Swine flu: NZ's Maori urged to avoid hongi... now that we are offically facing the 21st century's first pandemic we as a community need to begin thinking about how to keep ourselves and our whānau safe.

The Spanish flu of 1918 desimated our communities and hit us harder then most. In light of this current pandemic we need to consider these important issues.

Do we continue to hongi and kiss as a greeting and risk spreading H1N1 to our kaumatua and tamariki (both who are especially susceptible). Or do we (for the time being) abstain from our traditional greeting and help prevent transmitting this flu.

Now is the time for us to discuss these things and have plans and protocols in place, most importantly we need the guidance of our kaumatua who undertand most the ways of tikainga for each hapū and each marae.

It's your choice, but remember your choice has the potential to affect hundrends if not thousands of people.

Mauri ora!

Here are some resources from the Ministry of Health:

1. Getting ready for a Flu Pandemic (Te Reo)
2. Getting Ready For a Flu Pandemic (Te Reo Pākehā)
3. Getting ready for a flu pandemic for Whanau, Hui, Marae and Tangihanga (Te Reo Pākehā)