Article | HEALTH AND WELLBEING.

Running head: HEALTH AND WELLBEING
Explain the impacts of colonization on health and wellbeing for Tangata Whenua
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HEALTH AND WELLBEING
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Impacts of colonization on health and wellbeing for tangata Whenua focusing
on the use of alcohol and tobacco-
Since the 1860s, Colonization has found to affect the Maori communities predominantly,
significantly and severely undermining their aspirations, potentials and vitality at a tremendous
price to the whole country. The British arrival in Aotearoahas stated that there exist a
relationship between two exact different people who have found to influence their dissimilar and
collective prosperities ever since. This relationship is integral to the settler interests that ensure
that Maori dominance to be placed in relation to colonial hegemony, establishing longstanding,
health disparities that could otherwise be preventable and other significant areas of social life
(Moewaka Barnes and McCreanor 2019).
Colonization have found to negatively impact the Maori people and significantly affected
the health and wellbeing of these people. Maori sovereignty has been under attack on te Tiriti o
Waitangi, as an integral practice of colonial order establishment in Aotearoa. Through economic
impoverishment, land alienation, warfare, mass settler immigration, Indigenous cultures, cultural
marginalization, forced social change and multi-level hegemonic racism, economies, populations
and rights have been diminished and dishonored above more than seven generations (Moewaka
Barnes and McCreanor 2019).
The Maori population, in particular started to contract between the year 1810 and 1825,
falling to 90000 as communicable diseases and acquired tolls on both mortality and birth rates.
Throughput this period, although the whole European population was lesser, increasing visits of
the ships intended transitory influxes at particular sites like Kororareka in te Tai Tokerau
exposing new illnesses, alcohol and tobacco and guns. The decline of the Maori population

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enhanced particularly from 1825, falling to 80,000 by 1840, since the prevalence of infectious
diseases ascended into the epidemics that altered the activities of the Maori economy
(assembling exportable resource exploitation) that possibly decreased the life expectancy.
However, by the 1840s, the overall population rate had grown significantly, at about 2000, with
life expectancy about 40 years. Nonetheless, the first substantial attainments of Maori land went
under way (Moewaka Barnes and McCreanor 2019).
Prior to the arrival of the Europeans, Māori remained one of the civilizations in the world
that did not consume intoxicants. There was not any substance considered to be equivalent of
substances like alcohol, tobacco or any other drugs. However, tobacco was introduced by the
Europeans and was immediately accepted by the Māori. The smoking rate among the Māori in
the 2000s was found to be twice than the non-Māori.
The consumption of tobacco and related products among these people began after the
Europeans introduced them during the late 1700s. Tobacco, which was consumed by either
smoking pipes or chewing it, becomes a standard trade product progressively with time. Māori
people grew plants and thus engaged themselves in heavy smoking that increased their risk of
respiratory problems and other related health conditions. The introduction of alcohol and tobacco
by Europeans enabled over indulgence leading to over consumption. This has led to loss of
appetite, not eating well, poorer nutrition and weakness that affected their health. Thus, two
outcomes include impact on physical health as well as mental health. Alcohol and tobacco were
used by the settlers for forming trading relationship with iwi. Rangatira, who signed the treaty
were given Tobacco. Thus, both alcohol and tobacco negatively impacted health of the Maori,
affected their life expectancy and also social wellbeing (Moewaka Barnes and McCreanor 2019).