Equity, Public Health Messaging, and Traditional Maori Knowledge: The Te Ranga Tupua COVID-19 Response

Throughout the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, the Maori, Indigenous people of New Zealand, public health response has been guided by the collaborative and relationship-centered principles of te ao Maori, the Maori world. This article presents the communications response to COVID-19 by Iwi, tribes, within Te Ranga Tupua (TRT), a collective of Iwi from the South Taranaki/Whanganui/Rangitikei/Ruapehu regions of Aotearoa, New Zealand. This research uses a qualitative design based on a Kaupapa Maori approach. The research presented here focuses on the intersect between COVID-19-related public health messaging, and the application of Maori knowledge and worldviews to establish equitable protection for Maori. By prioritizing equity, self-determination, and adopting a holistic approach to well-being, TRT have been able to re-frame public health messaging in accordance with our tikanga, customs, and notions of Maori public health. We provide a snapshot of how a unique tribal collective deployed its resource to provide culturally appropriate information and communication responses to the first wave of COVID-19 in 2020, and then built on this knowledge and experience providing a modified and more strategic response to the pandemic in 2021.