Te Oranga

Te Oranga is a half hour programme brought to you by the Alcohol Advisory Council and Radio Waatea and broadcast on a selection of iwi radio stations.

Hosted by high profile Maori broadcaster Aroha Hathaway, the programme takes a holistic view on how Maori look at our alcohol consumption.

Are Maori binge or social drinkers? Do we need to challenge our accepted view on how we drink alcohol?

Hear the facts, listen to the arguments and make your own opinion.

Maori tertiary students highest rate of binge-drinking

12 March 2010

An Associate Professor and Dean for Maori Health in Te Wai Pounamu says the student drinking culture is virtually the same at tertiary institutions nationwide.

Dr Joanne Baxter of the Dunedin School of Medicine at the University of Otago says "the university is like it's own community. So it has it's own range of cultures."

"Alongside the strong academic excellence are some of the social and cultural antics associated with the students."

Whilst focussing on Maori mental health, she also worked on a project looking at hazardous drinking among tertiary students.

" There was a pattern of binge-drinking occuring."

Findings showed Maori and European students had the highest level of binge-drinking.

She says she was dismayed at common alcohol-related consequences which included almost 70 percent of Maori students reporting hangovers in the four weeks leading up to the survey.

Forty percent experienced blackouts, 1 in 3 had emotional outbursts, about 12 percent reported unsafe sex.

" Then there was a whole range of other things including impacts on studies."

She says a number of research projects all point to the same conclusion. " For some Maori alcohol is a real health problem."

Click here to view the latest ALAC Maori Action Plan (as at November 2009)

ALAC: Maori Action Plan 2009

Te Oranga is a long term partnership with The Alcohol Liquor Advisory Council and Radio Waatea. An educative and informative programme which promotes a collective approach, empowering Te Ao Maori to effect our own changes and provide our own solutions in changing our attitudes about alcohol consumption.

Ma wai tenei waka e to
Mau, Maku, e kii ma tatou
Mauri Ora!!

Who will drive this waka
You, me, indeed all of us.

For more information, visit the ALAC website:

www.alac.org.nz