enhancing food security and physical activity for maori, pacific and ...

Enhancing Food Security and Physical Activity for Māori, Pacific and Low-income PeoplesSection B: Enhancing physical activityTo enhance physical activity for Māori, Pacific and low-income peoples the researchteam identified two areas for inclusion in this study. The first is an emerging field ofresearch and practice internationally and was identified strongly in the literature reviewand suggested by focus group results. The second is an area of specific focus for NewZealand and was identified strongly in the focus groups and hinted at within theinternational literature.The first section looks at improving urban design to facilitate more physical activity. Thechapter (chapter 5.1) by Jamie Pearce and Sharron Bowers provides a wide-rangingdiscussion of the possible impacts of enhancing open space and street connectivity onphysical activity. This questions whether promising international research translates intosimilar outcomes within New Zealand. Recommendations for action are focused onresearch and ensuring the potential for utilising urban design continues to be explored inpolicy while a more robust evidence base is established.The second section looks at the provision of physical activity programmes that areculturally specific for Māori, Pacific and low-income peoples through three chapters. Thefirst two chapters consider some of the infrastructure requirements for culturally-specificprogrammes. In Chapter 6.1 Ralph Maddison and Craig Heta examine capacity buildingamongst providers so that programmes are widely available and meet the needs ofdiverse communities. In the second chapter (chapter 6.2) Ralph Maddison continuesthis exploration with Christina McKerchar and focuses on evaluation and research todevelop an evidence base of the impact of culturally specific programmes on physicalactivity. The third chapter (chapter 6.3) looks at the particular issue of the role of tikangawithin culturally specific physical activity programmes. Of particular note in this chapterby Craig Heta, Leonie Matoe and Christina McKerchar is the use of tikanga not only inprogrammes by Māori for Māori, but in mainstream programmes that are likely to includeboth Māori and non-Māori.130