Maori health message spread

A major Maori health conference in Martinborough has been spreading the word about healthy eating and exercise this week, while showing off the charms of South Wairarapa.
The National Maori Nutrition Conference winds up today after three days of meetings and workshops at Martinborough's Hau Ariki marae. It is the first time the event has been held in Wairarapa, and gives Maori nutritionists and health advocates the chance to meet and share ideas and strategies for promoting Maori health.
Lynne Whata, one of the conference's hosts and president of the local branch of the Maori Women's Welfare League, said about 150 experts from around the country had attended the event. While the focus was on nutrition and exercise, the conference was also a great chance to show off the best of the area, she said.
"For us, it's a first and it's an important thing to have because we want to showcase South Wairarapa. We've got a big fishery here and one of the biggest Maori food corporations in Wairarapa Moana."
Local Maori could take information gained at the conference back to their whanau to make a positive change to their lives, she said.
One of those at the conference, Leonie Matoe, manager of an Auckland-based national Maori health provider, said: "The main crux of this conference is to showcase and highlight all the good work that's going on around the country."
She said the Martinborough hui was important, as Maori health professionals often had a "different view" of health issues.
"It's a cultural perspective and it's about tapping into those cultural values. We're reconnecting our people back to all those values we have and linking that to food."
Mason Ngawhika, a nutritionist from Auckland-based Maori health promoter Te Hotu Manawa Maori, said you could not just repeat the facts about healthy living.
"Traditionally, it's about information, but we're more about inspiration. People have heard [the healthy eating message] all before but we're trying reduce the barriers that are there."
He said that could be as simple as cooking more and lifting the ratio of vegetables to proteins in your diet.
"From a whanau perspective, there's a view it's too hard to live in a healthy way. It doesn't have to be more expensive but it does take more time."
He said gardening, hunting and fishing were also encouraged, as they were activities that promoted physical activity and nutrition and food awareness.
Mr Ngawhika admitted such outdoor pursuits might be difficult in parts of urban Auckland but said: "Down here [in Wairarapa], if you don't see that kind of living, your eyes are closed."
Margaret Pepere, Ngati Porou, from Te Araroa in Gisborne, stressed the importance of the discussions this week.
"If you look at the Maori people, we have got the highest incidence of everything that's going."
But she said there has been a "massive, massive change" in Maori eating habits.
"We have much better food served on the marae today. And it's come to a place where it's becoming a bit of a competition - which marae can serve the best salads."
She said changing food habits was a slow process but one that was paying off.
"It can take anything up to 10 years to make a change but it's a change for the good and it's important. And this work continues. You've got to keep [repeating] the same message for ever and a day."