Page 24 - IB July 2021

Using

‘FOOD HAVENS’

to reduce obesity among Pacific and Māori peoples

A new concept in food environments, the food haven, aims to reduce
high obesity rates among Pacific and Māori peoples.
Researchers at the AUT Child and Youth Health Research Centre are
proposing a new term, the food haven, defined as ‘a space (Vā) or place
(papakāinga) where people have high availability of healthy food that
is culturally accessible, convenient, affordable and desirable’.
This new concept aims to challenge negative perceptions of people
living in low socioeconomic neighbourhoods by highlighting good
work already being done in the community to tackle obesity, and em-
powering these communities to define and drive positive change for
themselves with the support of local business and government.
A strength-based approach, that incorporates indigenous knowledge
and models ‘what urgently needs to be done’, would be a more empow-
ering and effective way to reduce obesity among New Zealand’s most
vulnerable groups, according to a new AUT study.
The findings of the study, Food havens, not food swamps: A strength- Dr Radilaite Cammock (left) and Daysha Tonumaipe’a (right)
based approach to sustainable food environments, were published in
the journal Health Promotion International. For Pacific peoples, space (Vā) refers to a space that is deeply rela-
Too many people are overweight and eat unhealthy food. And it’s a tional – that carries with it a collective responsibility, duty and care that
problem that falls disproportionately on those living in low socioeco- can allow a healthy food environment to prosper and provide positive
nomic areas that are negatively impacted by food deserts (with little outcomes for all members of the community.
access to healthy food and options limited to cheaper, less nutritious, In Te Ao Māori, place (papakāinga) is defined as a home base, vil-
high-calorie food) and food swamps (with an overabundance of fast lage or communal land. It is a place where activities are purposeful
food). Young people are among those most affected by harmful food in enhancing the spiritual, social, cultural and economic wellbeing of
environments.
individuals as well as the group in order to sustain the community.
The New Zealand Health Survey shows that one in 10 children are Tonumaipe’a says, with traditional food environments there was al-
obese and the prevalence of obesity differs by ethnicity, with Pacific ways a central place where Māori could attain wellbeing through cul-
peoples (29 percent) and Māori (13 percent) being the highest. tural, spiritual, and environmental means.
Children living in the most deprived neighbourhoods are 2.7 times “The food haven incorporates a sense of hospitality and looks at how
more likely to be obese, compared to those living in the most affluent we used to eat. It is less about telling Māori and Pacific people ‘this is
areas. what you ought to eat’ and more about putting ownership back on our
Food environments shape what food we buy and eat. They are the people – because we have our own solutions to these problems and can
physical, social, economic, political and cultural factors that impact the tap into indigenous ways of being and thinking to enhance our wellbe-
accessibility, availability and adequacy of food within a community. ing,” she says.
In order to understand what constitutes a sustainable food environ- “What we’re talking about is a journey of wellbeing, not an over-
ment and, more importantly, what that might look like for people liv- night fix.”
ing in New Zealand’s most deprived neighbourhoods, AUT research- Research co-author, Dr Radilaite Cammock (Vuita, Fiji), is a lecturer
ers conducted a literature review focusing on the typology (types and in Public Health at the AUT School of Public Health and Interdisci-
symbolism) of food environments. plinary Studies. She is also a research associate at the AUT Child and
The lead author of the study, Daysha Tonumaipe’a (Te Arawa, Tainui, Youth Health Research Centre and AUT Pacific Health Research Cen-
Ngāti Hine), a PhD candidate in International Business Strategy and tre, based at the South Campus in Manukau.
Entrepreneurship at the AUT Business School and member of the AUT Both researchers are proud citizens of South Auckland.
Child and Youth Health Research Centre, looks at indigenous experi-
ences of international investment and is involved in several health re- “A lot of people come to South Auckland and tell us what our food
search projects about sustainable food systems and food environments. environment looks like, but not a lot of people care about what we are
already doing to improve the spaces and places where we live. And
Tonumaipe’a says, there has been little to no success in reversing the most of the things we are doing are not being captured or supported by
obesity epidemic and a new approach is needed. the public sector,” says Cammock.
“The literature has tended to focus on harmful food environments The food haven concept is about capturing positive change that is
using negative metaphors, like food deserts and food swamps, but posi-
happening in the community and trying to attract the support of people
tive motifs can go further in creating whole sustainable food environ- who are making decisions about where resources are going.
ments,” she says.
“We need academics, local business and government to consider the
“We need to focus on modelling healthy food environments and con- food haven concept and come up with solutions, with our community
sider the complexities within distinct population groups.” driving it. Our hope is that this concept will start that conversation and
Key elements from the food haven definition have been drawn from bring people together to look at all of the elements that influence the
indigenous knowledge, particularly Māori and Pacific perspectives. way people eat,” says Cammock.
24 Islands Business, July 2021