FEATURE
Right: Ngatepaeru Marsters (left) and Teresa Krishnan (right) holding the ipu whenua that connects the two arms of the project (Te Ara O Hine and Tapu Ora). Photo by Tania Fleming.
$6M BOOST FOR MĀORI AND PASIFIKA MIDWIFERY STUDENTS Te Ara Ō Hine – Tapu Ora, a joint $6m project between the Ministry of Health (the Ministry) and Aotearoa’s midwifery education providers, was launched at AUT University in March and signalled the beginning of a new chapter in addressing midwifery workforce inequities. Amellia Kapa attended the event and sheds light on its significance. AMELLIA KAPA COMMUNICATIONS ADVISOR
AUT University’s South Campus was abuzz with excitement on the morning of 30 March as midwives, student midwives, midwifery educators, government officials and journalists poured in to celebrate the launch of a national project which represented much more than the dollar amount allocated to it.
Ngā ingoa: The name Te Ara Ō Hine was gifted by highly regarded Hōreke kaumātua, Te Pania Kingi (Te Popoto) and translates to ‘the path of Hine-te-iwaiwa’, referring to the female Māori deity who presides over childbirth, fertility and te whare tangata (womb). Matua Te Pania explained Hine-teiwaiwa was given a hei tiki made of pounamu by the atua Tiki – a symbol of fertility only to be worn by wāhine. The name Tapu Ora was gifted by esteemed Senior Pacific Advisor Fuimaono Karl PulotoEndemann MNZM JP and acknowledges the sacred space of birth, aligning it with students’ learning journeys and the gaining of midwifery knowledge as equally sacred.
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The project, which will see the Ministry invest $6m into Aotearoa’s midwifery education providers over the next four years, will focus on increasing recruitment and retention of Māori and Pasifika midwifery undergraduate students, as well as ensuring these students go on to successfully complete the programme. Officially launched by Associate Minister of Health Hon Dr Ayesha Verrall, in her speech the Associate Minister recognised the importance of strategising to ensure the midwifery workforce appropriately reflects the diversity of the communities it cares for. “Part of the investment is funding to increase the number of midwives and ensure the workforce is representative of the populations they’re serving.” Increased pastoral support for Māori and Pasifika students by way of increasing Māori and Pasifika educators and liaison staff, as well as financial grants awarded directly to students, are just two examples of how the project aims to increase retention within the programmes.
National Lead of the Pasifika arm of the project (Tapu Ora) Ngatepaeru (Nga) Marsters, described the venture as instrumental. “This project is a powerful vehicle for change, with the main goal being to increase the number of Pasifika and Māori midwives entering our currently inequitable workforce. Increasing the likelihood of Pasifika and Māori women being cared for by a midwife whose cultural context they can relate to only stands to benefit our communities.” College President Nicole Pihema (Ngāpuhi, Te Rarawa) also attended the event and echoed Nga’s sentiments. “Achieving more equitable health outcomes for our Māori and Pasifika communities starts with addressing the gaps in our workforce. I have every confidence that as our workforce shifts to more accurately reflect the communities we serve, the natural consequence of this will be increased wellbeing and improved perinatal outcomes for whānau nationwide.” In the same vein, National Lead of the Māori arm of the project (Te Ara Ō Hine)
