Quote by Māui Pōmare: “Health is the strength of the people. When the people are strong, nothing can hold them back.”

Public health is not just a medical matter — it is a political and social foundation. When communities are sick, impoverished, or weakened, they cannot organise, resist, or flourish. This says that health is not a personal luxury but a collective power, which is why it must be fought for politically, not just treated medically.

Pōmare worked as a doctor and parliamentarian in the early 1900s when Māori communities were devastated by introduced diseases, poverty, and land dispossession. New Zealand's Māori population had collapsed from estimated pre-contact numbers and was only beginning to recover. His public health work was inseparable from his political advocacy for Māori rights.

Māori medical doctor and politician who was one of the first Māori to obtain a medical degree, graduating from the United States. He served as a member of the New Zealand Parliament and was instrumental in Māori health reforms in the early 20th century. He was knighted and served briefly as Acting Prime Minister in 1920.