Forty years ago, aged 30, kaumātua Reg Ratahi was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes and cases like his were rare.
Now, decades later, that same diagnosis is striking rangatahi at alarming rates.
He recalls that time being unhealthy and having to make regular visits to medical professionals.
“I tērā wā i taku taumahatanga 140 kiro ka uru au ki te hōhipera mō te stroke.”
That stroke forced him to turn his life around.
Today, Reg is in remission, weighs 86 kgs and stays active through Turuki Health Care’s Walk n Talk group at Panmure Basin. A weekly kaupapa led by metabolic and wellbeing coach Jared Cannons.
It’s all part of Diabetes NZ’s One Million Minutes challenge, a national push to get whānau living with diabetes moving and rebuilding healthy habits together, one step at a time.
Type 2 diabetes isn’t just getting bigger, it’s getting younger
Today marks World Diabetes Day, highlighting how fast type 2 diabetes is spreading across Aotearoa.
2024 Ministry of Health data shows 5,552 Māori under 35 now live with the condition.
A joint study by the University of Otago and the University of Waikato predicts more than 500,000 New Zealanders will have diabetes by 2044, a rise of nearly 90 percent.
Māori cases are expected to more than double, from 42,930 to 98,146.
Professor Lisa Te Morenga, Co-Chair of Health Coalition Aotearoa, says poverty and food insecurity are key drivers.
“We’ve seen a massive increase in young people living in homes where they’re not guaranteed a meal every day… healthy food just isn’t affordable.”
Dr Bryan Betty, Chair of General Practice NZ, says the condition can quickly lead to serious complications.
The younger you get type 2 diabetes, the shorter that time can be,” he says.
Those complications can include heart disease, kidney failure, stroke, and amputation. Studies show Māori are also 1.4 times more likely than non-Māori to face lower-limb amputation.
E karanga ana ngā mātanga kia whakaritea he kaupapa ārai.
E whakapono ana a Jared ehara i te mea me noho te tangata me tēnei māuiui, ka taea e te tangata te whakaora anō i a ia anō.
Me te aha, me arotahi ki ngā kaupapa ārai me ngā hōtaka mātauranga hei hāpai i te hunga kua pā kē ki te mate huka.
Mō te kaumātua a Reg, ko te tiaki i te reanga a muri mai te mea nui.
“Ki ahau nei me titiro ki o tātou nei tamariki koinei te tīmatanga, kaua e waiho kia pakeke haere rātou”
