Climate change is the biggest threat to humanity through compounding ecological disasters. A focus on global averages tends to hide dramatic differences and mask health disparities that exist for Indigenous people. For 21 years, district health boards (DHBs) were responsible for providing or funding the provision of health services across Aotearoa. The introduction of the Pae Ora (Healthy Futures) Act 2022 disestablished DHBs and offered an opportunity to reshape health in ways that give serious consideration to climate change impacts. The need to give greater consideration to Indigenous people in climate change conversations is essential.

A key challenge for the Health Promotion Agency (HPA) is to find innovative ways to address the disproportionate levels of alcohol- related harm that Māori experience. Some negative images of Māori drinking, such as those in the movie adaptation of Alan Duff’s Once Were Warriors, have become a self- fulfilling prophecy for far too many Māori. Consequently, the Alcohol Advisory Council of New Zealand (ALAC), now part of HPA, has been working on ways to destabilise these negative images. This article explores the concept of stereotypes and how it can affect alcohol use by Māori.