28/03/2020
Te Ao Maori
Restrictions keenly felt by MÄori
The tangihanga restrictions will also have huge cultural implications.
MÄori cultural protocols usually see whÄnau stay with the tÅ«pÄpaku (deceased) at all times. Their tangi can stretch several days at a marae.
Cultural expert Paraone Gloyne said the ban on tangihanga is a sad reality, but people understand it is necessary.
"I feel for all whÄnau and iwi that are going to lose anybody over this period," he said.
"Regardless of having the means through technology to be able to share our grief, it is still not the same as sharing in that mamae together, being together on the marae, or being together at a whare with each other."
During the 1918 influenza pandemic in New Zealand, many MÄori were buried in mass, unmarked graves, at urupÄ around the country. Iwi want to avoid a repeat of that.
Gloyne said he was concerned that not having a tangi may mean it takes people longer to heal.
Te Rarawa iwi leader Haami Piripi said the temporary restrictions were sad but he accepted them.
"At times like these, which are really dire times, we have to in a way compromise the extent to which we practice our tikanga, in order to continue to practice it," he said.
Piripi said people need to be innovative over coming weeks and find a new process that meets tikanga and enables different forms of participation in the tangihanga process.
Deputy Director-General MÄori Health John Whaanga said the cultural implications of restricting tangihanga are huge but MÄori communities have been adapting for weeks.
"Many of our marae, before we have gone to Level Four, have closed their doors. Many of our iwi and family groups have decided to suspend cultural processes with our safety and the safety of our wider New Zealand community at heart," he said.
"Our people have shown all the way along that they understand the significant public health issues, they understand the need to keep themselves and our communities safe and they have already made changes around tikanga.
"But this is significant, this is huge, this is literally saying that we cannot have any tangihanga processes at all."
Simon Manning said funeral directors are considerate of cultural needs and whÄnau should be open about what they want, even if they cannot be there in person.
In a worst case scenario of widespread deaths from Covid 19, Manning said those who die of the virus will be buried in a single plot each and there will be no mass graves.
Information collated from RNZ Leigh Marama McLachlan MÄori News Correspondent