There are many factors which contribute to the state of Maori health in the 21st century. This essay focuses on the decline of the pre-European Maori health methods of diet and communal living as well as the impact this has had on the Maori race today.

Maori health today is considerably different to Maori health of the 18th century. Obesity, cancer, heart disease and diabetes are significant health issues surrounding Maori people today. (Otago,2007). There are many factors which contribute to these health problems, it is assumed that these health issues have arisen due to drastic changes in diet and loss of culture due to westernisation Maori people of today are eating a predominantly western diet which consists of fatty sugary and salty foods which are covenant, cheap and have been proven to have ill effects on health and wellbeing.

If we examine the pre-European diet of the Maori race which consisted of the kiore (native rat, now extinct) birdlife, seafood, seals and whales (coastal areas) as the main source of protein, the principal vegetable foods were taro, kumara, also pikopiko, and puha when available. Many berries in the forest were eaten raw, others were boiled and eaten. From the evidence of Hohepa Te rake (Ettie A. Rout, 1926) “food was regarded not only as the body’s natural sustenance but also as a natural corrective”. Maori believed that to the overall health of the body was maintained by the digestive system and ate foods that regulated the bowels to maintain inner health. This traditional diet was restricted due to lack of large land animal fats.

The Maori dietary resources in pre-European times were limited therefore a communal approach to food distribution was emplaced to provide nutritional sustenance for all people with the tribe (iwi) or sub tribe (hapu). Each tribe member brought with them varied hunting or gathering skills which ensured a mixed diet.

This sociological characteristic of communal living is one valuable traditional method which was common practice for one who belonged to a village. Unfortunately this method of communal living is not practised in the larger urban Maori population of today. According to (Meredith, 2011).

“The movement of Maori from their traditional homelands to the cities was among the fastest of any population. In 1926, 84% were living in rural, tribal settlements. By 1986, just fewer than 80% were in urban centres. Such a dramatic displacement into a strange new world led to isolation and a sense of loss”

The repopulation of rural Maori to urban society has had negative repercussions for some second generation urban Maori who suffer with loss of whakapapa (genealogy) and feelings of rejection within their Hapu and Iwi in rural society.

It can be said that the loss of these methods are but a small sacrifice for the overall benefits of westernisation but to many Maori the decline of these traditional methods of maintaining a healthy diet and living in a supportive social structure has had negative health effects spiritually, mentally and physically on the Maori race as a whole.