People living in isolated communities often live in homes that lack essential amenities such as clean reliable water, energy or power sources, vehicle access, telecommunications and waste management systems. Under these circumstances the health and safety of whānau, in particular the most vulnerable (kaumātua and pēpi) can be compromised and placed at risk.
This research involved interviewing whānau who reside in isolated communities and determining the essential needs of whānau (from their perspective) and the factors taken into consideration by whānau to prioritise these needs.