National Hauora Coalition

Promoting health, well-being, and longevity from mokopuna through to kaumātua, was the founding vision for Iron Māori. It’s a vision, that’s well aligned to our moemoea, Mana Whānau, Whānau ora, so of course we had to get involved too. Our team is now in full training mode, embracing the challenge not just for physical health but for fun, team building and mental wellness too. We have a page where we share #Fitspo pics to hype each other up, share our training wins, and get (and give encouragement). Themes have included work out selfies, our walking buddies, our view and what we’re proud of. This journey is about more than just a race though—it’s about self-discovery, strengthening the mind and body, and ensuring this kaupapa continues to uplift future generations. We’ll share more pics after the race, on November 22nd! 

It’s essential to empower whānau with the knowledge they need to maintain their health and quality of life as they get older. With that in mind, we’re proud to be working with Third Age Health Services to distribute copies of their Navigating Wellness Guidebook to our NHC community. This valuable resource has been designed to support their health, offering guidance for informed healthcare decisions so they can enhance their wellbeing. The guidebook features clear and concise information on key health topics for them to navigate with ease, as well as professional advice, simple tips, helpful resources, and a self-assessment tool. Thank you for your mahi, Third Age Health Services and for providing us with this crucial tool for our mātāpuputu and NHC whānau.

“My role enables me to address the real needs of whānau and make a tangible difference in their lives, which is incredibly rewarding.” There is no doubt that mahi Monleigh Ikiua does, is changing lives. We’re proud to have her on our team, and are excited to share a bit about her work with you.   Check out our kōrero with Monleigh below 👇

Breast cancer affects 1 in 9 wahine in Aotearoa. Early detection is key to beating it. This Breast Cancer Awareness Month, a few of our kaimahi sat down to korero, support each other, and record this video to help others! Remember, symptoms to look out for are: • Lumps or thickening in the breast or underarm • Changes in size or shape of the breast Dimpling or puckering of the skin • Nipple discharge or inversion • Unexplained pain in the breast or nipple Call your neni, māmā, sister, cousins, even your moko, to remind them Kia ū ki ō ū 📱 ❤️ Renee Namavong Kim Arrowsmith Breast Cancer Awareness Month

World Meningitis Day is an important time to raise awareness about the effects of meningitis —especially for our whānau Māori. According to recent ESR data, Māori pēpi remain disproportionately affected by meningitis. Māori make up 36% of meningococcal disease cases so far this year and 6 of the eight cases aged under 5 years were Māori - making it the highest number of any age group. Ahead of World Meningitis Day, let’s ensure that our whānau are protected. Vaccination, early diagnosis, and increased awareness can save lives. Want to help? Share this message: The meningococcal B vaccine, Bexsero, is now funded as part of scheduled childhood immunisations for children up to 12 months of age with a catch-up programme available for 13-59-month-olds until August 31, 2025. Read more about the findings in the New Zealand Herald article (link in comments) 👇 #WorldMeningitisDay #HealthcareEquity #MāoriHealth

Te Kāhui Hauora Māori, a collective of primary health care providers, is laying down a challenge to the Minister of Health, Hon Dr Shane Reti. "Do what is right and include ethnicity, as a variable, in equitable healthcare." Ora Toa Director of Health, Michael Rongo explains that a directive, which includes ethnicity, will ensure fair and robust needs-based provisions for individual care, services and health contracts everyone can use to guide their equity work. “It will meet the Government’s objectives, and continue decades of work already undertaken to improve equitable health outcomes for Māori, Pasifika people, and all other ethnicities which suffer from certain health conditions, of which ethnicity, is one of the determining factors.” The wero to Hon Dr Shane Reti was laid down following the latest Government directive from the Public Services Minister Nicola Willis to remove, or justify using, ethnicity in needs based service provisions in every public agency including health. In Aotearora Māori are sicker, dying younger and prematurely, more than any other ethnic group. Māori children are disproportionately represented in social situations such as poverty in greater numbers than any other ethnicity, leading to higher rates of preventable health conditions and death. Last week was Mental Health Week, a time to reflect on the mental health of all Kiwis. Māori are overrepresented across every condition, particularly rangatahi, New Zealand’s future leaders and 20 per cent of the workforce by 2040. It is why Te Kāhui Hauora Māori (TKHM) is extremely concerned about recent developments and challenged the Health Minister to do what is right by providing a fair and just counter directive to the policy set down by the Minister of Public Services. You can find the link to the full article, in the comments section below.

The impact of Mental Health Awareness Week last week was far reaching as it sparked vital conversations about the role of community in mental wellbeing and hauora. For one of our programmes, every day is about prioritising mātauranga Māori as a pathway to wellness and positive wellbeing for whānau. We sat down for a kōrero with two of our kaimahi from Te Kaupapa, our culturally led and clinically supported mental health and addictions service. The programme provides a 'By Māori, For Māori' approach to whānau in distress. Check out the kōrero with NHC's Ashleigh Latimer and Anneke Hepi below 👇

Rheumatic Fever is a serious illness that often starts with a sore throat. Rheumatic Fever in Aotearoa is almost exclusively an issue for Pasifika and Māori and is most heavily concentrated in south Auckland. In this video, our Tikanga Advisor Shannon Leilua opens up about his journey with Rheumatic Fever. Please take a moment to watch and join us in the fight to prevent RF from affecting more of our community, by getting all sore throats checked. It may just save a life.

"I invite the Pasifika people to get into the programme because it will make a big difference in the home, especially when you have a big family like mine." Gladys Salu Hartson Shingles from Tagata Pasifika told a wonderful story of AWHI's recently launched Pacific Healthy Homes initiative in this week's show, sharing the news that AWHI's services now includes Pacific aiga in Counties Manukau, with a focus on those aged 45 and over. Ngā mihi nui to Mr Kailahi, Letele Tuiafitu Tiseli, our provider from Pasefika Family Health Group, and AWHI's very own Evita Toala for your parts in this story, and, of course, to Gladys and Tagata Pasifika (Sunpix Ltd) for helping to spread the word to the community! This new initiative, funded by Ministry for Pacific Peoples, will see AWHI help hundreds of Pacific families in South Auckland by improving their housing conditions with targeted healthy homes solutions, making a difference to their hauora and quality of life. Check it out below 👇

"Learning te reo Māori is a small way of acknowledging the importance of the indigenous people of Aotearoa and the beauty and vibrancy that te ao Māori adds to our cultural fabric." It's Te Wiki o te Reo Māori e te iwi! We had a kōrero with one of our kaimahi, Phil Light about his journey with learning te reo Māori, why he thinks it's important for Tangata Tiriti to embrace te reo, as well as his favourite kīwaha both in and outside the tari. Ngā mihi Phil, we appreciate you taking the time to kōrero with us! Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Māori #ReoMāori #TeWikioteReoMāori #MāoriLanguageWeek #AkeAkeAke