Mäori & Public Health:

It is well studied by health authorities that the current health statistics of the Indigenous population today are clearly reflected on their health status, due to the impacts of the colonisation process. The relating problems associated with this have resulted in destructive families and communities. It is unquestionable that Indigenous Australians were adapted to the environment in which people lived and had control on every feature of their life during the colonisation period. According to ‘The Deplorable State of Aboriginal Ill Health, Chapter 1’ (2014), studies that show that numerous infectious diseases; such as, smallpox and the flu, were not present in the pre-invasion period. It is also shown that lifestyle diseases such as high BP, diabetes and heart diseases were not known to exist.

One of the major concerns was the issue of ownership of biological samples once they have been removed from the subject’s body. Did the Havasupai have the right to be upset about blood samples that were no longer in their body? Or were the researchers wrong for not asking the tribe to consent to every possible study the samples could be used for. Based on the ethical problems raised by the Havasupai trial, two possible solutions were presented. The solution of tiered consent was presented first, in which each individual member of the tribe would have to consent to their own involvement in a study. Individual “research participants are presented with a menu of options from which to choose,” (Mello and Wolf 2010, 205) from that menu they could give as little or as much consent to the particular study being presented and to possible future studies involving their biological samples. Tiered consent aligns with the ethical principle of respect for persons, where each individual is treated as an autonomous agent and researchers must respect everyone autonomy and their right to decline participation in a study. Another possible solution that emerged as a guideline for working with Native American research participants was community based participatory research (CBPR) and material and data-sharing agreement (MDSA). CBPR and MDSA differed from tiered consent in that they

As health professionals, we must look beyond individual attributes of Indigenous Australians to gain a greater understanding and a possible explanation of why there are such high rates of ill health issues such as alcoholism, depression, abuse, shorter life expectancy and higher prevalence of diseases including diabetes, heart disease and obesity in our indigenous population. Looking at just the individual aspects and the biomedical health model, we don’t get the context of Aboriginal health. This is why we need to explore in further detail what events could have created such inequities in Aboriginal health. Other details that we should consider are the historical and cultural factors such as, ‘terra nullius’, dispossession and social

The colonial occupation and subsequent oppression has a greatly impact to the health of indigenous population across Australia. There is still lapses in regards to biomedical and ethnomedical models of health that still needed to work on in order to provide the quality care that is culturally appropriate and acceptable by the indigenous

“The status of Indigenous health in contemporary Australia is a result of historic factors as well as contemporary socio-economic issues” (Hampton & Toombs, 2013, p. 1).

As health professionals, we must look beyond individual attributes of Indigenous Australians to gain a greater understanding and a possible explanation of why there are such high rates of ill health issues such as alcoholism, depression, abuse, shorter life expectancy and higher prevalence of diseases including diabetes, heart disease and obesity in our indigenous population. Looking at just the individual aspects and the biomedical health model, we don’t get the context of Aboriginal health. This is why we need to explore in further detail what events could have created such inequities in Aboriginal health. Other details that we should consider are the historical and cultural factors such as, ‘terra nullius’, dispossession and social

experience and knowledge of indigenous peoples and their various ways of life. He explains the

It is important to build a credible relationship with the Aboriginal population involved in the study that will help to fetch the valuable study results, thus, the supportive and well negotiated study will be favourable for both the researchers as well as participants (Holst, 2004). As this is a qualitative study involving interviews which might require the recording of the interview sessions, therefore, the clearance need to be obtained from the participants for the recordings and the access of the rights and responsibilities in ownership need to be discussed and negotiated with the participant, in case, they want to withdraw themselves from the study at any particular time (Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies,

The inequalities in today’s indigenous communities are still strongly evident. Heard, Khoo & Birrell (2009), argued that while there has been an attempt in narrowing the gap between Indigenous and non Indigenous Australians, a barrier still exists in appropriate health care reaching indigenous people. The Indigenous people believe, health is more than the individual, it is

These groups are different to other indigenous groups around the world. Among Aboriginal peoples, there are a numerous amount of similar historical and contemporary social determinants that have shaped the health and well being of individuals, families, communities and nations. However, distinctions in the origin show and give impact on social determinants and impact on health interventions to make sure they are successful.

Page 1 The World Health Organisation (World Health Organisation, 2008) states that the indigenous peoples of Australia are one of the most disadvantaged indigenous groups in the developed world. The health of the Indigenous population of Australia is an increasingly pressing issue. Current research and statistics reveals great inequality in many areas of health care and health status between the Aboriginal people and the general population of Australia. Couzos and Murray (2008, p. 29) report that the Indigenous population has “the worst health status of any identifiable group in Australia, and the poorest access to health systems.” This paper will examine the underlying historical contexts and contributing factors that have lead to the

The health of the Australian Indigenous Population is a significant domain in Australia that represents a myriad of issues that affects the integrity of Indigenous Australians as the traditional owners of the land. On the contrary, these issues challenge the validity of Australia as a nation committed to closing the gap between health outcomes of Indigenous Australians in comparison to non-Indigenous Australians.

In this class, I was presented with an opportunity to reflect upon my personal knowledge of Indigenous

This article examines the attitudes that New Zealanders have developed in response to immigration patterns and policy. Exploring how social hierarchy and ethnicity shape immigration tolerance through economic inequality concerns, perceptions of threat and protection of Maori rights. Douglas gives substantiated arguments relevant to discussions on the bicultural environment of New Zealand politics and argues for the importance of political recognition for Maori.

Te Tiriti o Waitangi is an agreement made between groups of people representing the British crown and Māori chiefs in 1840 (Orange, 2004). The Treaty of Waitangi has four elements: kawanatanga, tino rangatira, oretitanga and tikangatanga. This essay will focus on oritetanga element of the treaty in relation to socio-political contexts and social justice with examples. It will then go on to the current views of Maori in health experiences in relation to existing clinical and community health/disability services. It will then apply the knowledge of Maori health to everyday professional practice. Finally, this essay will have a brief discussion of nursing practice in relation to oritetanga.