QUIT MESSAGE: The Quitline and AKP stalls which were at Creekfest raising awareness for a Smoke free event.
THE MESSAGE of Māori health is being wrapped in everything from traditional games to music and performance at events such as this month’s Creekfest.
The event was smoke and fizzy free, with stalls such as Akuati Kaipapa showcasing the positives of living healthy.
With 41% of Maori saying they still smoke, Akuati Kaipapa (AKP) is trying to help achieve the government’s goal of beingsmokefree by 2025.
Akuati Kaipapa (AKP) is a Māori specific smoke cessation service, and does much the same that Quitline.
Tina Wallace (Ngati Toa) was leading the group at Creekfest.
“We have come together with Quitline and local health services to help raise awareness on what we are doing,” she said.
Tina said that although it is a smoke free event, people still smoke.
“We being here will hopefully make people more aware that this is a smoke free event and want to quit,”
She said they were here to support the development of the event being smoke free and to help train new staff.
The quitting programme offers Māori and their Whanau opportunity to through a range of activities and free products.
They offer free Nicotine patches as well as the normal support that Quitline does.
“It gives us the ability to engage with Māori in a more specific way than Quitline can,” she says.
According to the 2012 census stats most of the 41% of Maori who smoke are women.
By concentrating on women, Tina is positive the country meet the governments smoke free goal.
Local Porirua health organisation Te Runanga O Toa Rangitira was on a similar mission to AKP.
QUITTING HELP: Molly Katene and Puhi Miller at their stall in Creekfest.
Molly Katene and Puhi Miller, who are both Ngati Toa, were representing the organisation at Creekfest in Cannons Creek.
Operating under the Ora Toa health organisation they are based in Porirua Mall for Maori and Pacific Islanders in the Capital and Coast DHB region.
“I believe that we can do it, I can’t say when, it may be before or after but we will do it,” says Molly of the Smokefree 2025 goal.
Often Quitline refers clients to them as they provide a more face to face service than others.
“Our main target is Maori, Pacific Island and pregnant women.’
However, giving anyone support is vital.
“We don’t turn anyone away, we will help everyone,” she says.
The group has had around 50 people sign up this year and believe the work they are doing is helping the community.
“We don’t just help the people that sign up, we help their whanau if they smoke as well,” she says.
Puhi Miller is contracted by University of Otago for a study called Enjoy, which is targeted at between 18 and 70 who smoke one or more cigarettes a day.
“We can have people younger than 18 but we need parental permission,” said Puhi.
She is working alongside Te Runanga O Toa Rangitira, so is doing the same job while providing information to Otago University.
The university is aiming to have the results published in the international medical literature.
The study provides whoever turns up with a starter pack and offers incentives to people who eventually quit smoking and reach targets that are set.
Sugary drinks, rather than smoking, was the focus for Compass Health, at Creekfest.
The health organisation says in 20 years one in six Maori will have diabetes and they are attempting to change the statistics.
“Twenty years ago, a child would never have gone to the shop and got bought a 1.5 litre bottle of Coke,” said Tricia Keelen (Ngati Porou, Te Aupouri).
HEALTHY EATING: The Compass Health stall at Creekfest.
She said the marketing of soft drink companies is part of the reason.
“It’s not just Maori, but all cultures that are being attracted to buying coke or another similar drink, the marketing is amazing,”
At Creekfest they had multiple activities running that advertised the advantages of water over softdrinks.
“There are 50 teaspoons of sugar in one bottle, it’s addictive as well,”
“We had a bowling game where you could bowl down 1.5 litre bottles of coke, and we have “ask the nurses”, where you can ask nurses about any health issues,” she said.
They are looking to promote the benefits of water and healthy fruit and vegetables to people.
“We want to cut the long term illness that some Maori have, show them the advantages of not having the high sugar food and drinks.”
“Water has no sugar, no fat, no preservatives, it’s just a matter of people seeing that.”
She said that some people had a negative perception of how much healthy drinking and eating costs.
“I wanted to get across that tap water is free. Quite often the perception of the cost of fruit and veges is more than it is.”
She said people have to weigh up the cost between unhealthy food and healthy food, because healthy food gives good value.
Compass Health works quite with the other organisations in the area, using events like Creekfest.
They have formed groups, not just in Porirua but all round the Wellington region,to help keep people healthy.
“We have formed a few exercise groups in the Porirua area, they are all supported by us.”