Working with Māori

This section was co-written with Te Rau Ora in 2023.
It was informed by a series of hui Māori involving people who use drugs, their whānau, and kaimahi.

Māori whānau, hapori, and leaders want thinking, approaches, and actions driven mā Māori mō Māori (by Māori for Māori) that will help Māori thrive. When connecting to the international harm reduction movement, space must be provided for approaches in Aotearoa to be guided by Māori values and principles. International conversations are now taking place to acknowledge that legal, health, and social responses to drugs have inequitably harmed indigenous people and that there is a need for indigenous people to have space for their aspirations, knowledge, and leadership to be seen and supported. 

Context is crucial. Many whānau have suffered adversity and multiple layers of trauma across generations, driven by colonisation and ongoing structural bias. This includes being inequitably impacted by the ways in which the health, social, and legal systems in Aotearoa have responded to substance use. Discretion on how laws are applied has led to inequitable harm for Māori people and is often exacerbated by negative stereotypes. Solutions lie within whānau, hapori, hapū, and iwi, who should be integral to developing harm reduction approaches. 

Key considerations: 

• Whānau, hapū, and iwi have strengths, strategies, and aspirations that need to be incorporated into harm reduction approaches. This includes: 

  • Approaches being informed by what is important to whānau, hapū, and iwi. 

  • Approaches that are developed and provided by working with whānau, hapū, and iwi.
  • Protecting space for Māori by Māori approaches to be used and developed.
• Māori have been seriously impacted by colonisation and the lingering effects of colonial systems that discriminate against Māori. Harm reduction approaches must be seen in the context of intergenerational trauma (focusing on safety, choice, collaboration, trust, and empowerment rather than the negative aspects) and the complex relationship that many Māori have with their culture after entire generations were stripped of language, land, and their rights to live as Māori. Further kōrero is needed to ensure harm reduction approaches are guided by Māori values and principles. 
• Approaches should work with mana whenua from their local area, and try to help people connect with their own iwi and hapū if they whakapapa to a different area from where they live. This should allow for local pūrakau, whakataukī, and aspirations to be heard, utilised, and nurtured.  
• The proposed values for harm reduction practice in Aotearoa were developed in a series of hui Māori. This process was used because the development of harm reduction in Aotearoa should be guided by Māori values and principles. Relating as people and first identifying what they want or need with no assumptions, and seeing people holistically (both in relation to dimensions of health and as a person with an extensive whakapapa) are examples of strong alignment between Te Ao Māori values and harm reduction values in Aotearoa. 
• Many whānau have experienced serious harm from the way that members of their whānau have used substances and the way the health, social, and legal systems have responded to that substance use. Often these whānau have dreams that future generations will not use substances. At the same time, they do not want people turned away from services because they are “not ready” to reduce or stop their substance use. Human conversations are needed – a harm reduction approach may not take away the hurt that whānau have felt, but could prevent further hurt. 
• Recognise that not everyone who is Māori will feel strongly connected to being Māori. For the generations who were stripped of language, land, and culture, the journey of connecting with whakapapa, reo, and tikanga can have many ups and downs and generate strong emotions. Disconnection can carry a lot of mamae (hurt). Meet people where they are at and remove shame, stigma, and nervousness. Let people determine their process. This also means providing choices – some may want a kaupapa Māori approach or to be supported by kaimahi Māori, and some may not. 
• Prioritise local development of harm reduction that grows from Māori values and principles. Harm reduction can be considered an international movement. Remaining connected to international experiences and evidence is important, and there also needs to be space for local approaches to grow from mātauranga Māori and Aotearoa roots. 

You might be interested in these links: 

• Whare Tukutuku – This team, within Te Rau Ora, aim to elevate an alcohol and other drug workforce that is whānau-centred and community-focused 
• Pae Tata Pae Tawhiti – A brief and early intervention framework that uses a harm reduction approach 
• Tawhiti – An indigenous trauma informed harm reduction approach to alcohol and other drugs
• Hua Oranga – A brief, one page Māori health outcome measure 
• The TOHU framework: Sensing and interpreting tohu to heal from trauma 
• Whai tikanga: The application of a culturally relevant value centred approach