Māori health research receives a funding boost

News Release
 
 
 

7 June 2007

STRICTLY EMBARGOED UNTIL THURSDAY 7 JUNE 2007

Māori health research receives a funding boost from HRC

Māori health research programme, Te Pumanawa Hauora, has been given a $2.3 million boost in the latest Health Research Council of New Zealand (HRC) annual funding round.

The HRC is the principal Government agency responsible for funding health research in New Zealand.

Te Pumanawa Hauora, led by Professor Mason Durie at Massey University, has been running since 1993 with support from the HRC. The new funding will allow important research to continue in areas such as health and wellbeing in older Māori, Māori mental health and Māori child health, as well as making a significant contribution to building Māori research capacity.

A number of new Māori health projects were also funded in this latest round. These will address a variety of issues related to Māori health and well being and will help build Māori research capacity.

Dr Paul Reynolds from Te Atawhai o te Ao in Whanganui will be undertaking research into Māori views and attitudes to assisted reproductive technologies (ART) and infertility. Māori currently have little input into the current discourse on such technologies and this project will help address the lack of information that relates directly to tikanga or matauranga Māori.

Dr Tim McCreanor from the Whariki Research Group at Massey University will examine the impact of negative depictions of Māori in the media, and the impact this has on health and well being. This project will seek to build social cohesion, inform on the health and social impacts of media constructions and enhance advocacy for improved media coverage of Māori and Treaty issues.

HRC Group Manager, Māori Health and Health Sector Relationships, Aroha Haggie, says the research funded in the latest HRC round will help inform policy and practice and contribute to the improvement of Māori health and well being.

“These research grants represent high quality research which will contribute to whanau ora through improving health outcomes for Māori, and build research capacity and capability for Māori,” she says.

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