Roimata Smail, at Koropatū Pa this month.
Ngāti Maniapoto lawyer and author Roimata Smail returned home to Te Koropatū Pā in Te Kūiti this month to launch her book ‘Understanding Hauora’ and lead a Te Tiriti o Waitangi workshop.
Roimata Smail, at Koropatū Pa this month.
The event welcomed whānau for a morning of kōrero, interactive learning, and shared kai. Despite stormy weather, 30 took part in an interactive workshop that explored health, equity, and the ongoing impacts of land loss on Māori wellbeing.
Roimata Smail
“Most people don’t realise the loss of over 60 million acres of whenua is still felt today,” Smail said. “Whenua is home, it is resources, it is belonging. Without it, inequities in health were always going to follow.”
Drawing on two decades of experience as a lawyer in the Waitangi Tribunal, Smail seeks to make complex topics accessible for whānau. Her previous book, ‘Understanding Te Tiriti’, sold over 10,000 copies and topped New Zealand non-fiction charts.
Understanding Hauora examines how historical and ongoing injustices have shaped Māori health outcomes, while highlighting Māori-led initiatives that nurture wellbeing with aroha.
