Whānau Ora: Visualising a New Future

Addictions are now epidemic in New Zealand society and the lifestyles of Māori modelled on non-Māori is now creating considerable health issues in whānau. Results of an exploratory study on the impact of gambling on Māori will be presented in relation to the need for Whānau Ora to be a bipartisan policy and programme for at least a decade or more to address intergenerational trauma. A community-based whānau impact assessment tool is now needed so that the cost of addictions can be estimated as a Treaty of Waitangi claim to seek compensation of loss of potential in the development of whānau, hapū and iwi.

Dr Lorna Dyall, Ngāti Maniapoto, is involved in teaching Māori and public health. Her background includes developing Māori health policy and health services for almost three decades, and this has helped her identify gambling as an emerging public health issue for Māori, the topic of her PhD. Her current research involves working with people of advanced age and with Māori aged 80 to 90 years to identify how they have become elite survivors.