems work well together so that a client’s experience of them is as seamless as possible.A Maori worldview, matauranga Maori, is essential if Māori clients feel supported to be secure in their own traditions.

That means concepts such as whakapapa, tikanga and kawa are woven into all service delivery.

For us of the Lakes region, it is essential the mana whenua of Te Arawa and Tuwharetoa are recognised and the iwi meaningfully involved at a strategic level in service planning or development.

Easy-quick access to help when needed is essential.

Family/whanau are able to self-manage many things when given the right information or online tools.

For many whanau, connecting with services takes courage and effort and receiving a warm welcome acknowledges their distress and need for swift support.

If a service is not the right one for whanau, it is important they are supported to move to another that is a better fit.

Activity that strengthens and promotes wellbeing is a priority for everyone, whether well, at the start of or experiencing ill health.

In the promotion of well-being and health, growing healthy babies, children and young people is a focus.

Whanau want to be assured that their neighbourhood, school, work and home are safe.

They also need to know that early support, intervention and information is easily available when they need help.

Wellbeing is fluid. Maintaining, restoring, relapsing and recovery are all a part of the journey, meaning the need for services is short term, one-off, episodically or long term.

Recovery happens when hope is present, and strengths are recognised and developed.

Information, service navigation or low-level support should be available using virtual technology or in a physical location within the community. This community-based centre — hub — may offer a range of help options such as rongoa, lifestyle and health coaching, talking therapies, mindfulness, peer support, help with employment, and access to specialists if needed.