Māori water safety record under spotlight

Tuesday, 22 December 2015

Māori water safety record under spotlight

A newly funded study will investigate why Māori are overrepresented in the national drowning statistics despite having a strong cultural connection to the water.

Physical education graduate Chanel Phillips (Ngāpuhi, Ngāti Hine) from the University of Otago says that although Māori make up about 15 per cent of New Zealand’s population, they account for 22 per cent of our national drowning statistics. She plans to get to the bottom of this anomaly with the support of a Health Research Council of New Zealand (HRC) Māori PhD Scholarship worth $120,000.

“There is very little published research that examines why Māori have high rates of drowning despite a strong cultural connection to water. My doctoral research will investigate the health connection of Māori to the ocean, rivers, and lakes through a study of Hawke’s Bay – working with Te Taitimu Trust – and Otago – working with Ki Uta Ki Tai Volunteer Week – and highlight whether this health connection contributes to Māori drowning rates,” says Miss Phillips.

One of the few reports on this topic suggests that the high number of Māori drowning fatalities may be because Māori no longer have access to traditional knowledge and tikanga associated with water safety, while another suggests it may reflect the greater exposure of Māori to lakes, rivers and seas, particularly as revered sources of food.

Miss Phillips says the findings from her study will help to identify interventions to improve Māori drowning statistics and contribute to Water Safety New Zealand’s Māori Strategy ‘Kia Maanu Kia Ora: Stay Afloat, Stay Alive’.

HRC Chief Executive Professor Kath McPherson says Miss Phillips is one of 21 emerging Māori health researchers to receive a HRC Māori career development award this year, with a combined total of $1.8 million awarded.

“Our sustained investment in Māori health researchers over the past 25 years means that New Zealand now leads the world in indigenous health research. It’s only by supporting high-quality research, which uses and advances Māori knowledge, resources and people, that we can significantly improve Māori health outcomes,” says Professor McPherson.

One of the major awards, valued at more than $542,000, has gone to Dr Lisa Chant (Ngāti Whatua) from AUT University. Dr Chant will use her HRC Māori postdoctoral fellowship to develop indigenous-led and community based solutions for Māori children under 13 years who misuse substances. She will liaise closely with top indigenous health practitioners in this area from New Zealand, Australia, and North America to find out what is working, where the gaps are, and what best practice might look like.

“In New Zealand we have a number of excellent government and non-government organisation initiatives to build knowledge and expertise within the alcohol and other drug workforce. What’s missing is good recent data on what the situation is for Māori children under 13 years who are misusing substances, particularly in terms of diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis,” says Dr Chant.

As part of the study, Dr Chant and her team will create open-source, web-based materials to support practitioners, families, communities, and stakeholders to develop health solutions that emphasise whānau rangitiratanga (family self-determination) and are unique to each child.

See below for a full list of all the HRC Māori career development award recipients, or go to www.hrc.govt.nz/funding-opportunities/recipients and filter for ‘Māori Health Research’ and ‘2016’.

HRC Māori health research career development awards

Postdoctoral fellowships

Dr Lisa Chant, AUT University
General Māori health research postdoctoral fellowship
Maraea – Supportive solutions for indigenous children who misuse substances
48 months, $542,281
Dr Ruakere Hond, Te Pou Tiringa Incorporated
Hohua Tutengaehe postdoctoral fellowship
Whakarauora Hapori
48 months, $483,854

PhD scholarships

Mrs Aria Graham, Victoria University of Wellington
Tika tonu – young Māori mothers’ experiences of wellbeing following birth
18 months, $60,977

Ms Karen Keelan, the University of Otago
A qualitative investigation of experiences of aged residential care by Māori
60 months, $104,680

Ms Ngahuia Murphy, the University of Waikato
Investigating customary Māori philosophies regarding the whare tangata (womb)
36 months, $109,700

Mr Mahonri Owen, the University of Waikato
Development of a neural interface for prosthetics
36 months, $111,550

Miss Chanel Phillips, the University of Otago
Kia maanu, kia ora: Examining Māori water safety
36 months, $120,016

Dr Jamie-Lee Rahiri, the University of Auckland
Optimising post-operative pain relief following abdominal surgery
36 months, $114,025

Masters scholarships

Mrs Jewell Albert, AUT University
To better understand how cultural context can make a difference for hauora
12 months, $19,157

Ms Hazel Hape, AUT University
Wahine Māori and the pursuit of mauri ora (health and wellbeing)
12 months, $19,157

Miss Deborah Heke, AUT University
Metabolic and affective responses to high intensity training with Māori women
12 months, $19,157

Summer studentships

Miss Ngareka Bensemann, the University of Otago
Oranga niho mokopuna: A literature review of early childhood caries in Aotearoa
10 weeks, $5,000

Miss Erana Burrows, Te Whare Wānanga o Awanuiārangi
Catalyst for Māori health development: A case study of Māori nursing
10 weeks, $5,000

Mr Nathaniel Carter, the University of Auckland
How does alcohol exposure affect an infant’s epigenome?
10 weeks, $2,500

Miss Nadine Houia-Ashwell, the University of Otago
A survey of Māori health professional students at Otago
10 weeks, $5,000

Ms Samantha Jackson, the University of Otago
Ko Māhuhu te waka: Māhuhu is the ancestral canoe
10 weeks, $5,000

Ms Cinnamon-Jo Lindsay, the University of Auckland
Māori satisfaction in their health by DHB regions, do these make a difference?
10 weeks, $5,000

Miss Correna Matika, the University of Auckland
Exploring Māori people’s satisfaction with health care accessibility over time
10 weeks, $5,000

Mr Jordan Tewhaiti-Smith, the University of Otago
Barriers and enablers for Māori children accessing primary health care
10 weeks, $5,000

Ms Acacia Wratten Stone, Te Whanau o Waipareira Trust
Māori mental health – models of kaupapa Māori therapy
10 weeks, $5,000

Māori health development grants

Dr Tanya Allport, Te Whanau o Waipareira Trust
Ngā arataki ki te hauora Māori: Pathways for Māori health development
7 months, $10,000

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