Apps help keep whānau safe

Sergeant Phil Rowden, Māori Liaison Officer for Hawke's Bay, and Allan Brown at the launching of the app at the Hastings Fire Station earlier this month. Photo / Supplied

Allan Brown, a senior firefighter at the Hastings Fire Station, is supportive of working to help our Māori whānau keep safe, healthy and well.

Allan works closely with the NZ Police iwi liaison officers to help address the needs of Māori whānau who live in vulnerable communities and who may not have access to information to assist themselves for the better.

He says though Fire and Emergency NZ has a statutory obligation to save lives, unfortunately, they don't have a local iwi liaison officer to provide educational support for whānau and lower the injury and death statistics.

Since moving to Hastings 10 years ago, Allan has worked on building opportunities to support Māori whānau.

He has introduced himself to Ngāti Kahungunu Iwi leaders and has strived to forge a relationship with the iwi that supports his drive to strengthen whānau.

During his time in Hawke's Bay, Allan has created a number of resources for whānau and recently he launched an app that was designed to provide information to prepare to avoid danger and keep safe and alive.

The app is specifically tailored to help whānau in vulnerable communities who don't have access to other information. Allan says that whānau who are unprepared for potential disasters will be slow to respond to an emergency which can add to a serious injury or loss of life.

There are seven Te Kōtuku Health and Well-being apps designed to keep children safe from fires and other dangers in the home and in the community.

The apps promote the development of te reo Māori and Māori literacy and are supported by Sir Mason Durie's Te Whare Tapa Wha model – keeping whānau well in all aspects of their lives.

The apps also help children to understand the key decisions they need to make regarding their health and well-being and also assist children to judge the risk and rewards of their actions.

Ngāti Kahungunu Chairman Ngahiwi Tomoana is supportive of the work that Allan is doing to support our whānau wellbeing. We need to work together to ensure a healthy future for our whānau.

Allan is available to run wānanga programmes for whānau at the Hastings Fire Station to facilitate the use of the Apps. To contact Allan – email tekotuku001@xtra.co.nz