tenei matou e tangi apakura nei ki a korua. Hoki hoki mai ra. Welcome to The Hui, Maori current affairs for all New Zealanders. E taro ake nei ` it's the Third World disease that's menacing Maori communities. - One more day, and I would have been in the ground. - It shouldn't be happening in 2022. - We're on the front line in the fight against rheumatic fever. - It's one of the worst things you would want to hear, that one of your kids in your kura has come back positive for rheumatic fever, and you know that you tried everything to prevent it. - Then we speak to the newly elected chair of Ngati Kahungunu. And we check out the whanau-led project housing a new generation of Ratana Pa kids. - For a lot of people, this is gonna be life-changing. It's a dream that they've always had in their lives, and now it's gonna be a reality. Captions were made with the support of NZ On Air. www.able.co.nz Copyright Able 2022 - Tahuti mai. Rheumatic fever is a deadly disease which can leave tamariki with lifelong heart damage, joint swelling and respiratory illness. For the last 10 years Tuhoe organisation Tuhoe Hauora has worked hard to prevent it, through its flax roots screening programme. But in 2022, why is rheumatic fever still such a risk to tamariki? And what challenges is the COVID pandemic posing for Maori communities? Anei te purongo a John Boynton. (UPBEAT DUB MUSIC) - Taneatua, in the eastern Bay of Plenty, is the gateway to the heartland of Tuhoe and the base for local health provider Tuhoe Hauora. - Did you have a medicine cup, then, or no? - No. But I have the plasters. - Do you have the prep pads? - Yeah, yeah. - One of its longest-running services is its rheumatic fever screening programme. - When I first started, I was Whaea Korokoro. (LAUGHS) 'Hi, Whaea Korokoro!' That's not my name. Now everybody is your niece and nephew at the schools. - No matter what school you go to ` 'Hi, Auntie.' - Kaimahi Dolly Thrupp and Aroha Teepa are on the front line, leading the programme. Today they're gearing up for a busy day of visiting kura, where they carry out swab tests. - We go twice a week to all our seven schools ` as far as Nukuhou, that way, and Waiohau, that way, which can take us pretty much all day to go around to all our schools. - Their first stop is at Te Kura O Ruatoki. - How's you korokoro? All right? - They're testing for strep throat, which can develop into rheumatic fever if left untreated. - How's kura? - Rheumatic fever is a deadly sickness, causing lifelong heart damage, joint swelling and respiratory illness. - You're a gun at this, eh? Tongue out. Good girl. - Bleugh! - That's one of the worst things you would want to hear, that one of your kids in your kura has come back positive for rheumatic fever, and you know that you tried everything to prevent it. (TENSE MUSIC) - This red line shows Maori hospitalisation rates for rheumatic fever. While other ethnic groups' hospitalisation rates dropped during the pandemic, Maori rates remained unchanged. - This is a disease of those and low economic situations with poor housing and poor healthcare outcomes. - Hi, Whaea Marama. - Morena. - How are we today? - Good, thank you. - Marama Stewart is the principal of Te Kura O Taneatua, a decile one kura where strep throat infections are high. Morena, morena. Can anyone, if you have a sore korokoro, if you have a sore throat, come into the office now, and the team will check your mamae korokoro. I was at a decile nine school for seven years. No one ever had rheumatic fever there. - Thank you. - Moving here, coming and finding we have a rheumatic team that screens, it was a huge learning curve on what effects rheumatic fever has on many of our whanau. - That impact is children missing kura, being hospitalised with rheumatic fever, and having to receive painful monthly Bicillin injections until they're 21 years old. - It's the worst feeling in the world. And most of our staff have had to, over the years, support children getting the injections, yeah. It's pretty awful. - But she knows it would be much worse without the rheumatic screening team. - The providers of the screening are what's keeping us above water. (CURIOUS MUSIC) Tuhoe Hauora first launched the screening programme in 2012, where it was led by Tina Biddle, better known as Nanny Sunshine. - When we first started, the first week, we were getting, like, 30 strep throats, which is quite huge, you know. - She works alongside her uri Henare Ruru and Hopaea Pryor, who both had rheumatic fever as children. - I was 8 years old when I was diagnosed with rheumatic fever. My kuia, back then, put Vicks in my nose and Vicks down my mouth. - I think it was the wrong way to do things. - Yeah. - But at the time, she was adamant that it was the right way. - Doesn't hurt to try. - That was her rongoa. - That's how kuias are, eh? - Yeah, yeah. - I was diagnosed when I was 11, a little bit late ` so one more day and I would have been in the ground, pretty much. - Hopaea Pryor's battle to stay alive planted the seed for the screening programme. When she first became sick, doctors struggled to find out what was wrong with her. - It wasn't until my mother had taken me to my kuia and they did a healing on me, gave me a mirimiri, gave me some rongoa maori and told my mother, 'You need to take her to the hospital. It's something to do with her heart.' - She had rheumatic fever, but her symptoms went undiagnosed, to the point her face started to swell. - So we were freaking out and we were rushed to A&E. They took me in straight away. And my heart had actually enlarged, and it was sitting under my armpit, and I had fluid in my liver, so they had to drain it. All day. It took all day. And after all of that was done, I was put on a chopper and sent straight to Starship. - For her mum, Hana Harawira, who was a health professional, it was a devastating blow. - She was just so broken. She was so sad. Sad for me. Yeah, I really felt that. - But her mum was glad to finally have answers and lead her daughter's recovery. - So contact sport was a big no-no. - Mm. - Did I listen? That's another story. - Hana quickly got to work, setting up the rheumatic fever screening programme in 2012. She passed away in 2015, but the legacy of her mahi lives on. - Hana was so passionate after what happened to Hopaea, because we saw Hopaea, you know, when she was sick. Oh, it was painful to watch Hana and to see her to go through that. - The zipper scar from Hopaea Pryor's heart operation has almost faded, but she's proud of the mark her mum's left on her hapori. - It's a nice, warm feeling, and especially the people that are still doing it, and to see that they're still passionate about their mahi and still working hard and going into the schools. - 10 years on, Marama Stewart says the COVID pandemic is presenting a new set of challenges. - I think it's a double-edged sword. All of the extra hygiene measures and social distancing, that has helped somewhat to stop the spread. But it also means kids who may be sick haven't been at school because of lockdowns and haven't had access to that screening. - In 2021 the government announced funding of $10 million to create a vaccine to prevent strep throat and in turn, rheumatic fever. But with vaccine hesitancy high amongst whanau, Marama Stewart believes her community won't take it up. - I think, again, the vaccine will be taken up by the affluent, rich communities again, as it did for the COVID vaccines, and our communities will miss out again. - You wish that we wouldn't have a job in the next ten years. But the way our communities are, and how we live, I doubt it'll ever go away. (GENTLE MUSIC) - Dolly Thrupp and Aroha Teepa know the job to keep rheumatic fever out of their rohe isn't done. - We live and breathe it. Here, you know, in Tuhoe, we're community people. It doesn't just stop when we leave the doorway at 5 o'clock. - But they're doing all they can to protect their people. - You can hand out so many pamphlets, but I think being a part of the community, knowing them, is more than a piece of paper. - We've got no future without our kids, and our kids are just as important and will make as great an impact, if allowed to, as the rich whanau. - Give me that. - Always playing with the phone. Na John Boynton tera ripoata. Inangeto nei, ka hoake tatou ki te Pa o Ratana mo tetehi kaupapa hanga whare. one whanau has taken matters into their own hands, developing their very own low-cost papakainga. Soon nine Manawatu-Whanganui families will move into their very own whare, a dream that's been achieved on a wing and a prayer. Kia tahuri ake tatou. Ratana ` population 345. It's most famous as the birthplace of prophet Tahupotiki Wiremu Ratana, his spectacular church the centrepiece of this tiny town. It's the kind of place where kids still roam free and everyone knows each other. Paola, what was it like growing up the pa? - It was cool. We used to just go running through creeks. It's a lot of fun out here. - It's freedom, eh? It's true freedom, I reckon. - Yeah. It's safe. - It's a life Troy Tamou and his wife, Paola, want for their three tamariki. But until now, it's been impossible to buy a house here. TW Ratana originally owned all the whenua in the area. But he slowly sold it off to pay for his overseas missions. That means the pa has been pretty much landlocked, making it hard for successive generations to build their own whare here. Is that the dream ` to live back on the pa, in your own whare? - Yes, definitely. - (CHUCKLES) - We're very excited. It's a dream that's been a dream for generations, you know ` our parents' dream, their parents' dream. And then hopefully it'll be our kids' dream, hopefully. - Now the dream of owning their own home is about to become a reality. It's all been made possible by Paola's cousin Talia Anderson-Town and her husband, Cameron, who run an accountancy firm. - And we'll construct the fences along there, once the properties are built. - What I want to see is children playing with each other, children coming together in a community, loving the lifestyle that they can have. - You know, all the families have got kids, and just to see them running around happy in their own home, rather than renting and stuff like that, I think that's gonna be... it'll bring joy to all of us, I think. - About seven years ago Talia and Cameron convinced a local farmer to carve off a slice of land on the edge of town so they could build their own home. But then they saw an opportunity for the wider whanau. - We also noticed that the sections next door to us were far beyond the reach of a lot of the people that were living in the community ` they were expensive. They were big. And so, from our perspective, we thought we could, you know, purchase those blocks of land, with the opportunity to be able to create a community right next to us. - They ended up buying five sections and are now building nine low-cost homes that'll be priced below $375,000. - Even if it's only just nine homes, you know, maybe it might be a model that other people can use around the country to get first home buyers into their own home, and especially into a community that they can relate to, as well. - Everything is being done at cost, with the couple not making a cent on the development. - For a lot of people, this is gonna be life-changing. It's gonna have a massive impact on them. It's a dream that they've always had in their lives, and now it's gonna be a reality. - We have petrol as well, don't forget. - Despite the low cost, it still hasn't been easy for the new homeowners. - That's our rates. That's our insurance. - Talia has put her accountancy skills to the test, helping everyone save for their new whare. - It's been a long process for them. A lot of them have had to change the way they spend. A lot of them have actually moved back in with their whanau to be able to save, so that they can have that deposit. So a lot of them have made sacrifices so that they can have that deposit and that certainty to be able to buy that home. - You've got band practice. Nige has got karate practice. - In Troy and Paula's case, that sacrifice meant moving back to her parents' whare, which was already packed to the rafters. - It was 12 to 15 people living in one house, one bathroom. But, you know, there's a goal at the end of it. There's a big goal. There's gold at the end of the rainbow, sort of thing. - Can you share with us, you know, how much you've had to save? - Close to 100,000 saved, I'd say, thankful for living here. - That's amazing. Congratulations. Well done. - And that's all to the help of her parents, really, for free living ` whanau free living, yeah. This is our big chunk of dirt right here. - With services in the ground, work is finally about to begin on the development, which has been delayed multiple times by COVID. It's all been a steep learning curve for Talia and Cameron, with raw materials skyrocketing and council costs high. - It is challenging. It shouldn't be this hard. You know, everyone should be able to own their own home. You know, banks should be able to lend to first home buyers. And I think we need a system where we make it easier in New Zealand. - Now the final plans have been signed off. - This is a three-bedroom, so that's a front shot, and that's a back shot of what the home is gonna look like. - Nine whanau are about to get brand new homes ` an incredible achievement by Talia and Cameron that will benefit generations of Ratana Pa kids to come. It's got nice size garage, all open plan living. - You know, there's a housing shortage. And, you know, I can't fix that housing shortage. But I think as a community, as a whole, maybe there are many people out there that can help do what I'm doing as well, so making dreams a reality for whanau, who can live in their own home. - What do you imagine, when you think about what would you be doing in 10 years, together? - I imagine that it'll be like us growing up, eh ` kids, hopefully they're all out on the road, playing together. And I'd say that'd probably be Talia's dream too ` to have all the kids, your street full of kids. - To have all our babies growing up with all their cousins out here is awesome. - Kua tupu te pa harakeke. Ka rawe. Akuanei ka korero maua ko te heamana o Ngati Kahungunu. Hastings District Councillor Bayden Barber won the triennial election last month, deposing Ngahiwi Tomoana, who had led the iwi for 25 years. The Hawke's Bay Wairarapa-based tribe is the third largest by head of population. It's also been active in opposing the uplift of tamariki Maori by Oranga Tamariki, as well as taking court action alongside Ngai Tahu seeking rangatiratanga over fresh water. To share his vision for Ngati Kahungunu, I'm joined now from Waimarama by Bayden Barber. Tena koe e te tungane. - Tena koe e te tuahine, ki a tena tatou. - Kia ora. Mai Wairoa ki Wairarapa, he tino rahi to rohe. Heoi ano, no hea koe no roto o Ngati Kahungunu? - Uh, i tipu ake nei au i Waimarama nei ` te taha moana o Heretaunga. No reira, koira toku turangawaewae. Engari, toku kuia no te Wairarapa, te ta toku mama, toku kuia, te ta toku papa no te Wairoa, no reira, kei te whaipanga atu ki nga topito katoa o Ngati Kahungunu. - Kia ora. Ko roa a Ngahiwi Tomoana e noho ana heimangai mo te iwi. Heoi ano, he timatanga hou tenei mou, kua whakarite koe he rautaki hou? - Ae. Ae. Koira taku i korero nei i te wa o taku huri haere i to tatou nei i rohe o Ngati Kahungunu i te korero au mo tenei me te kotahitanga. Te whakakaotanga o to tatou nei iwi ki a tu pakari a i tatou i mua te kawanatanga i mua i nga era... era tumomo ropu. No reira, ki au nei ko te anga whakamuatanga o Ngati Kahungunu, ka tino hanga tutuki tenei me te kotahitanga. - Ka pai. Fisheries, horticulture, along with technology and tourism. You know, they seem to be staples for Ngati Kahungunu. But in recent years, the iwi has led the calls for government to devolve power and funding, to basically get out of the way, particularly in areas like Oranga Tamariki, child welfare. Is that still a focus? - Yeah, it is definitely a focus. But I think, as I mentioned earlier, about bringing our people together, we have a really big rohe ` from Paritu ki Turakirae, te Wairoa to Wairarapa. And our treaty settlements have been settled differently, in terms of our hapu have led those. And so we have a number of settlements up and down our rohe. But I think in terms of going forward, there's an opportunity to come together, so that when we need to move, in terms of government interactions, local government interactions, we can move together. And I think that's where the strength of Ngati Kahungunu will be in the future, and, you know, the ability to attract greater benefits back to our marae, hapu and whanau. - Yeah what are some of those benefits? What are you thinking? So, I mean, at the moment, we are currently working through a health reform, three waters reform, the RMA reform. So all of those impact our whanau. And the opportunity to... and if you're talking about Oranga Tamariki, to put the pou in the ground, to say, 'Anei a Ngati Kahungunu,' these are the aspirations, these are our values and, you know, these are the expectations of government departments and others if you want to work with us, because we certainly want to work together, but they need to be under those terms. So yeah, I think the opportunities are there together. And collectively, if you looked at our treaty settlements up and down our rohe, it's about half a billion. And being able to mobilise that, to unify that, you know, I think the opportunities really are endless for our people. - Ka pai. Also Ngati Kahungunu has made great strides in the area of the revitalisation of te reo Maori. What are your vision for te reo? - For te reo Maori, our vision is that Ngati Kahungunu is thriving. Our whanau, hapu are speaking our reo. Our marae are illustrating how that needs to be done, you know, in our okawa settings, but also opaki ` you know, just our whanau being able to speak and korero nga kaupapa... I think it comes back to a hapu whanau level ` timata mai i kona. Waimarama has been a community that have been pohara in decades past, when it came to te reo. But, you know, it's about coming together, having a plan ` we had a 25-year plan, which comes up in 2026 ` and, you know, replicating that around our rohe. So the iwi is there to support. But if we can get our whanau and hapu taking those strides initially, I think kei reira te oranga ake mo to tatou reo Maori. - I tera marama i te tangihanga o Moana Jackson i kitea e tatou te tu a te wahine i runga i te marae. I tautoko hea? He aha to whakaaro ki tera? - Yeah, that was a... a pretty controversial... I mean, we have had wahine korero i runga i te pae i nga wa o mua. So it's not a new thing for Kahungunu. However, in saying that, it's been a while since we've had that practice used on our marae, so... But, you know, I think it's an opportune time to have that korero. And I think Matahiwi kind of revitalised that practice. But we need to have a wider korero amongst ourselves around, you know, kawa and tikanga o Ngati Kahungunu and just see how everyone's feeling at the moment around that, because we don't all agree on some things. And so it's an opportunity to have that wananga. I think that would be really important. - Was it refreshing to listen to? - Yeah, I... I heard a couple of the korero. And you know, he mea hou tena ki ahau. I've never seen a woman speak on the marae atea before, personally, even though, you know, some of kaumatua have had that experience. But he mea hou ki ahau, and I think to most of the people that were at that tangihanga. So, yeah, I don't think we should be afraid of having that korero. It needs to be had, though. And, you know, there's two sides of the story, and I've heard both sides since that tangi ` you know, people expressing how they feel about it, so... You know, I think as an iwi o Ngati Kahungunu, ko tae ki te wa ki a korero tahi ai tatou ki tera kaupapa. - And maybe the motu. - Tena koe. - It's time. Yeah. - Tena koe e te tungane. Kia ora. - Kia ora. Tena koe. Hei tera wiki he kaupapa hauora. Next week on The Hui ` Why did you want to talk to us? - I wanted to share my story about heart disease. - Go out wide. - 20 years old and fighting for her life ` Letisha Poharama is crippled with an inherited heart condition that took the life of her twin brother. - They were only babies. Mm. And they shouldn't have had to go through this. - Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of premature death among Maori ` double the rate of Pakeha. - One of the key reasons is that currently the health system does not treat Maori or Pasifika or other minority groups equitably compared to non-Maori. - Next week ` an intimate look into Letisha's struggle. - Sometimes I think, 'Why us? Why me and my brother?' - Kua hikina Te Hui mo tenei ra. Paimarire ki a tatou katoa. Captions by Able. Captions were made with the support of NZ On Air. www.able.co.nz Copyright Able 2022