Post-disaster mental health support: Examples from a Māori mental health community

Abstract

The 2010 and 2011 earthquakes in Ōtautahi (Christchurch) disrupted support networks for many people. Tangata Whaiora – a Māori term for mental health clients – were particularly vulnerable. This paper presents qualitative and quantitative data from a Kaupapa Māori mental health community in the city who set about re-establishing their networks of support in the post-disaster landscape. A social network analysis was undertaken to identify relative connectivity between different groups of participants including staff, managers, and non-Māori. Māori Tangata Whaiora were found to be more isolated post-disaster than non-Māori. Whānau (a fundamental cultural institution based on the extended family) were specifically avoided by some participants after the major event through previous negative experiences. Results describe a context of overlapping disasters which will require radically different disaster risk reduction strategies than currently exist in this country