Te Whakahekenga presentations in Ōpōtiki and Whakatāne

Recently, Te Ārai researchers led two public hui held in Ōpōtiki and Whakatāne in Te Moana-a-Toi/Eastern Bay of Plenty. The researchers included: Stella Black, Jackie Robinson, and Merryn Gott from the Te Ārai Research group worked in collaboration with kaiwhakarurhau-a-iwi, graduates of the Mauri Ora programme with Te Korowai Aroha o Aotearoa. This group of kaiwhakaruruhau formed Te Topūtanga o te Mauri building capacity as kairangahau/researchers with and for their whānau, hapū, iwi and communities.  The research spanned three years and was funded by the Health Research Council. ‘Te Whakahekenga: Dying as a Social Justice Issue’ worked with 37 participants and 23 stakeholders, the majority located in the Eastern Bay area. The Te Whakahekenga study importantly showed that people living in high deprivation are less likely to access key healthcare services in the last year of their life.

Over 100 people attended both hui helped and the sharing led to further learnings for the Te Ārai researchers around how to support people at end-of-life, especially within a rural setting, and for those experiencing socioeconomic deprivation. Another positive outcome of both hui highlighted the areas for improvement where whānau, service providers and hapori/community leaders could see their role in supporting whānau. As Jackie put it: “people brought their own solutions, and it was heartening to see how much amazing work is already happening in this space”. Te Ārai is grateful to the Eastern Bay community for their mahi, kōrerorero and support in undertaking this research project.