Te Toi Ahorangi

Māori Health

Whakarongo ake au ki te tangi ā te mātui. Tuī tuī tuituia.
Whakarongo ake ai, whāia te iti kahurangi, ki te tūohu koe, me he maunga teitei.

Te Toi Ahorangi 2030 is the Toi Ora Strategy of Te Rūnanga Hauora Māori o Te Moana a Toi. This strategy has been adopted and is fully endorsed by the Bay of Plenty District Health Board.

Te Toi Ahorangi affirms our unified vision, voice and intention to drive toward a whole-of-system transformation to Toi Ora that will improve the wellbeing of the over 56,000 Māori who live in Te Moana a Toi. Toi Ora is our vision. Toi Tū is our mission.

Te Toi Ahorangi 2030 sets a clear direction for tangata whenua and the BOPDHB to achieve Toi Ora, flourishing descendants of Toi – the shared vision of the seventeen iwi of Te Rūnanga. This strategy is a reflection and extension of significant collaboration and mahitahi efforts undertaken to develop He Pou Oranga Tangata Whenua (Te Rūnanga Hauora Māori o Te Moana a Toi, 2007). He Pou Oranga Tangata Whenua is reignited in this strategy, anchoring the ecological and spiritual nature of a tangata whenua worldview at the forefront of our thinking, planning, funding and decision-making.

Mā te whakātu, ka mohio, mā te mohio ka marama, mā te marama ka matau, mā te matau ka ora

Bay of Plenty DHB recognises Te Tiriti o Waitangi as the founding document of New Zealand.

Article III of Te Tiriti o Waitangi grounds our commitment to improving equity for Māori as tāngata whenua (people of the land).

How we translate this into practice:

  • Leadership at all levels including:
    • Te Rūnanga Hauora Māori o Te Moana a Toi (Governance)
    • Manukura/ Executive Director for Toi Ora (Executive leadership)
    • Pou Tikanga/ Chief Advisor Māori (Executive leadership)
    • Te Amorangi Kāhui Kaumātua (Council of esteemed elders)

  • Valuing and utilizing mātauranga Māori in the design and delivery of health services:
    • Te Amorangi Kāhui Kaumātua as a wisdom guide;
    • He Pou Oranga Tāngata Whenua as a model of care;
    • Supporting the development of kaupapa Māori partners and their services;
    • Making space for tōhungatanga, karakia and rongoa as legitimate healing practice alongside kaupapa Pākehā medical practices;
    • Pou Kōkiri and kaupapa Māori workforce within the hospital environment.

  • Celebrating Māori achievement:
    • Matāriki Awards: Celebrating everything our people do to improve our whānau experience, eliminate health inequities for Māori and develop the Māori workforce through our values
    • Wānanga: for all Māori staff three times per year to showcase mātauranga Māori, Te Toi Ahorangi and to connect our Māori health champions to Māori Health Gains and Development

  • Building workforce capacity to work towards equity for Māori:
    • Free on-site Te Reo Māori classes for staff and their whānau
    • Te Kakenga: a training package including training in Te Tiriti o Waitangi, institutional racism and unconscious bias, equity, cultural intelligence and Te Toi Ahorangi.

It is essential that our whole workforce engages effectively with Māori and our culturally diverse community. The opportunities above are here to support you to identify resources, build knowledge, and link with networks related to improving health equity.

Under Te Tumu Whakarae the BOPDHB have a commitment to increasing Maori participation in the workforce.

Mā te huruhuru, ka rere te manu

Workforce development is crucial in achieving Toi Ora. We seek a workforce that cares about caring for our people, for our hapū and our iwi. A workforce that values and demonstrates mātauranga Māori. A workforce that knows how to be an authentic Tiriti partner.

We know that many Māori prefer Māori health workers and Māori health workers often work best for Māori communities. Therefore, we need more Māori health professionals to meet the needs of our growing Māori population, both clinical and non-clinical. Currently Māori nurses are in the highest demand.

The BOPDHB work in partnership with Kia Ora Hauora to increase the overall number of Māori working in the health and disability sector in response to the national shortage of health sector workers - and the demand for more Māori health professionals in that sector.

To learn more about study options through Kia Ora Hauora please visit www.kiaorahauora.co.nz

Come join our team as we work to create a future where our mokopuna are raised in Mana Atua, Mana Tupuna, Mana Whenua, Mana Moana & Mana Tangata.

Ehara taku toa i te toa takitahi, engari he toa takitini e

Mine is not the strength of one alone, but the strength of many

As a values-based organisation and in consideration of our organisational commitment to He Pou Oranga Tāngata Whenua we want people applying for roles with us to feel welcome and respected. We want to demonstrate an intelligent integration of tikanga Māori into our processes.

A key element of the recruitment process is an interview. The interview process can sometimes be limited as a means of assessing an individual’s fit and suitability for employment, particularly for cultures where self-promotion is not encouraged and does not occur naturally. In te ao Māori, one of the hallmarks of leadership is whakaiti. This is demonstrated in humility and regularly redirecting the focus of achievement and success away from the individual to the group.

To address this important cultural difference and to ensure our interview process works effectively for all cultures, Bay of Plenty District Health Board believes having whānau/support person(s) with interview candidates is the right thing to do.

Who can use whanau support interviews?
Anyone applying for employment at the Bay of Plenty District Health Board. They are valuable where an applicant’s personal and cultural values could possibly limit the information provided at a formal interview.

All candidates short-listed for interview have the right to a whānau/support person(s) present during the interview. The role of the whānau/support person is to both support the candidate during the process and, where appropriate, to promote their strengths and merits for the role. Support people are particularly important when a candidate’s personal or cultural values may limit the information they would otherwise provide at a formal interview i.e. the candidate may be reticent to speak too highly or confidently about themselves.

What is the process?
When you are notified that you have been selected for an interview let our recruitment team know you will bring whanau or support people to your interview. This will allow the interview panel to prepare for the interview appropriately. You should also advise how many people are likely to come to the interview, the role of whanau or support people.

Key steps of the whanau support interview
An example of an interview format with whānau/support person(s) present:

  • Karakia, mihi whakatau and whakarata: Whānau/support members will be welcomed and will have the opportunity to respond;
  • Whakawhanaungatanga: The interview panel will introduce themselves;
  • You and your whānau/support will have the opportunity to introduce yourselves;
  • Manaakitanga: Short break for a cup of tea/coffee and a biscuit;
  • The interview panel will formally interview you, including an opportunity for you to ask questions;
  • Whānau/support members will be invited to speak, highlighting your qualities and suitability for the position.
  • Upon completion of the interview your whānau/support members will be thanked for attending and will have the opportunity to respond;
  • Close with karakia.
It is important to understand that the role of a whānau/family/support person is to:
  • present you to the panel
  • promote your strengths and merits at the appropriate time
Their role is not to:
  • Answer questions for you
  • Assist you in answering technical questions about the position