From the Introduction:

The resurgence of mātauranga (knowledge) Māori practices and philosophies signals the growing demand for alternative and holistic approaches to managing health and wellbeing. In the revitalisation of Māori ways of being and knowing, whānau and mātauranga Māori practitioners have begun walking alongside each other discovering the benefits of Māori perspectives in their everyday lives.

It is our privilege to capture and share their experiences through our multi-year journey as Healthy Families NZ. Mātauranga Māori provides the foundation and heart of this report.

Healthy Families NZ has a decade of experience  in working collaboratively to celebrate, champion and amplify Māori systems as prevention solutions.  Our kaimahi utilise kaupapa Māori approaches  and mātauranga Māori practices in their mahi and across communities to achieve equity of health  for Māori.

Key to this is how we share power differently with whānau and communities, how we uphold the mana of Te Tiriti o Waitangi through the way we partner and collaborate at every level and how we activate healthier environments so that whānau are enabled to live well.

Further on in the report, we share stories from each of our teams demonstrating how we are amplifying Māori systems as prevention solutions. Each of these stories are a snapshot in time, and examples that are transforming how mātauranga and health prevention are understood, appreciated and grown in Aotearoa. Our stories are positioned under our Healthy Families NZ key focus areas, to demonstrate that mātauranga Māori transcends all areas of our lives.

We have highlighted only a few of the many initiatives led by communities across Aotearoa and supported by Healthy Families NZ. This includes stories that have created systemic shifts, and where opportunities for change at a government policy and practice level are occurring due to the value recognition of Māori-led approaches.

It is time to return to sustainable approaches and knowledge systems to advance wellbeing, prevent chronic disease and achieve health equity for Māori. Rauawaawa brings together perspectives, experiences, expertise and aspirations for the future of our health system.

Impact statement

Whānau hold the answers to re-orienting the health system to improve wellbeing for all. Upholding mātauranga Māori and the integrity of our traditional systems is central to the Healthy Families NZ approach because we recognise that Te Ao Māori has the power to transform health outcomes for whānau and communities in the places we live, learn, work and play. Returning to Māori systems and the ways of our tupuna are fundamental to achieving Pae Ora.

Rauawaawa provides an opportunity for transformational change.

Inequities in health status and outcomes for Māori are prevalent and span multiple generations. It is well-documented that non-Māori experience lower incidence and mortality from chronic disease with evidence of the link between colonisation and a healthcare system that has reduced access to, and effectiveness of, health services and interventions for Māori1. In 2019, the Waitangi Tribunal released WAI2575, a report on Stage One of the Health Services and Outcomes Kaupapa Inquiry which concluded that in accordance with Te Tiriti o Waitangi, the primary healthcare system has failed to achieve equitable health outcomes for Māori2. Health status and preferences of Māori or kaupapa Māori approaches in healthcare policy and decision-making have been missing from our current health system.3 If systemic factors such as policy and resource flows remain in this current state, our health system will struggle to create equity for Māori and reduce preventable chronic disease. Whereas the values of mana, rangatiratanga and kaitiakitanga provide for authority to always be exercised in a manner that nurtures people and te taiao, existing systems lack this in-built protection. Central to achieving better and more equitable outcomes is how we share power differently with whānau and communities; creating healthier environments for whānau, and upholding the mana of Te Tiriti o Waitangi through the way we partner and collaborate at every level of the system.

We have intended to explore and demonstrate how mātauranga Māori systems, traditions and practices when contextualised in contemporary settings are still, today, prevention opportunities.

As Māori, we inherently believe that our systems, such as Maramataka:

• Support quality and authentic engagement with whānau most at risk of preventable chronic illness and disease.
• Encourage whānau to consider their health and wellbeing earlier, towards preventative practice.
• Amplify the importance of whakapapa (genealogy/connection), whanaungatanga (relationships) and connection to te taiao (environment) - our protective factors. ...

Healthy Families New Zealand, February 2025

See also

Healthy Families New Zealand

Healthy Families South Auckland