In 2018, nearly 3 out of 4 Māori people (74 percent) rated their whānau wellbeing highly, and more than 9 out of 10 Māori people (92 percent) said that the health of the natural environment was quite or very important to them, Stats NZ Tatauranga Aotearoa said today.
"Matariki and Puanga can be an important time for whānau to come together and connect with each other and the whenua. Mātauranga Māori can often be passed down through whānau participating in taiao activities together. Te Kupenga 2018 data highlights the importance of whanaungatanga and kaitiakitanga for Māori," wellbeing and housing statistics manager Ben Faulks said.
"In Te Ao Māori, wellbeing is holistic and can encompass physical, mental, spiritual, whānau, and environmental health. This is reflected in the data, in the relationship between whānau wellbeing and social support, physical and mental health, and between whānau and the environment."
Whānau wellbeing was self-rated and measured on a 0-to-10 scale where 0 represented whānau doing extremely badly, and 10 represented whānau doing extremely well.
Those who rated their whānau wellbeing highly (at 7 or above) were twice as likely to say their whānau also got along very well (53 percent), compared with those who gave their whānau wellbeing a lower score (between 0 and 6) (26 percent).
Whānau wellbeing and support
Whānau wellbeing can be an important aspect of people's social support structures.
Māori who reported higher whānau wellbeing (at 7 or above) were more likely to find it easier to ask for different types of support, compared with those with lower whānau wellbeing (between 0 and 6).
For those with higher whānau wellbeing (at 7 or above), more than 3 out of 4 Māori (76 percent) found it easy or very easy to ask for general support from someone, which could include things like helping with moving, picking up or dropping off children, and checking their house while away. This compared with 62 percent for those with lower whānau wellbeing (between 0 and 6).
When asked about crisis support, nearly 4 out of 5 Māori (79 percent) with higher whānau wellbeing (at 7 or above), said it was easy or very easy to ask for support from someone in times of need (eg, helping out with a serious illness or sudden injury), compared with 67 percent of those with lower whānau wellbeing (between 0 and 6).
Whānau wellbeing and mental and general health
Whānau wellbeing can also be an important aspect of mental and general health.
The 2018 data showed that whānau wellbeing was associated with positive outcomes for mental wellbeing, loneliness, and general health. Those with higher whānau wellbeing were more likely to have good overall mental wellbeing (82 percent), compared with those with lower whānau wellbeing (64 percent). Mental wellbeing was measured using the World Health Organization's WHO-5 mental wellbeing index, which covers five aspects of mental wellbeing, including how cheerful, calm, active, and rested people felt, and how much of their daily life was filled with interesting things.
More than half of Māori with higher whānau wellbeing said they had not felt lonely in the previous 4 weeks (58 percent) and said they had very good or excellent general health (57 percent). This compared with 43 percent and 39 percent respectively, of those who reported lower whānau wellbeing.
| Selected wellbeing measures | 0-4 (low whānau wellbeing) |
| "Cheerful and in good spirits | 43.3 |
| all or most of the time" | 38.3 |
| "Calm and relaxed | 30 |
| all or most of the time" | 19.3 |
| "Active and vigorous | 38.5 |
| all or most of the time" | 38.8 |
| "Fresh and rested | 31.3 |
| all or most of the time" | |
| "Life filled with interesting things | |
| all or most of the time" | |
| "Lonely | |
| none of the time" | |
| "General health | |
| very good or excellent" |
| 37.7 | 48.9 |
|---|---|
| 32.9 | 43.7 |
| 24.7 | 35.3 |
| 14.9 | 23.7 |
| 32.6 | 44.4 |
| 32.7 | 44.9 |
| 26 | 36.6 |
| Selected wellbeing measures | 5 |
| "Cheerful and in good spirits | 50.3 |
| all or most of the time" | 44 |
| "Calm and relaxed | 34.4 |
| all or most of the time" | 31.7 |
| "Active and vigorous | 47 |
| all or most of the time" | 44.5 |
| "Fresh and rested | 38.8 |
| all or most of the time" | |
| "Life filled with interesting things | |
| all or most of the time" | |
| "Lonely | |
| none of the time" | |
| "General health | |
| very good or excellent" |
| 46.6 | 54 |
|---|---|
| 40.4 | 47.6 |
| 30.6 | 38.2 |
| 27.9 | 35.5 |
| 43.5 | 50.5 |
| 40.3 | 48.7 |
| 34.8 | 42.8 |
| Selected wellbeing measures | 6-9 |
| "Cheerful and in good spirits | 67.4 |
| all or most of the time" | 55.7 |
| "Calm and relaxed | 43.7 |
| all or most of the time" | 35.6 |
| "Active and vigorous | 56.9 |
| all or most of the time" | 53.5 |
| "Fresh and rested | 53.4 |
| all or most of the time" | |
| "Life filled with interesting things | |
| all or most of the time" | |
| "Lonely | |
| none of the time" | |
| "General health | |
| very good or excellent" |
| 65.8 | 69 |
|---|---|
| 54.1 | 57.3 |
| 42.1 | 45.3 |
| 34 | 37.2 |
| 55.5 | 58.3 |
| 51.9 | 55.1 |
| 51.7 | 55.1 |
| Selected wellbeing measures | 10 (high whānau wellbeing) |
| "Cheerful and in good spirits | 80.8 |
| all or most of the time" | 71.7 |
| "Calm and relaxed | 57.7 |
| all or most of the time" | 57.1 |
| "Active and vigorous | 75.4 |
| all or most of the time" | 67.7 |
| "Fresh and rested | 63.6 |
| all or most of the time" | |
| "Life filled with interesting things | |
| all or most of the time" | |
| "Lonely | |
| none of the time" | |
| "General health | |
| very good or excellent" |
| 78.1 | 83.5 |
|---|---|
| 68.3 | 75.1 |
| 54.1 | 61.3 |
| 53.6 | 60.6 |
| 72.2 | 78.6 |
| 64.2 | 71.2 |
| 60.4 | 66.8 |
The data also showed that the higher Māori rated their whānau wellbeing, the more likely they were to also rate their mental health highly as well. For example, for those who rated their whānau wellbeing at 10 (out of 10), 72 percent felt calm all or most of the time, compared with 56 percent for those who rated their whānau wellbeing between 6 and 9. This relationship also holds with loneliness and general health.
Whānau and the natural environment
In 2018, when asked about the importance of the health of the natural environment, 69 percent of Māori said it was very important to them. Nearly 1 in 3 Māori (32 percent) had participated in an activity that looked after the health of the natural environment, such as restoring waterways, planting trees, and pest control. Of those that participated, more than a third (40 percent) took part in those activities with their whānau.
The data on whānau wellbeing and the natural environment was collected in Te Kupenga 2018, Tatauranga Aotearoa Stats NZ's survey of Māori wellbeing, which was answered by almost 8,500 individuals of Māori ethnicity and/or descent.
