December 22, 2015
HRC throws grant lifeline for drowning researcher
The Health Research Council is funding University of Otago physical education graduate Chanel Phillips to look into why Maori are more likely to drown than other water users.
Maori account for 22 percent of drowning deaths despite makeup just 15 percent of the population.
Ms Phillips, from Ngapuhi and Ngati Hine, says $120,000 Maori PhD Scholarship will allow her to investigate the health connection of Maori to the ocean, rivers, and lakes.
She will work with with Hawke’s Bay’s Te Taitimu Trust and Otago’s Ki Uta Ki Tai Volunteer Week.
Previous researchers have suggested the high number of Maori drowning fatalities may be either because Maori no longer have access to traditional knowledge and tikanga associated with water safety, or because of the greater exposure of Maori to lakes, rivers and seas in pursuit of food.
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