Māori co-designed intervention to refocus New Zealand health service delivery.

Nikki Barrett (Ngāti Hauā me Ngāti Porou), University of Waikato

My PhD will focus on Māori-specific interventions that refocus delivery of health services to become holistic and responsive to Māori need. The key feature of my research is the use of the He Pikenga Waiora (HPW) Implementation Framework to co-design a holistic Harti Hauora Māmā Assessment Tool (HHMAt) and implement within the Hapū Wānanga programme. 

A key characteristic of the HPW Implementation Framework is that whānau voice will be used in all stages of the project to ensure quality and continuous improvement throughout the project. Too often New Zealand research, literature and reports draw on largely quantitative data to focus on the poor health outcomes of Māori compared to their non-Māori counterparts. 

The numerous apparent reasons for these statistics include; Māori present late, whānau do not engage, they are hard to reach. These are all reasons which fault the individual, as opposed to the service (Te Puni Kokiri, 2011). A step toward improving Māori health outcomes is ensuring health services meet the needs of Māori whānau. A key component of services being more responsive to Māori need is for Māori to be involved in the development and implementation of interventions. 

The research I will carry out will be grounded in the principles of Te Tiriti o Waitangi and Tino Rangatiratanga, and aim to empower whānau through fostering knowledge and skills in a respectful and mana enhancing way. As a Māori māmā who has experienced both ends of the health spectrum, as both a service user and health professional, I have a vested interest in ensuring this research will have a meaningful impact and contribute to improved health gains for our whānau. 

Te Puni Kōkiri, 2011. He Pūrongo Arotake: Hard to Reach Youth (CART) Evaluation Report: Hard to Reach Youth (CART). Wellington: New Zealand. Kellie Spee Community engagement: Use of the He Pikinga Waiora Framework to co-design the Harti Hauora Māmā Assessment Tool (HHMAt) for use in the Hapū Wānanga programme will require, first and foremost, engagement with Māori hapū māmā and whānau who have been through, or about to attend, the Hapū Wānanga programme. Engagement with Māori is central to my research as well as with health and social service providers. My professional relationships I have made with maternity health specialists, Māori and community health providers, and most importantly Māori communities will contribute to this research project.