Aspiring toward Pae Ora: Values and strengths-based child safety messaging in Aotearoa/New Zealand.

Abstract

On-going inequities in rates of fatal and non-fatal injury between tamariki Māori (Indigenous children) and non-Māori children in Aotearoa (New Zealand) are unacceptable and highlight breaches by the Crown in their obligations to Māori, outlined in Te Tiriti o Waitangi (The Treaty of Waitangi). Safekids Aotearoa, a national organisation tasked with reducing unintentional injuries to children (0-14 years), is shifting the focus of its programmes and resources to better align with Te Tiriti o Waitangi and to honour Māori knowledge, ideas and principles to eliminate inequity and support the pursuit of Pae Ora: Māori health aspirations for flourishing whānau (families) and tamariki. We provide an overview of Te Tiriti o Waitangi and its relevance to child injury prevention and the Te Tiriti-led response by Safekids Aotearoa, particularly around approaches to developing values and strengths-based safety messages. In doing so, we challenge and counter pervasive barriers to achieving equity and Pae Ora and describe how identifying and incorporating shared Māori values in a Te Tiriti-led agenda supports the work, ethos, programmes and relationships of Safekids Aotearoa in its journey toward equitable outcomes and Pae Ora for all. We highlight the importance of embedding prevention efforts and advocacy within a holistic framework of tamariki and whānau well-being embracing capability and strengths-based approaches.