Kaupapa Māori governance, service profiles and operational relationships | Te Whatu Ora | Health New Zealand | Hauora a Toi Bay of Plenty

Kaupapa Māori governance, service profiles and operational relationships

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Kaupapa Māori governance

I te mea he kanohi nō te karauna, e pūmau ana Te Hauora a Toi ki te whakatutuki i tana kaupapa hei hoa pātui i raro i Te Tiriti o Waitangi.

E mōhio ana Te Hauora a Toi mā te whakarite i ngā hiahia me ngā wawata o te Māori me whakamana i te tirohanga a te tangata whenua e whai wāhi mai ai ngā tikanga Māori, ngā rongoā, ngā mātauranga, ngā whakapono, ngā uara me ngā mōhio o te Māori.

As a Tiriti partner, Te Whatu Ora - Health New Zealand Hauora a Toi Bay of Plenty actively seeks to create an environment in which the kawa and tikanga of our 17 iwi can flourish. We actively support urihaumate, whānau Māori and our Māori workforce to practice tikanga within the hospital and its services, work with our departments and services to design and implement culturally intelligent services that meet the cultural needs of Māori and review and transform the policy and procedures to ensure tikanga and kawa are supported and protected.

We do this alongside our 17 iwi and kaupapa Māori partners through direct governance and operational relationships, through Te Rūnanga Hauora Māori o te Moana ā Toi and Te Amorangi Kāhui Kaumātua.

The oversight of these activities is led by our Manukura.

Kaupapa Māori tikanga

We do this alongside our 17 iwi and kaupapa Māori partners through direct governance and operational relationships, through Te Rūnanga Hauora Māori o te Moana ā Toi and Te Amorangi Kāhui Kaumātua.

The oversight of these activities is led by our Pou Tikanga.

Karakia, Mihi Whakatau, Whakawhanaungatanga, Tautoko, Te Reo me ōnā Tikanga

Pou Kōkiri are deployed across all service departments. For Māori whānau unfamiliar with or unaware of the supports available to them, Pou Kōkiri attend Multidisciplianary meetings and visit with urihaumate Māori kanohi ki te kanohi in these departments:

  • Te Toki Maurere (Mental Health Inpatient Unit)
  • Ko Matariki (Maternity Unit)
  • Te Ahuru o Rehua Ariki (Emergency Department)
  • Te Whare Whakarata Taitamariki (Paediatrics)
  • Te Koru (Rehabilitation)
  • Medical and Surgical Wards
  • Intensive/Acute Care Unit
  • Outpatients Department

Additionally, education of clinicians and student clinicians is provided through Mihi Whakatau and Wānanga Tākuta.

Requests for Pou Kōkiri support can be made through:

Ph 07 306 4954 (Te Whatumauri Hauora/Whakatāne Hospital)
Ph 07 579 8560 (Tauranga Moana/Tauranga Hospital)

Te Pare ō Toi service profiles

The Kaupapa Ward – 2A (Tauranga Hospital)

Established in 1990 to meet the clinical and cultural needs of Māori patients. It is an acute ward for medical, respiratory, diabetes, cardiac care, oncology, Renal failure, CAPD / APD dialysis, medicine in general.

The Kaupapa ward, is the only one of its kind in New Zealand, has clinically trained staff and can also provide access to Te Reo, and tikanga best practice. The Ward started with with four beds, and has increased to 10-12 beds dedicated to Māori with the ability to flex to 22 bed if required. 

The staff of the Kaupapa Ward say that many people from around the country have visited to see for themselves how the ward is run. "It's the only one that we know of operating in a hospital in New Zealand, and we've had a lot of interest about what we've done here."

"It is unique. A lot of people are quite acutely unwell or at the end-stage of their lives when they come in. In the Kaupapa Ward not only clinical care is provided, but also cultural support in a meaningful way that meets their needs."

The model of care is based on "whanaungatanga" or the relationships between and amongst iwi Māori. That is, whakapapa, whanaungatanga, kinship and the knowledge and understanding of local iwi, hapū and whānau networks and Māori Health provider groups. The care provided is also supported by acknowledging the cultural values and beliefs of the patient and whānau.

The Ward will often become the interface between the patient and the community to ensure that the patient's discharge is a safe journey for them and ensure other key services are also provided for them. Nursing staff and social workers work with the patient and whānau to make this happen, to ensure a seamless transition from secondary care to primary care.

Kaupapa district nurses will follow-up patients after they leave the hospital to ensure their needs are being met at home and Support Net services will also assess the patient with home-care where required. Patients can also be seen at outpatient clinics if further follow up care is required.

The staff of the Kaupapa Ward say that many people from around the country have visited to see for themselves how the ward is run.  “It’s the only ward of its kind operating in a hospital in Aotearoa New Zealand, and we have had a lot of interest about what we have done here.”  It surely is an inspirational journey. 

Contact Kaupapa ward

Ph 07 579 8705 (ward reception) or email: maori.health@bopdhb.govt.nz

The community nursing service plays an important role in shaping the way our whanau engage and experience the health system.

Through strong relationships with whānau, patients and Māori Provider Health services our community nursing team support whanau to access health services, and partner with whanau to achieve their goals for wellbeing.  The nursing team recieve referrals from a number of sources:

  • Outpatient clinics
  • Community follow up from a ward referral
  • Māori Health provider referrals
  • GP referrals to the service.

Based on the referral our team delivers whanau-centred care in the home and at times in the individual’s workplace if ths is relevant.

Ask your health provider for a referral.

Te Whānau o Irakewa, Whakatāne Hospital

Oupatient clinics at the Whakatāne campus are delivered from Awamorehurehu clinic in the Māori Health Services building (Te Whare ō Irakewa). These are co-ordinated by and operated in partnership with the respective service Clinician within Whakatāne hospital and ensure manuhiri and patients are provided with Pou Kokiri manaakitanga and expertise to support Te Reo me ona Tikanga.

  • Opthalmology
  • Diabetes
  • Paediatric

If you would like to access the Kaupapa Māori outpatient clinics in Whakatāne ask your health provider for a referral or phone 07 306 4954.

Tauranga Hospital

Outpatient clinics at the Tauranga campus are run from Silver Birch House. They are coordinated by a clinic nurse and specialist consultant - these clinics operate independently of the main hospital in Tauranga.

Outpatient clinics are held regularly under the following specialties:

  • Medical
  • Diabetes
  • Paediatric
  • Gynaecology

If you would like to access the Kaupapa Maori outpatient clinics ask your health provider for a referral or phone 07 579 8560.

The nurse practitioner service works alongside the Whakatāne emergency department for whānau who may need support reconnecting with general practice or hauora providers to maintain their wellbeing.

Our nurse practitioner provides valuable clinical expertise for whānau living in the Eastern Bay of Plenty. Common conditions like infections, skin conditions as well as long term conditions like asthma and diabetes are usually best seen to in general practice or hauora/community but for some access to and through health services is challenging, costly or confusing.

The nurse practitioner will use a kaupapa Maori approach to help whanau make health decisions together, looking at options, plans, safe discharge and ongoing monitoring. 

Email maori.health@bopdhb.govt.nz

Based at the Tauranga campus, the Kaupapa Māori social workers provide assistance to Māori and their whānau in the wards who require;

  • Social work, liaison and support services
  • Liaison with iwi provider services
  • Liaison with other government agencies
  • Liaison with regional tertiary hospitals
  • Whānau emergency accommodation units
  • Involved in monitoring of care/discharge care plans of patients
  • Involved in support for any tupāpaku (deceased) and bereavement issues
Contact Kaupapa Māori social work

Ph 07 579 8560 or email maori.health@bopdh.govt.nz

The Pou Kōkiri service provides hospital and community based services in both Whakatāne and Tauranga hospitals.

Translated, Pou Kōkiri is:

'the pillar of strength, the pillar of support, the pillar of responsibility that carries the work, the pillar that advances issues and matters'.


The  Pou Kōkiri service ensures te reo me ōna tikanga (Māori language, custom and practice) and whakawhanaungatanga are accessible to whanau , staff and the organisation as a whole. The service advocates for the tikanga and kawa of urihaumate and their whānau, supporting an approach that provides a bridge between the expertise of te ao Māori and te ao Pākehā, under our model of care He Pou Oranga Tāngata Whenua.

Request this support through:

Ph 07 306 4954 (Te Whatumauri Hauora/Whakatāne Hospital)
Ph 07 579 8560 (Tauranga Moana/Tauranga Hospital)

The oversight of these activities is led by our Pou Taahu

Ph 07 306 0954 or email maori.health@bopdhb.govt.nz 

There is temporary emergency accommodation for whānau if their whānau member is in hospital in Tauranga and Whakatāne.

Whare Whānau Whakataa (Tauranga)

There are two whānau whare, each consisting of two small bedrooms, a kitchen and a bath/shower.

This accommodation can be accessed through our social workers 07 579 8560 or email maori.health@bopdhb.govt.nz.  

Te Takapu o Hineahuone Community House (Whakatāne)

Four bedrooms, comfortably furnished and equipped for temporary, affordable accommodation.

This accommodation can be accessed through our Pou Kōkiri 07 306 0954 or email maori.health@bopdhb.govt.nz.

Māori Health Gains and Development - Planning and Funding responsibilities include:

  • Delivering on and maintaining the integrity of iwi and Māori community engagement including alignment of  activities with He Pou Oranga principles
  • Providing strategic advice to TTHW to address health inequalities for Māori
  • Facilitating Māori health workforce development
  • Ensuring mainstream services are culturally responsive for Māori
  • Maintaining good relationships with Māori health service providers
  • Managing funding, including service development, contracting monitoring and evaluation of Māori health service providers
  • Working with and providing advice and support to the Māori Health Runanga to fulfil their governance role
  • Working collaboratively with Te Tumu Whakarae, the Ministry of Health Māori Directorate, Te Puni Kokiri and other agencies.

Ph 07 557 5674

Hauora Māori Training is a workforce development for the Māori health and disability workforce.

The workforce development is a partnership between the Ministry of Health, the health and disability sector, and Māori stakeholders to facilitate the development of the non-regulated health and disability workforce. It delivers the following programmes:

  • Kia Ora Hauora (KOH) the ‘Māori Health as a Career Programme’, a national Māori health workforce development programme  that increases the number of Māori working in the health and disability sector.
  • Kia Ora Hauora engages with Māori students, current health workers, and community members seeking a career in health. It promotes health careers, both clinical and non-clinical. Also seen as a information hub that provides knowledge, tools and resources to help young people on a health career pathway.

Ph 07 579 5546 or email mau.tane@bopdhb.govt.nz

This service provides strategic public health advice, epidemiological and data analytics, improvement science, health intelligence and economic expertise to support:

  • the acceleration of Toi Ora targets e.g. breastfeeding rates, smoking free households, oral health enrolments etc.
  • Assessing and monitoring tangata whenua health status of the Bay of Plenty.
  • Investigating any factors adversely affecting the health status of tangata whenua, and assessing the needs of tangata whenua for services.
  • Contributing to strategic and annual planning by:
    • Advising on prioritisation; and
    • Health indicator development, including alignment with Ministry of Health (MoH) health targets; and
    • Developing action plans that align with strategic objectives.

This service works in regular collaboration with the Ministry of Health, Te Tumu Whakarae and Ngā Toka Hauora and public health, quality and decision-support analysts.