By Michael Naera, Kia Piki Te Ora Project Leader, Te Runanga o Ngati Pikiao

I had the pleasure of attending the above wananga with Sir Mason Durie alongside a number of groups including Whanau Ora Collectives; iwi; hapu; community; schools; Government agencies; and Universities. The event was hosted by Compass Seminars with the view of looking at ‘Maori in the 21st Century.’ In attendance were 75-100 participants.

Mason’s presentation was filled with key messages whereby he provided an historical account of Maori living in pre-European times to today. He talked about several models ranging from Te Whare Tapa Wha; Awhiowhio; Mauriora; Rituals for Engagement; Tapu & Noa; and Whanau Ora. All these models were fashioned around utilising Matauranga Maori as the catalyst for ensuring excellence in health. Particularly shifting the lens from working solely with reducing risk factors but to populate protective factors as a means for positively advancing Maori health.

The overall feeling of the day was fantastic in terms of the content delivered, Masons sense of humour, and wisdom. With the aim of helping to look at Maori health differently in terms of changing embedded habits of working clinically with whanau to using holistic models of health to achieve wellness.