The TE RANGA TUPUA COVID-19 RESPONSE: the strength of Māori relationships and Iwi networks in Aotearoa New Zealand

Abstract

“Ko te pae tawhiti whāia kia tata, ko te pae tata whakamaua kia tina; seek to bring distant horizons closer and sustain and cherish those that have been arrived at”.   This whakatauāki or proverb, from Dr Whakaari Te Rangitakuku Metekingi (LLD, CBE) of Whanganui and Ngāti Hauiti tribes reminds us that, while we must have a vision to aspire towards, we must also tend to the here and now, to the issues that are up front and close to home. It exhorts us to strengthen what has already been achieved and find ways of creating benefits for others. This paper presents the collaborative response to COVID-19 by Iwi (tribes) within Te Ranga Tupua (TRT), a collective of Iwi from the South Taranaki/Whanganui/Rangitīkei/Ruapehu regions of Aotearoa New Zealand. The research employs a mixed methods design, based on a Kaupapa Maori approach. The quantitative section identifies the population served and quantum of support provided, while the qualitative data presents the processes and associated learnings from the perspective of those tasked with the response. TRTs response to the threat of COVID-19 is shown to have been grounded in Māori values (tikanga), whānau (family) based and holistic, taking into account the mental, emotional, social, cultural and spiritual elements of safety and wellbeing, rather than just the absence or presence of the virus . The extensive relationships and networks that existed between tribes represented in the TRT collective were key to the timely distribution of care and support to Iwi members, to appropriate and relevant information dissemination and to the overall wellbeing of the people during the most difficult times of the COVID-19 response.