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Aims/hypothesis: The A (minor) allele of CREBRF rs373863828 has been associated with increased BMI and reduced risk of type 2 diabetes in the Samoan populations of Samoa and American Samoa. Our aim was to test rs373863828 for associations with BMI and the odds of type 2 diabetes, gout and chronic kidney disease (CKD) in Māori and Pacific (Polynesian) people living in Aotearoa/New Zealand.Methods: Linear and logistic regression models were used to analyse the association of the A allele of CREBRF rs373863828 with BMI, log-transformed BMI, waist circumference, type 2 diabetes, gout and CKD in 2286 adults. The primary analyses were adjusted for age, sex, the first four genome-wide principal components and (where appropriate) BMI, waist circumference and type 2 diabetes. The primary analysis was conducted in ancestrally defined groups and association effects were combined using meta-analysis.Results: For the A allele of rs373863828, the effect size was 0.038 (95% CI 0.022, 0.055, p = 4.8 × 10−6) for log-transformed BMI, with OR 0.59 (95% CI 0.47, 0.73, p = 1.9 × 10−6) for type 2 diabetes. There was no evidence for an association of genotype with variance in BMI (p = 0.13), and nor was there evidence for associations with serum urate (β = 0.012 mmol/l, pcorrected = 0.10), gout (OR 1.00, p = 0.98) or CKD (OR 0.91, p = 0.59).Conclusions/interpretation: Our results in New Zealand Polynesian adults replicate, with very similar effect sizes, the association of the A allele of rs373863828 with higher BMI but lower odds of type 2 diabetes among Samoan adults living in Samoa and American Samoa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As part of its service to reduce harm from problem gambling, Ngāti Porou Hauora (a New Zealand indigenous-led health service provider) aims to reduce the number of non-casino gambling machines (pokies) legally able to operate in the Gisborne district of the North Island’s East Coast. This case study summarises, from the Ngāti Porou Hauora perspective, its problem gambling service’s journey of working with others between 2003 and 2005 to achieve a local government ‘sinking lid’ policy for pokies as part of the council’s class 4 gambling venues policy. New Zealand’s Gambling Act 2003 and Local Government Act 2002, and the expansion of the Ngāti Porou Hauora problem gambling service team in 2003, set the scene for this local policy action. How the team learnt about and negotiated their way through local government policy-making processes and community interest groups and issues is documented. In conclusion, reflections are shared on the critical factors that contributed to achieving this policy outcome—knowledge and use of the community empowerment opportunities arising from recent legislation, the qualities and skills of the team, and the community relationships and collaborations they established. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]