Matariki is a time for remembrance, celebrating the present and looking to the future
How are you preparing for Matariki? Māori advisor Chris Webber says 'gather, remember, share and plan' are principles inspired by Matariki that can be applied in our thinking as a public health whanau. As our own team does an annual 'reset', the spirit of collective energy, gratitude and connectedness can lift the fruits of our planning to new heights. Some useful links for Matariki can be found here.
Matariki is the Māori name for the cluster of stars also known as the Pleiades. It rises in midwinter and for many Māori, it heralds the start of a new year. Iwi across New Zealand understand and celebrate Matariki in different ways and at different times.
- Matariki Hunga Nui means the many people of Matariki. It speaks to how Matariki calls people to gather together to remember and honour those we have lost since the last rising of Matariki. Matariki is said to carry the dead across the night sky throughout the year, and when the names of deceased are called out, Māori believe the spirits of the dead become stars in the sky.
- Matariki Ahunga Nui talks to the great food piles of Matariki. Kai and feasting are central elements in Matariki, and people would share the fruits of the harvest. Other forms of celebration included music, dance, art and spending time together.
- Matariki Manako Nui refers to wishes and desires. Māori would send their hopes and dreams into the stars during Matariki. This was a period for learning, sharing, discussion and decision-making. One of the key points of discussion during Matariki was the environment, especially the health of the environment. Many wishes of the ancestors were connected to well-being of people and the taiao. Māori understood that lives depended on maintaining a strong connection to the physical world and caring for nature.
Nau mai i ngā hua, nau mai i ngā taonga, nau mai i te Mātahi o te tau!
Welcome the fruits of the year, welcome the many treasures, welcome the New Year!
|
|
Men's Health Week
Men’s Health Week we have two simple mantras: prevention is way better than a cure, and if we’ve missed the prevention train, then small steps can make a big difference. They've constructed a 'Man WoF' to help identify any tune-ups needed and a 'What's your score' survey to get an overall health score.
|
|
Budget 2022 - initiatives we were pleased to see
After last month's budget announcement, the 4th Well-Being budget, PHANZ National Office team members - Alana (Policy Analyst), Lavinia (Communications Advisor), & Chris (Policy Advisor - Māori) - huddled down to review the budget initiatives and tasked themselves with selecting their top pick and why they are looking forward to seeing investment in this area. Head over to our website to find out what they had to say.
|
|
New beginning for Health System: Pae Ora (Healthy Futures) Bill passes third reading
The countdown is on until the establishment of Health NZ and the Māori Health Authority (MHA). In the last information session, the chair (Dr Ashley Bloomfield) began by outlining what population health is and what public health is. Minister Little then spoke about the objectives of the health reform, followed by Minister Verral on establishing the Public Health Agency. After that Margie Apa spoke about Health NZ, and Bernard Te Paa on the MHA. Throughout the session, the panel touched on Tiriti obligations, localities, Matauranga Māori and local knowledge, data systems, community mobilisation, workforce planning, equitable outcomes, and more. If you missed the information sessions you can view the recordings and transcript here.
July 1st is not far away!
|
|
The 2nd Health Forum on International Collaboration with Asian Countries
The Health Forum was held successfully by Asian International Collaboration of Waitemata DHB on 26-27 May 2022. An e-handbook and a communique/statement are in preparation and will be published on Waitemata DHB’s website. Kaumātua Fraser Toi and Dr Andrew Brant (Deputy CEO, Waitemata DHB) opened the forum. There were speakers from NZ MoH, Peking University, Shandong University, National University of Singapore, and the New Zealand China Council, among others. Rongoā Maori practice and its integration/collaboration with western medicine, and Asian and ethnic health were two special sessions at the Forum. The Forum has received very positive feedback from participants and people who viewed the videos publicly available (New Zealand China Council). YouTube links of the Forum are as follows:
Thursday 26 May: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KkEa2fGivoc&t=12924s;
Friday 27 May: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zGWKKmcafRE
For the programme of the 2nd Health Forum, refer to the post on PHANZ’s WeChat official account in Chinese and English.
|
|
World Federation of Public Health Associations
Indigenous Working Group of the WFPHA
The IWG of the WFPHA is looking forward to the opportunities ahead in particular with the Vice President – President Elect of the WFPHA as the Co-Vice Chair of our group. We will be looking to expand our membership very soon and welcome any interest members have in the work we are planning for the next few years contact us adriantepatu@gmail.com . If you are a member of the PHANZ you are immediately able to become a member of the IWG we also have associate membership for non-indigenous allies. Patai mai! Adrian Te Patu and Dr Carmen Parter - Co-Chairs.
There are also some further great opportunities within the PHANZ and including a possible opportunity to hold a forum on Indigenous Knowledge hosted by the PHANZ and supported by the IWG and we encourage you to get involved, watch this space.
Submissions for the Rome Congress on Public Health open September 1 - see here for further details. We encourage as many Indigenous abstract submissions as possible. Members of the IWG will be represented on the International Scientific Committee. This is an opportunity to raise our voices in the global conversation on equity and in particular to COVID 19.
|
|
Submissions Hub
Recently PHANZ has provided submissions to the Ministry of Education on the Proposed changes to the promotion and provision of healthy drinks in schools. You can read our submission here or take a look at our website submissions page to see all previous submissions.
Currently, we are working on providing feedback on the Sale & Supply of Alcohol (Fees) Regulations 2013 and the Emissions budgets published in 2022, and the first emissions reduction plan. If you have any interest or expertise to contribute and want to get involved please email Alana@pha.org.nz for more information.
|
|
The Treaty and Te Tiriti Policies
We're asking for member experience and interest in refreshing our working policies around Te Tiriti o Waitangi. Who has one to share, how's it working, what are your ideas and would you join a working group for recommendations to help formulate PHANZ policy in this area.
RSVP to Chris@pha.org.nz or Alana@pha.org.nz
|
|
Kai Tahi Lunchtime Gatherings for Building Māori Capacity
At our last Kai Tahi we heard from Tania Hodges from Digital.Indigenous on rangatiratanga and she provided us with her 'hacks' or 'pearls' on leadership. View the video on our website Workshop page to hear all of Tania's great advice, and see below for her key take-away messages.
- Leadership is about what you do to make a difference for others and the legacies you leave behind and the value you add. It’s not about what you take for yourself but the value that you add to others. Leadership is about being tika and pono and operating with integrity 24/7.
- Be self-full (fill your cup, fill your heart). Set a challenge to tell someone that you are close to that you’re going to do something for yourself, set a time frame and actually do it and hold yourself accountable to do it. Unless your cup is full, how can you continue to give to other people.
- Plan to live the life that you want. “The best way to predict your future is to create it.”
Our next Friday gathering will feature a discussion on Manaakitanga. Nau mai, haere mai, all welcome.
|
|
From the Branches
- Critical te Tiriti Analysis Workshops hosted by our AUT branch, free for paid PHANZ members. See advert here.
|
|
Did you miss Te Tiriti-Based Futures + Anti-Racism 2022?
Recordings from the event are periodically being uploaded to their Youtube channel. See below for the first two recordings.
|
|
He Kakara me Kōpere
Kakara is sweet-smelling like a bouquet, Kōpere is a sling or arrow. We celebrate the sweet smell of success whilst ensuring our arrows hit the mark.
Our nomination for this month's kakara award is to Sir Collin Fonotau Tukuitonga who was named a Knight Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit, in this year's Queen's Birthday Honours list, for services to Pacific and public health.
This month's kōpere goes to Louise Wallace for her uneducated remarks about solving Aotearoa's obesity problem with "gaffer tape" over the mouth and that a size 12 dress size equates to good health. We encourage Louise to learn about the social determinants of health and the upstream determinants of obesity before making such suggestions in the future.
|
|
Job opportunity - Come work with us!
We are looking for a superstar Office Manager to join our team! Check out the job advertisement here - full-time (40 hours), work from home (applicants don't have to be from Wellington), immediate start. Please share with your whanau & friends, and get in touch if you are interested.
|
|
Want to contribute to next month's pānui?
We are looking for our members to get in touch for next month's pānui. We want to know what you are working on, celebrate your successes, help you raise an issue or highlight submission deadlines, and get your messages out via our network! If you are interested in writing a piece for our pānui please get in contact at comms@PHA.org.nz. We are open to any public health topic, with particular interest in; Planetary Health, Poverty, Determinants of Health, and Workforce wellbeing.
|
|
|
|
|
|
