Nurturing and Growing the Maori Workforce
Waitematā is proud to offer support, education and learning opportunities designed with, for and by Māori health workers. This is an important part of a bigger plan to employ a workforce that reflects the cultural diversity of the population served by Waitematā, to provide best care for everyone.
Some of the opportunities are:
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National Counsel of Māori Nurses – Waitematā Branch. This forum meets every month at the Waitakere Hospital Marae. This is the National Professional body that addresses issues that the Māori nurses are facing (Local, Regional and National). It provides a networking opportunity with other Māori nurses including senior Māori Nurse Leaders.
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Ngā Manukura o Apopo – National Māori Leadership Education Training for all Māori Health professionals which provides leadership training for Māori Nurses in a “by-Māori-for-Māori” model.
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Designated Māori clinical nurse specialist roles: The Māori Clinical Nurse Specialist roles in Diabetes, Gerontology and Cancer serve a dual purpose: firstly as a pathway to develop Māori nurses in to clinical specialist roles, and secondly to respond to the need for health service delivery in key areas that better meets the needs of Māori people using those services.
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Waitematā DHB Health Scholarship programme: Established in 2011 for Māori and/or Pacifica people within the Waitematā DHB region, this scholarship provides financial support, priority placements, networking and facilitated employment for undergraduate students in selected health disciplines such as nursing, midwifery, medicine, physiotherapy, dietetics and more.
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Te Kaunihera Kaumatua: Reporting to the Chief Advisor Tikanga, this select group of esteemed elders oversees matters of Māori cultural significance across Waitematā DHB and Auckland DHB.
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MALT – Māori Advisory Leadership Team is the governance group overseeing the implementation of the joint Waitematā DHB and Auckland DHB Māori Health Workforce Development Strategy. Chaired by the Waitematā DHB CEO Dr Dale Bramley, the team works on innovation and improvement projects each year, and reports against Māori workforce targets.
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Nga Poumana - Supporting Māori Allied Health professionals
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Triple A - The AAA programme developed and tested New Zealand’s first Māori-specific Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm (AAA) screening programme, in partnership with mana whenua. It was entered into the IPANZ award. The Waitematā AAA Screening Pilot for Māori, Waitematā District Health Board was a finalist in Crown – Māori Relationships category. The programme applied rigorous health needs analysis methods with a specific focus on reducing ethnic health inequalities. It resulted in a 78% participation rate, provided a 183% return on investment, and prevented five AAA-related deaths.
Māori Cultural Celebrations
Annual Mataariki – Māori New Year – June each year
Te Wiki o te Reo Māori - Māori Language Week – September each year
Waitangi Day - named after Waitangi where the Treaty of Waitangi was first signed – 6 February
Ngapuhi Festival - Northland's largest free music, cultural, performance and arts & crafts festival – Jan each year
Key Maori Leaders:
DAME Rangimarie Naida Glavish DNZM JP
Ko Atuanui Te Maunga
Ko Kaipara Te Moana
Ko Hoteo Te Awa
Ko Puatahi te Marae
Ko Ngati Hine me Ngati Te Rino nga hapu
Ko Ngati Whatua me Ngapuhi nga Iwi
Naida started working with us in 1990 when we were the Auckland Area Health Board as a Bicultural Manager.
We are fortunate to now have Dame Naida as our Chief Advisor Tikanga for both Māori Health Auckland and Waitematā DHBs. Dame Naida was the architect of the Tikanga Best Practice policy which guides our practice with whanau. The policy is also now being implemented across most of the DHB in our country and has been shared internationally also to help strengthen other responsiveness of other systems to their indigenous populations. Dame Naida also leads the organisation to ensure we have strong and effective relationships with Mana Whenua, and Mātā Waka. The Chief Advisor Tikanga role supports the management of the DHB's obligation to Te Tiriti o Waitangi and provides cultural support to all staff which is avbailable to patients and their whanau.
In May 1984, Dame Naida won the right to use “Kia ora’ across Aotearoa NZ. In 2011, Dame Naida was awarded ONZM for services to Māori and the community. Dame Naida is a Champion in our DHB and country for Iwi aspirations, Te Reo Māori, Tikanga Māori and for a culturally effective health system.
Dame Naida is taonga to our organisation and we feel very privileged to have her as a leader in our DHB.
Dianna McGregor
Māori Clinical Nurse Director
Waitematā DHB and Auckland DHB
Is our Māori Clinical Nurse Director across ADHB/WDHB, she started in 2012 as the first Māori Nurse Specialist in WDHB. She started her nursing career in 1976 as a Nurse Aid, then an Enrolled Nurse, and finally a Registered Nurse. She describes herself as a generalist and stands proud of her Ngapuhi heritage, and of what Māori nurses and Midwives have achieved in her work life, to champion equity for their professions and of course our Māori communities. As an executive member to the National Council of Māori Nurses she believes that the strength for Māori is whanau and networking transportable into the work space provides a grounding for , tinana, hinengaro, wairua (body mind and spirit) so all Māori professionals remain well and balanced, providing care in the same paradigm.
Email: Dianna.McGregor@waitematadhb.govt.nz