An Indigenous self-determination social movement response to Covid-19

Bibliographic Data

ID7562838
AuthorsSacha Mcmeeking (0000-0002-8545-265X, University of Canterbury, corresponding author), Helen Leahy, Catherine Savage (0000-0003-2836-903X, Ihi Research Social Change & Innovation, New Zealand)
Year2020
Volume16
Issue4
Pages395-398
Publication date2020-12-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueAlterNative An International Journal of Indigenous Peoples (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1177-1801 • E-ISSN: 1174-1740
PublisherSAGE Publications (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.1177/1177180120967730
OpenAlexW3093843095
LanguageEN
Citations received17
References cited1

For Māori in New Zealand, COVID-19 is remarkable in two particular ways. First, we bet the odds for the first time in contemporary history. Forecasts predicted that Māori would have double the infection and mortality rates of non-Māori. However, as at June 2020, Māori have a disproportionately lower infection rate than non-Māori. This is perhaps the only example in our contemporary history of the Māori community having better social outcomes than non-Māori. Second is that attribution is due, perhaps not exclusively, but materially to a self-determination social movement within our Indigenous communities that the pandemic response unveiled and accelerated. This article comments on this self-determination social movement, with a particular focus on how that movement has manifested within the South Island of New Zealand. We specifically draw on the work of Te Pūtahitanga o Te Waipounamu, the South Island Whānau Ora Commissioning Agency to illustrate our analysis

Biology · Disease · Geography · Indigenous · Odds · Pandemic · Political science · Project commissioning · Publishing · Social science · Sociology · Demography · Gender Studies · Indigenous Health, Education, and Rights · Law · Medicine · Ecology

Tools

Open DOIOpen Access