October 20, 2022
Weavers raise alarm on breast cancer checks
A group of Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei weavers are the stars of a new Breast Cancer Foundation ad urging wāhine Māori to be alert to the killer disease.
Some 400 wāhine Māori are diagnosed with breast cancer each year – and it’s the leading cause of death for wāhine Māori under 65.
Kororia Witika – she’s the one in the middle with a hair bun – says too many wāhine put their lives at risk unnecessarily by neglecting their own health.
“The best thing for us to do is get the word out and to encourage wahine ma to get mammograms for their own health safety and also to encourage the younger generation, it’s not a scary thing to do,” she says.
Mammogram rates have fallen to an all-time low since the pandemic, with only 59 percent participation from wāhine Māori.