Ki te whaiao, ki te ao Mārama
Addressing the mental health needs of
Māori traumatised by colonisation, racism,
poverty, drugs and alcohol was a priority,
with participants identifying that treatment
needed to recognise cultural practices. One
participant witnessed Māori culture and
human rights being ignored by the mental
health system, which caused even more
trauma for the patient and put them further
at risk:
When I was in Henry Bennett hospital
for 12 days, I witnessed first-hand what
clients have to deal with in terms of
hospital staff. I witnessed a wahine
who had attempted suicide… She was
traumatised as her koro (grandfather)
had passed away. She had a taonga
necklace that he had given her & she was
daily screaming for her precious taonga
could be given back, just so she can
remember her grandfather who passed
away. Yet according to the policies in the
hospital, nurses wouldn't let her wear
anything. They had mentioned she could
choke herself & commit suicide with it. Yet
she was attempting suicide with all the
tools around her from not wearing that
precious taonga. Where do you draw
the line here? Those medical systems are
the CAUSE of a lot of traumas & suicide.
Giving western pharmac medicines is
NOT the cure. The hospital had all these
flyers around about Human Rights - yet
breeching the rights of patients every
day & being the cause of a lot of suicides
happening on campus.
Te Kāhui Tika Tangata
Participants described a vision of thriving
whānau where:
Our babies thrive through Mama ora
and whānau ora; Our Mama have
access to services and care that meets
their needs during pregnancy, birth
and post-birth; Our men have access
to service and care that meets their
needs; Our tamariki receive education
that meets their needs and is whānau,
hapū, iwi led through partnerships with
education providers; Our rangatahi voice
is heard, engaged with and appropriate
action is taken in response; our pakeke
have equitable access to everything that
supports and maintains their own needs
as well as their whānau; our Kaumatua
are valued by all New Zealanders
as cultural and spiritual experts in
communities broader than whānau,
hapū, iwi Māori.
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