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August 25, 2017
Maori looking to lead outdoors smokefree push
Waatea Team
Posted On August 25, 2017
Clusters of smokers outside marae and other Maori spaces could be the next target of efforts at achieving smokefree Aotearoa.
New research by Dr Heather Gifford from Whanganui’s Whakauae Research for Maori Health and Development shows Maori public health workers are leading efforts to expand auahi kore policies, with Maori netball, kapa haka and Matariki events being used to promote smokefree outdoors.
Tobacco control advocate Zoe Hawke from Hapai Te Hauora says it’s also on the agenda for organisations like the Tamaki Makaurau Maunga Authority.
"Traditionally we were not smokers, we did not have tobacco in our rohe and our country and we certainly didn't have alcohol, so Maori leadership is saying let's move to that space again where we were smoke free," she says.
Zoe Hawke says to work Maori smokefree initiatives need to be culturally-based and not about shaming smokers, so there is now a lot of emphasis in getting whanau to think about the impact of smoking on their tamariki.
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