Listen Now: 
December 01, 2021
Māori knock door down on fatal Covid response
Adam Gifford
Posted On December 1, 2021
Download AudioThe co-chair of Auckland iwi and marae collective Taumata Kōrero says the preventable deaths of two Māori in so-called community supported isolation highlights the need for Māori providers to be at the front of the Covid response.
A review of the cases from beginning of last month said the men, in Manukau and Mt Eden, were not contacted because of flaws in the phone-based systems and a failure to engage Māori providers.
Hurimoana Dennis from Te Puea Marae says Taumata Kōrero is seeking funding for at least 25 connector positions to do the door knocking to ensure people have the support they need.
He says the problem will only get bigger as more people contract the disease, so providers need to understand how to get whānau through noa, tapu and out the other side safely.
Hurimoana Dennis says Taumata Kōrero is also seeking extra resources to scale up Māori health providers and the Māori food network, and it wants to be working off the same plan as the ministries of Health and Social Development, rather than the three taking separate paths.
RELATED NEWS
