Morehu Marae takes a smoke-free stand for future generations

Morehu Marae committee members, hau kainga kaumatua and kuia and Hauora Hokianga staff, all supporting a stand for a healthy future.

Morehu Marae has taken a stand to further ensure the survival of its descendants by becoming the first marae in Pawarenga to go auahi kore - smoke-free.

The committee celebrated its adoption of its auahi kore marae policy last week in celebration of the health of its people and to send a clear message to smokers to stop before they start.

Adoption of the policy followed a successful Wero stop smoking programme, implemented by Te Hiku Hauora in the community last year. Seven of the 10 participants stopped smoking for good. Now an auahi kore movement within the community is steadily gaining traction, with the support of Hauora Hokianga and other Te Taitokerau smoking cessation services.

Marae secretary Rongo Bentson said the policy was a natural progression from the marae leading the charge with para kore and waipiro kore kaupapa in the past to better support the health of its people and environment.

And the kaupapa was clearly close to the community's heart, many marae members sharing stories of loved ones who had succumbed to smoking-related illnesses.

"For the future generations and the health of our young people, this is what the kaupapa is all about," Marae committee member Frank Herbert said.

"If you don't have some measures or some level of commitment to our people that we're trying to help them, then we're failing. I'd rather fail trying than not try at all.

Fellow committee member Hepa Stephens said the policy had been launched as an expression of aroha, with the ultimate goal of retaining the marae as a central place where good health was normal.

"We want to make our marae a place where everyone can learn our tikanga and our reo, and enjoy good health. The marae is the place for that," he said.

There had been some preliminary resistance from some sections of the community, and the committee was looking at ways of displaying sensitivity and empathy to smokers' needs, while retaining the integrity of the policy. But for now it was cause for celebration, according to Hauora Hokianga smoking cessation practitioner Pat Dargaville.

"This is a big thing. To have Morehu Marae be the first in Pawarenga to take up the policy is excellent.

It sends a great message to whanau, and the kaupapa is, do you want to stay around a bit longer for your moko? Once again, congratulations, and we're here to help if anyone wants to stop," she said.

As a 'champion' Te Rarawa marae, the policy was reflected in the organisational goal voiced by Te Runanga o Te Rarawa CEO Kevin Robinson to ensure that the organisation was totally auahi kore by the end of 2018.

Te Runanga o Te Rarawa, the lead provider for Healthy Families Far North, was on a continuing journey of health and wellness, and an auahi kore organisation had been identified as a key goal for the organisation's 70 staff in the prevention of chronic diseases.

Kaiwhakahaere Shirleyanne Brown said Healthy Families Far North was about preventing poor health outcomes on a large scale in the places where people lived, learned, worked and played. In her work in the auahi kore marae movement across Te Taitokerau with the Northland District Health Board she had not only seen many marae embrace the kaupapa, but use the experience to further transform for better health outcomes in other areas.

"It is wonderful to see Te Runanga o Te Rarawa and Morehu Marae taking up the challenge of safeguarding the health of their people in a strength-based, positive way," she said.

"This shift is more than creating auahi kore Maori spaces. It's about the reclamation of authentic tikanga, where introduced practices, such as smoking, drinking alcohol and sugar-sweetened beverages, were never the norm. It's a win for Te Rarawa and it's a win for all iwi Maori."