Māori work to provide for whānau in need during alert level 4

Wednesday, 18 August 2021

As alert level 4 begins, Māori have picked up the pace addressing concerns of whānau across the wider Manawatū.

Te Tihi o Ruahine Whānau Ora Alliance were regrouping on Wednesday morning to plan support for their community as lockdown began.

Aotearoa was sent into alert level 4 at 11.59pm on Tuesday after a 58-year-old Auckland man tested positive for the Delta variant of Covid-19.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern went hard and fast, announcing a nationwide lockdown for at least three days, with Auckland and the Coromandel remaining in alert level 4 for seven days.

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By Wednesday community cases had risen to five people across Auckland.

Materoa Mar​, manager of Te Tihi o Ruahine Whānau Alliance, that incudes nine iwi, hapū and Māori organisations, said they had learned from the lockdowns in 2020 and were ready to deliver.

On Wednesday morning they were setting up connections and holding a hui to organise the best response across the next three days, she said.

Food security and communications were at the top of their list, ensuring whānau were provided for and had the right information about keeping themselves and their families safe.

“We’re pretty agile at providing, and we’ve got strong relationships so we can move off the back of those, we don't have to wait.”

She said the alliance was working to repurpose kai provided for school lunches to disrupted to whānau across the region, but were yet to get clearance for the switch.

There were strong whanaungatanga networks between iwi and whānau, and Mar was confident help would get to those who needed it.

But there were concerns about how best to help due the higher risk of transmission for the Delta variant.

“We’re trying to work out how best to do this. It’s a more virulent form [of the virus] so we don’t want to put whānau at risk,” Mar said.

“[But] we’re placing ourselves in a position of strength. The situation is somewhat challenging, but I don’t think we should approach it with negativity.”

As of August 16, more than 140,000 Māori had received their first vaccination across Aotearoa, according to Ministry of Health statistics.

In the MidCentral district more than 88,000 people had received their first vaccination as of August 8.