Housing and Health for Whānau Māori
Improving Māori housing is a vital part of improving Māori health; however, little has been written about the relationship between the lived experience of Māori in their existing and historic homes and whānau wellness. Without knowledge of what a health-promoting home is for whānau Māori, our ability, in public health and beyond, to promote the health of whānau, hapū and iwi is critically compromised. Whilst there has been much talk of the current ‘crisis’ in Māori housing and health, these issues have been part of the political and health landscape for well over a century, yet the same problems are still being discussed and the hoped-for gains are still to be realised.
Amber Logan presents the findings of her PhD research, which focused on the relationship between whānau ora for whānau Māori and housing, and looked at why there are persistent and significant disparities between Māori and non-Māori. She explores the historical influences on homes and communities that have shaped Māori housing, and presents a conceptualisation of the health-promoting home for whānau Māori based on contemporary Māori experiences of the home and its relationship with health, utilising te ao Māori.
Cheryl Davies and Guy Penny will speak about He Tipu Manahau, a papakāinga housing project, a partnership between Wainuiomata marae, Kāinga Ora and He Kāinga Oranga to create a sustainable eco-housing development based around the marae to provide warm and healthy homes for the local community. It will incorporate a smart renewable energy microgrid to supply affordable power to residents.
Presentation: Amber Logan, Housing and Health for Whānau Māori, pdf.
Presentation: Cheryl Davies & Guy Penny, Empowering local communities in
Aotearoa/New Zealand, pdf.
Speakers
Dr Amber Logan (Ngāti Kahungunu) is a mother of five and a registered psychologist. She was raised by her kaumātua at Waipatu in Hawkes Bay, next to the marae of the same name. Her early career was spent working as a psychologist in public health settings. This work later expanded to include service and programme development, research and evaluation, teaching and presenting to international forums on indigenous issues.
Cheryl Davies, Ko Ngāti Raukawa, Ngāti WehiWehi, Ngāti Mutunga o te Wharekauri oku iwi, has managed the Tu Kotahi Māori Asthma and Research Trust - the first Māori asthma society in New Zealand - for over 30 years. Cheryl has worked alongside the University of Otago on a number of key research studies involving Māori communities over the past 23 years.
Guy Penny (Ngāti Kahungunu ki Wairoa) is a geographer, scientist and engineer with an interest is in human-environment systems and the development and application of values, knowledge and processes to support healthy communities and environments. He has worked with business, government, Crown Research Institutes, universities and Māori organisations on a wide range of sustainable development and environmental management projects across Aotearoa since the mid-1990s, as a researcher, project manager and advisor. Much of his work has been in the areas of sustainable resource use, building science and healthy housing, community renewable renewable energy systems, climate change impacts and equity, and oranga Māori. He is currently part of the team evaluating MBIE’s Māori Housing Renewable Energy fund and is the Māori strand lead in the University of Otago’s Public Housing and Urban Regeneration Programme. He has been working with the Wainuiomata Marae on their Papakāinga development since 2018.
This seminar took place on 23rd November 2022 at City Gallery, 101 Wakefield St, Wellington.
For further information please contact Libby Grant libby.grant@otago.ac.nz