Supporting Maori families - Otago Polytechnic

Kia tautokohia kā whānau Māori

How might we improve support for Māori midwifery students?

Ka pēhea mātou i whakapiki tautoko m¯o kā ākoka kaiwhakawhānau Māori?

The Māori birth rate is 25.2% of the total New Zealand birth rate, but Māori women are not always able to access care from a midwife who identifies as Māori and shares their cultural world view. More Māori midwifery graduates are needed.

To this end our School of Midwifery undertook research into the experiences of current Māori midwifery students to identify opportunities to help them succeed. To ensure that lecturers Dr Jean Patterson, Professor Sally Baddock and Bridget Kerkin did not know which students participated in the study, only Erica Newman from the University of Otago met with the students. The Otago Polytechnic team worked with a report which Erica wrote in consultation with the Māori midwifery students to ensure it faithfully captured their words without identifying them.

The Māori midwifery students generously shared their experiences and suggested ways to improve our programme. Their suggestions included:

Providing the timetable sooner to help with planning travel and childcare
Breaking up the difficult bioscience topic into smaller modules
Using video in online tutorials so the students can see the tutor's face
Having the opportunity to meet their ākonga learning group members face to face when on their first block course
More contact with Māori support services
Having Māori facilitators for the teaching of tikanga Māori

These suggestions have been gratefully implemented by the School of Midwifery. The role of a dedicated Māori midwife already available online to the students has also been strengthened.

E 25.2% te nuika o kā whānautaka Māori o te nuika o kā whānautaka whānui o Aotearoa, heoi, i ētahi wā, kāore e taea e kā wāhine Māori te puta atu kā ratoka nā tētahi kaiwhakawhānau Māori, nāna hoki i mārama ai ki te ao Māori. He hiahiataka mō ētahi atu kaiwhiwhi tohu kaiwhakawhānau Māori.

Nō reira, ka huataki tō mātou School of Midwifery i ētahi rakahau e aro atu ana ki kā ākoka kaiwhakawhānau Māori hei tautuhi i kā akitu mā rātou kia tutuki pai ai. Kia noho huna kā ākoka i whakauru ai ki te rakahau mai i a Tākuta Jean Patterson rātou ko Ahoraki Sally Baddock, ko Bridget Kerkin, ka tūtaki anake a Erica Newman, nō te Whare Wānanga o Otago, rātou ko kā ākoka. Ka whakamahi te tima ki Te Kura Matatini ki Otago ki tētahi ripoata, nā Erica i tuhi ki te taha o kā ākoka kaiwhakawhānau Māori kia whakatūturu ki ā rātou ake kupu, ā, ka noho huna tonu rātou.

I whakapuaki māhorahora kā ākoka kaiwhakawhānau Māori i ā rātou wheako, ā, i marohi rātou i ētahi whakaaro kia whakapai i te hōtaka. Ko ētahi o ā rātou tohutohu:

Me tuku moata ake te wātaka mahi kia awhi i te whakamaheretaka mō te haereka me te tiaki tamariki
Me whakawāwāhi i te kaupapa pūtaiao ki ētahi kōwae ako paku ake
Me whakamahi i kā kiriata ki roto i kā akoraka ā-ipuraki kia taea ai kā ākoka te kite tō te kaiako kanohi
He akitu kia hui kanohi ki te kanohi te huka ako ākoka i te akoraka tuatahi
Me nui ake te whakawhiti kōrero ki kā ratoka tautoko Māori
Me whakatū i ētahi kaiārahi Māori mō te whakaako i kā tikaka Māori

Kua whakaurua ēnei tohutohu e te School of Midwifery. Kua whakakaha hoki te tūraka kaiwhakawhānau Māori e wātea ā-ipuraki ana mā kā ākoka.

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September 2018