We now live longer and healthier lives than any Polynesians ever in history. While it is often useful to look to the past, we shouldn’t hunger for a world that never was. The Māori world is being reshaped and we need to confront the trauma that faces us. The health status of Māori men has been relatively neglected and there has been an inadequate health sector response to the serious inequalities that exist. Māori men as a population are socially diverse and there is an urgent need to focus on those who live in entrenched poverty. As we face these challenges it is important to remember that we are a dynamically adaptive culture – we need to stop recreating the old and embrace the new.
