April 01, 2020
Ngati Hine develops pandemic response
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The chair of Ngāti Hine says there’s a real sense of goodwill in the Northland iwi as it faces up to the challenge of fighting COVID-19.
The iwi has established a new group, Te Manawaroa o Ngāti Hine, to lead what it believes needs to be a long-term community response to the pandemic.
Pita Tipene says the current lockdown comes on top of the drought and all the long-running challenges facing the iwi including poverty, high-risk health and social concerns, and serving member in remote rural areas.
He’s keen to see community testing so the iwi can get a better sense of how it's affecting their whānau.
“The figures may not truly reflect the impact on our communities so we really need to test as much as possible and get some accurate figures and information to the whole community,” he says.
Peter Tipene says one of the hardest aspects of the lockdown has been dealing with what seems to be an unusual number of mate, with people having to grieve online because normal tangihanga are not allowed.
Te Manawaroa o Ngāti Hine will be based out of Ngati Hine Health Trust. Which has centres in Kawakawa and Whangarei, and it will look to work alongside local NGOs, whānau ora collectives, community groups, and neighbouring iwi.
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