Published July 2020

This report reveals that Māori communities throughout Te Waipounamu came together to create an effective grassroots response during the COVID-19 lockdown.

The report was created to evaluate Manaaki20, the COVID-19 response delivered by Te Pūtahitanga o Te Waipounamu. Its findings identified that the collaborative effort of providers, Papatipu Runanga, iwi and whānau entities contributed to positive outcomes for whānau in Te Waipounamu. A high level of agility enabled providers to quickly move their business-as-usual activity online and mobilise local resources to quickly respond to the needs created by the COVID-19 environment.

Māori had remarkably low rates of infection during the first wave of the pandemic from March 2020, well below the national population and projected infection rates. This was contrary to dire predictions for the rate of COVID-19 infection and mortality in Māori communities.

The report suggests that the extent of the gain for Māori may be attributed to the localised Māori response, validating a strengths-based approach at scale. (From the website).

The report includes information about the He Waka Tapu and Hey Bro helpline response (pp.40-46). Record #7127