He kōrero tā tēnā, tā tēnā otiia, te katoa, he aha tāu?

He kōrero tā tēnā, tā tēnā otiia, te katoa, he aha tāu? Everyone has a story, what’s yours?

All of us have stories of the COVID-19 pandemic, the good, the bad and the ugly.

The rōpū behind the Te Tauihu Covid Māori Action Plan 2022, which includes Te Hauora o Ngāti Rārua, is conducting research to better understand the voices of Māori in Te Tauihu relating to the pandemic. We know that despite our best efforts, inequities exist and it’s really important that decision makers understand what that looks like for whānau and where the gaps are.

Who do we want to hear from?

We want to hear from as many whānau Māori living in Te Tauihu as possible – all 18,000 of us! Those of us who have had COVID, those of us who have cared for somebody with COVID, those who us who needed to stay in a quarantine facility, those of us who were vaccinated and those of us who were not. Nothing is out of bounds. We want to hear from mana whenua and maataa waka, rangatahi, pākeke and kaumātua.

How can I take part?

If you do not mind sharing your story with the Te Tauihu COVID-19 Research Project and want to help ensure we have a firm Māori voice at the table, please email Project Manager Dr Melissa Cragg at melissa.cragg@xtra.co.nz

Anything else?

For more information about the project, have a look here. To hear more from Dr Melissa Cragg, see here.

Ngā mihi ki a koutou – your help and input is valued and will help shape future efforts to ensure no whānau Māori is left behind.