IWI PANDEMIC RESPONSE UPDATE

All the iwi authorities in Te Taitokerau are working hard to make sure our whānau and hapū are OK during this COVID-19 era.  I can only report from Ngāti Kahu, but I do so humbly, knowing we are indebted to our neighbouring iwi for standing up at very short notice, via Te Kahu o Taonui (the Taitokerau Iwi Chairs Forum), a credible and effective delivery model to the points of need amongst all our peoples.

On 30th March, Ngāti Kahu launched our freephone needs assessment number on 0800 8394273 for all iwi members living in Aotearoa who were seeking kai support during the COVID-19 lockdown.

Initially, our model of delivery was completely responsive; i.e. we only delivered to those who called us directly with a request for help. However, in spite of extensive public notification of the services, the demand was initially way below our supply, so we moved to a fully proactive delivery model to everyone on our lists.

As anticipated, the demand climbed hugely over the weeks and we now have over 200 whānau on our iwi lists alone. Therefore, following discussions with our Marae Delegates, we moved to a mixed proactive / responsive delivery model in which everyone who calls the 0800 number gets an initial kai pack.

After that, whanau with Kaumatua kuia get a fortnightly pack one week, while whanau with pre-existing conditions and wahine hapū get a fortnightly pack the other week. These are the high risk groups who need to remain at home during Alert Levels 4 and 3.

Everyone else requiring further assistance must EITHER call the 0800 number themselves to update their needs assessment OR, if they can’t do that themselves for any reason, have a third party do it for them.  Any weekly surplus of consumables, like fresh fruit and veges, is distributed to whānau with high risk members as above.

We will review this model on 12th May when the Prime Minister announces whether or not the country will move to Alert Level 2, and what date that will happen.

To ensure the most effective use of our resources, whānau will only be added to our delivery list when they have completed the needs assessment process via the 0800 number.

Whanau with any health needs should contact either their own medical service or call Te Hiku Hauora on 0800 8084024.  We are deeply grateful to Hauora for instigating outreach clinics that increase the opportunities for our isolated and vulnerable whānau to receive health services while reducing the amount of time they need to be outside their bubbles getting those services.

Via our own and our partners’ systems, we are delivering kai packs, hygiene packs, water, energy, medicines, personal shopping, health checks, vaccines, COVID-19 testing, advice and advocacy, tangi support, accommodation support.

In the next few weeks we will add firewood to the supplies we deliver.

To maintain health and safety rules and reduce the risks of any contamination in the delivery process, our volunteers deliver to point of need; i.e. kai packs and other supplies go directly to people who need them in their homes.

We understand that larger iwi, like Ngapuhi, are delivering to more than 1,000 whānau a week.  In fact, as at last week, Te Kahu o Taonui members had collectively made almost 10,000 deliveries throughout the region.

Initially, Te Rūnanga-ā-Iwi o Ngāti Kahu held daily zoom hui for all our Marae and our partners.  Now, we have moved to twice weekly z-hui which will be held at 2pm every Thursday and Sunday moving forward.

We are also conducting surveys and gathering data from across our iwi to sharpen our focus and approach to recovery. This will become an increasingly important agenda item for us moving forward.  It has been wonderful to see the unity across, within and between whānau, hapū and iwi during this national emergency; that kotahitanga will be critical in moving forward.

We are all only human but we are all doing our best. Thank you for all you are doing out there. Mā te Atua e manaaki e tiaki ki a tātou katoa i ngā wā katoa.