Media release from Tariana Turia

I am so pleased to be here at Te Kura Kaupapa Maori o te Rangianiwaniwa surrounded by the wonder of all of our tamariki and mokopuna, to launch this aptly named initiative : MOKO - Manawa Ora, Korokoro Ora - a healthy heart, a healthy throat.

Today is about all our mokopuna - our heart and soul.

I have always liked the whakatauaki - kia tötöia ngä waewae o taku mokopuna hai whai tako: let the legs of my grandchild be massaged so that he may be supple and agile.

It is that sense that when our babies are born we will do everything we can to prepare them for life.

We watch out for their unique distinguishing characteristics.

We are on alert for that moment their eyes meet ours; we hover over them as they sleep, watching and listening as they take their every breath.

Today then is a celebration of the special taonga that each and every mokopuna is.
But there is another clever use of the word moko - and that is its relationship to ta moko.

Ta moko represent the ancestral messages specific to the wearer. They tell the story of their whanau and tribal affiliations; they express the strength of their whakapapa; and they are a living memorial to their traditions and histories.

So in taking on the concept of MOKO as your branding for this programme you are sending out many messages.

Your ultimate goal is mokopuna ora - the optimum health and wellbeing of all your children. That in itself - is Whanau Ora - and that is about protecting and caring for our whakapapa.

None of us should be under any illusion that our good health can be taken for granted.

Rheumatic fever is the leading cause of acquired heart disease in childhood in Aotearoa.

Last year 182 New Zealanders were admitted to hospital with acute rheumatic fever and another 64 with recurrent rheumatic fever. Of these, Maori are twenty times more likely and Pasifika people 37 times more likely to be hospitalised compared to European and other ethnicities.

This trend towards increasing rates of hospital admissions has escalated since 1995.

And as we all know the disease rates we are seeing now are much higher than in other developed countries.

That is an absolute disgrace and that is why I fought to get rheumatic fever placed high on the government's health agenda.

We cannot and must not continue to see such high rates of a disease one expects not to see in developed countries.

Our investment in a national rheumatic fever prevention programme supports a massive campaign across high risk communities including school based sore throat clinics for over 22,000 children.

Some may say it is about time that Government have started to take action over a situation which has been worsening over the last two decades - and in particular I am concerned about the obvious disparity between ethnic groups.

But today we stand here, united, to celebrate MOKO - Manawa Ora, Korokoro Ora - and to put the praise where praise is due - to the heroic efforts of the local champions who have done so much to care for your children and raise awareness of this issue.

And I want to mihi to:
• Helen Herbert, who has been instrumental in raising the awareness of rheumatic fever in Whangaroa and across the motu;
• the outstanding talent of Dr Lance O'Sullivan who has done so much to improve the health of all our tamariki; and the kuia Waireti Walters and Lisa McNabb, who between them are a formidable team.

The launching today of MOKO is also done in the context of other local community initiatives, including throat swabbing services in Whangaroa and Kaikohe.
Ngati Hine Health Trust in Whangarei is also contracted to deliver the Maori Rheumatic Fever Prevention Coordination Service so I want to recognise the leadership that is evident in Te Tai Tokerau which will be influential across the country.

The MOKO service that is being launched today has four key elements:
• Throat swabbing services for children between 5-14 years, in the six local schools in Kaitaia;
• Improved awareness of rheumatic fever across the community;
• Network development and service coordination;
• Surveillance, monitoring and evaluation.
In essence then, over 1000 children will from today, be offered the opportunity for early diagnosis and early treatment.
I want to congratulate Dr Lance and Helen, for your amazing energy; your commitment to Te Tai Tokerau; and your vigilance in raising these issues to hit the national radar.

But there is one more group of local champions and heroes that I want to mention in this very significant launching today - and that is our greater whanau.
In literal terms, moko means reflection and puna means spring. Our mokopuna are the reflection of our own health; they represent the wellspring of a whanau commitment to total wellbeing.

Indeed, one cannot be a mokopuna without having that direct link to the well of life, that springs forth from their parents and grandparents.

I remember a statement from the late Tuakana Nepe that sums up the vital relationship between mokopuna and their grandparents:
"the tipuna has the role of transmitting to the mokopuna knowledge that will develop the child's intellect to 'think Maori' as well as to nurture the child's wairua to 'feel and be Maori'

In my mind, to think, to feel and be Maori, is to be strong of heart, and clear of purpose; to be healthy; thriving and full of the wonder of life.

Our whanau have a vital role in all aspects of the wellbeing of our children - and being vigilant in their healthcare is a critical part of our collective responsibility.
So we must make sure all of us are equipped to be our children's first health care professional.

We must take action when we hear our children with a persistent, nagging cough or troubled by a sore throat.

Once discharged from hospital children need to receive injections of penicillin for at least ten years to prevent recurrence. And so again, that is where whanau can step up to the plate, to keep a watchful eye out for all our children to keep them well.

And of course with the recent cases of meningitis reported in Northland, we are asking all of our whanau to watch carefully over our babies and children - to watch for high fever, headaches, and sleepiness, an aversion to bright lights or not wanting to eat.

What we all know is that we can never be too careful when the life of a loved one is at stake.

I commend to you all this very important new initiative - MOKO - I have absolute confidence that your combined commitment and dedication will do so much to reduce the rates of rheumatic fever in this community and beyond - and I thank you all, as champions for our children.