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Mauri Ora ki Ngaa Tamariki
AuthorsTamati Kruger and Jozie Karanga SpeakersJozie Karanga and Jeanette Katene OrganisationTe Korowai Aroha Aotearoa
Maori children figure disproportionately in the child abuse statistics of this country however this is the first abuse prevention strategy based on Indigenous models and practices to be implemented nationally. The Mauri Ora framework is an abuse prevention intervention based on the notion that if children are exemplars of Mauri Ora (spiritual, emotional, physical and intellectual wellbeing) they are less likely to be victims of abuse. The framework details the indicators of Mauri Ora for children and identifies the conditions that must exist in whanau for this to occur. An assessment process from the Mauri Ora framework has been developed and is currently being applied to children and their whanau throughout Aotearoa. The assessment is unique as it focuses on the various states of being that are associated with Toiora - a total state of wellbeing where the perpetration of violence is reduced or eliminated, and provides indicators of where whanau and whanau members sit on a Mauri Ora (wellness) continuum. The interventions that are then applied have their basis in authentic tikanga (Maori practices) as these are found to be more effective in reversing abuse cycles within Maori whanau. The assessment and the effectiveness of the intervention are measured by positive movement along this Mauri Ora continuum. The children and their whanau are able to assess and track this process for themselves. This is accomplished with the guidance of a whanau practitioner who is responsible for developing and implementing the intervention strategy alongside the child and their whanau as well as monitoring their progress in the reduction of violence and abuse. The outcomes of the pilot to date, initial national public consultation on the Mauri Ora Frame work where the Framework was disseminated to current practitioners found that all have endorsed the Mauri Ora Framework. Almost a hundred practitioners implementing this intervention over five pilot sites nationally attest to its effectiveness. PresentationPaper BiographyTamati Kruger has been actively involved in iwi and hapū development over the last thirty years and is a respected social/political analyst on Maori society. A graduate of Victoria University he lectured in Te Reo and now teaches at Anamata, a Private Training Establishment in Whakatane.of Tuhoe descent, he works in tribal research and development on behalf of the Tuhoe Raupatu. In 2002 he chaired the Second Ministerial Maori Taskforce on Whanau Violence. The members of this Taskforce were responsible for the development of the Mauri Ora Framework A recognized authority in Maori language and customary practices he has published works in these fields and been a policy advisor in the health, social service and educational field as well as holding various governance portfolios on both government and community institutions. Married with six children and two grandchildren Tamati lives within the nation of Tuhoe in Taneatua.
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