The Asthma and Respiratory Foundation is calling for a collective effort by health workers to fight the high rates of Maori dying from respiratory illness.
Sunny Wikiriwhi, the manager of Maori services at the foundation, says Maori are dying from asthma and other respiratory illnesses at more than twice the rate of non-Maori.
She told Waatea News that training health workers at a grassroots level could help address the disparities between Maori and non-Maori.
A hui for community health workers, nurses and others will be held next Wednesday at Orakei Marae in Auckland to raise awareness among Maori to risk factors such as smoking, poor housing and allergies.
