Hui Whakakotahi 2004 - Coming Together as One 
14 November 2003 


The Alcohol Advisory Council (ALAC) is holding a national summit to help Māori whänau identify and respond to alcohol-related issues facing their communities.

The summit will be held at Te Papaiouru and Tunohopu Marae in Rotorua from February 16 to 18 2004.

"This is an opportunity for Māori communities, Mäori health providers, and Māori alcohol and drug workers to support Māori communities wanting to promote moderation or abstinence for Māori whānau," says ALAC Manager, Māori Whānau Programmes, Te Atarangi Whiu.

"The overarching theme of the three-day summit is Te Ao Māori - Hui Whakakotahi, Coming Together as One. We are bringing people together, physically and spiritually - uniting people and united in kaupapa."

Te Atarangi says the summit will focus on solutions rather than problems. And the solutions need to be focused on Te Ao Māori.

"This holistic approach recognises that alcohol and drug problems don't exist in a vacuum; they are indicative of other issues facing Māori communities and we won't make progress on alcohol and drug issues unless we also address these other issues."

A report from Te Puni Kökiri in 2000 using data from the National Nutrition Survey stated that Māori are considerably less likely to be moderate drinkers than non-Māori. Although the proportion of Māori who drink is lower than that of the population as a whole, and those who do drink do so less frequently, studies have shown that the median annual volume of absolute alcohol consumed by Māori men is greater than that for the general population.

Seventy-six percent of the alcohol being drunk by Māori was consumed in heavier drinking sessions (defined as eight or more drinks for men and six or more drinks for women).

Two out of three Māori men and more than half of Māori women said they had experienced one or more alcohol-related problems from their own drinking in the past 12 months.

One in three reported that consumption of alcohol by others had an effect on their home life; for one in five women this was classed as a large or medium effect compared to 15 percent of men.

The survey also showed that young Māori aged 16 to 24 were also more likely to have reported experiencing problems from other people's drinking, particularly sexual harassment, motor vehicle crashes, physical assault and other accidents.

The ALAC priority for the Hui Whakakotahi 2004 is to identify kaupapa Māori solutions.

Discussions will include the development of a taumata, identifying kaupapa Māori models and developing a cultural framework to assist kaimahi in their work.

It is intended that the taumata will provide leadership and guidance to Māori so that Māori are united on alcohol-related issues. Kaupapa Māori models ensure that solutions are relevant and appropriate for Māori. The development of a cultural framework to assist kaimahi in their work will provide a benchmark for all services to attain within a cultural context. Such a framework will then validate different Māori models of practice within service delivery.

Te Atarangi says proportionately Māori suffer greater alcohol-related harm compared to Pakeha and now is the time to identify kaupapa Māori solutions to reduce alcohol-related harm for Māori and their whānau.

Registrations for the summit close on 23 January 2004.

Registration forms are available from ALAC.

For further information contact ALAC Manager, Māori Whānau Programmes, Te Atarangi Whiu on (04) 917 0060.