Waka Hourua
Te Rau Matatini Interim Chief Executive – Maria Baker
14 March 2017 Midday release
Ngā tangata Māori e tohe mo te heke mai pai, me te Oranga
Māori men striving for a positive future and wellbeing
Waka Hourua: National Māori and Pasifika suicide prevention programme has released a document it hopes will support and
invoke whānau and rohe in their efforts to prevent suicide amongst Tāne Māori.
Te Pātūtū Oranga: Successful initiatives to suicide prevention amongst Tāne Māori was officially released today by Te
Rau Matatini at Te Korowai Hauora o Hauraki in Thames hosted by Tāne Ora ki Waikato.
It provides a glimpse of varying initiatives across Aotearoa New Zealand that specifically focus on building the
capacity and capability of communities and their whānau regarding Tāne Ora. A suicide prevention resource to be shared
for its findings, tools and learnings, whilst provoking groups to reflect on what more they can do to help Māori men and
boys.
Waka Hourua Programme Lead Tio Sewell believes the solutions are to be found within Māori communities.
“This resource shows us that the solutions architect, led by boys and men, are amongst us in our rohe, within our whānau
and they should be at the heart of any strategies that are created and implemented.”
Waka Hourua is addressing the needs of Māori and Pasifika people by supporting solutions to the problem in the hands of
the communities who are impacted by suicide. It is still in its infancy by international standards, which say that
national suicide prevention strategies need to be measured over one to two decades to show the long-term impact for a
population.
But the programme is showing some measurable results amongst our whanau, aiga, children, parents, siblings and
communities. Families are telling us their initiatives are having an impact and are saving lives.
Launched in 2014, Waka Hourua is New Zealand’s national Māori and Pasifika suicide prevention programme led by partners
Te Rau Matatini and Le Va.
ends