The Iwi Chairs Forum, which represents 74 iwi rūnanga, has created a National Pandemic Response Group to ensure Māori communities are prepared to fight Covid-19.
Spokesperson Mike Smith says marae should consider closing their doors. Photo: RNZ / Dan Cook
Spokesperson Mike Smith says the group is meeting regularly to get safety messages out to whānau and encourage them to temporarily change cultural practices for safety.
He says marae should be considering closing their doors and avoiding large hui or gatherings.
He says the forum is anticipating Māori will be hit hardest by the virus due to existing health inequities and plans to work closely with the government to reduce the risk.
"Some of our rūnanga have high capacity and are well resourced, some of us are post settlement and have money sloshing around and have our own independent health units and are well positioned to provide services in this emergency. Other rūnanga have not received their settlements yet and are not as well-resourced so we are sharing our information and resources amongst ourselves in order to make sure there is a unified Māori response, so no-one falls through the cracks."
Smith said he hoped to meet with Māori ministers in the coming days to ensure iwi leaders were part of the national response.
"We want to see where the shortfalls are in terms of engagement with the Crown to make sure we are included around this decision making and the resource distribution and supply chains - to make sure we aren't the last cab off the rank.
"We just have to make sure that our people are front and centre of the decision making in regards to the pandemic because we know that Māori health statistics tell us that Māori people are grossly over represented in the demographic that will be threatened most by the pandemic, we have to make sure the people are kept safe," Smith said.
He said the established National Pandemic Response Group was in the planning stages - and met regularly via video conferencing to ensure all rūnanga had the resources required to get information to their people, as well as preparing for what was to come and able to assist health services when needed.
"In the first instance it's about sharing information but it's also identifying what are the gaps - we are expecting that health services to become overwhelmed quite quickly, if overseas is anything to go by, and so communities are going to be the second line of defence.
"Kaumātua and people with compromised immunity need to be supported. We endorse the caution to maintain distance, limit unnecessary social contact and the temporary adaptation of tikanga.
"This is not an extinction event, if we prepare and manage well together, we will get through this."
