Cultural safety and competency
Supporting cultural safety is part of our commitment to creating a more equitable ACC for Māori that is inclusive for all New Zealanders.
Kawa whakaruruhau | Cultural safety and competency
Video transcript for Kawa whakaruruhau | Cultural safety and competency
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Text displays the following on screen – ACC Kawa Whakaruruhau Cultural Safety.
Text displays ACC branding.
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Hutia te rito o te harakeke, kei hea te kōmako e kō?
If you remove the heart of the flax bush, from where will the kōmako sing?
He aha te mea nui o te ao?
What is the most important thing in the world?
He tangata, he tangata, he tangata.
It is people, it is people, it is people.
Screen shows an animation of a kōmako (bellbird) sitting in a pā harakeke (flax bush).
Transcript
Hutia te rito o te harakeke, kei hea te kōmako e kō? He aha te mea nui o te ao? He tangata, he tangata, he tangata.
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Screen shows an animation of two figures slowly coming together to give each other a traditional Māori hongi.
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At ACC, we want to deliver care that meets the needs of whānau. We’ve created a new policy on cultural safety to make sure whānau receive appropriate care and ensure our kiritaki Māori – our Māori clients – experience equity as Te Tiriti partners.
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Screen shows an animation of a pā harakeke is in the foreground as white clouds move across the sky.
Screen shows an animation of a kōmako flying in and landing in the pā harakeke.
Screen shows an animation of the sun rising in the sky as the kōmako starts singing/whistling.
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We want our kiritaki to feel like the kōmako does – like the bellbird, in her natural environment. Here, in the pā harekeke – the flax bush – she’ll thrive, take rest, and share her waiata to the rising of the sun. The pā harakeke is her space, where she feels safe. Ki konei, ko te reo, ko te tikanga me te kawa nōna kē; Here, it's her language, her customs, her way of life. We want ACC to be that safe space, just like the pā harakeke.
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Screen shows an animation of the pā harakeke transforming into a weave pattern.
Screen shows an animation of the ACC logo appearing under a magnifying glass.
Screen shows an animation of the weave pattern disappearing and a kōmako flying onto the screen.
Screen shows an animation of the kōmako landing in an outstretched hand. The sun then rises in the background.
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Our policy – Kawa Whakaruruhau – will help us to bring whānau into environments where their cultural needs are respected. It weaves together te ao Māori and non-Māori approaches to help us achieve balance and equity. It defines cultural safety for ACC which includes the need for us to examine our own attitudes and biases and consider how these impact the experience and outcomes of our kiritaki. The policy reflects the importance we place on cultural safety and the need for those who work with us to share in this commitment. Along with our cultural competency guidance, it provides a clear path for the delivery of culturally appropriate care to our kiritaki and whānau.
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Screen shows an animation of the pā harakeke and kōmako moving into the background.
Screen shows an animation of a diverse group of animated people coming into the foreground.
Text displays the following on screen – He tangata, he tangata, he tangata.
Transcript
So that, like the kōmako, our kiritaki feel comfortable to be themselves ... to openly share their story without judgement ... feeling empowered to take a more active role in their healing journey. Working together, we can make a positive impact for whānau and achieve better health outcomes.
Because what is the most important thing in the world? He tangata, he tangata, he tangata.
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Text displays ACC branding.
Text displays the following on screen – For more information and resources, visit: acc.co.nz/culturalsafety
We want our kiritaki (clients) and whānau to be welcomed into culturally safe environments where they receive appropriate and equitable health care. As Te Tiriti o Waitangi/Treaty of Waitangi partners, we are committed to improving experiences and health outcomes of Māori, across all services we fund.
We’ve woven together te ao Māori and non-Māori worldviews, knowledge, and practices to create a cultural safety policy for providers, Kawa Whakaruruhau, to improve the experiences of our kiritaki.
We want those who work with us to be committed to the delivery of equitable and culturally safe health care to help change the experience of Māori who we know are more likely to sustain a serious injury, but less likely to access our services. Our policy explains our stance on cultural safety and sets an expectation of how it’s applied.
For us, cultural safety is about acknowledging differences between groups and addressing biases that may impact on the quality of health and rehabilitation services, access to those services or the equity of health and rehabilitation outcomes.
He kaupapa-here | Our policy
Our Kawa Whakaruruhau (Cultural Safety) policy sets out our expectations on how cultural safety is to be applied by contracted and non-contracted providers and suppliers who deliver ACC-funded care to kiritaki and whānau. The policy was developed in consultation with providers to ensure it fits with other approaches across the sector.
Kawa Whakaruruhau - Cultural Safety policy
Our policy outlines expectations on how cultural safety should be applied by all providers and suppliers who deliver ACC-funded care to kiritaki and whānau.
Quick guide: Culturally safe care
This quick guide is for all contracted and other providers and suppliers delivering rehabilitation and health services to our kiritaki (clients) with covered injuries.
He kupu ārahi | Our competency guidance
Cultural competence is having the attitudes, skills and knowledge to function effectively and respectfully when working with and treating people from a range of cultural backgrounds.
To support you applying our Kawa Whakaruruhau policy, we’ve updated our cultural competency guidance.
Te whānau Māori me ō mahi: Guidance on Māori cultural competencies for providers was created by Mauri Ora Associates, a collective of Māori health professionals. It reflects current approaches to support health providers in their cultural competency to enable them to deliver culturally safe care.
Together with our policy, the guidance is asking providers and health care organisations to reflect, recognise difference, confront their biases and correct the imbalance of power in relationships with ACC kiritaki.
Te whānau Māori me ō mahi: Guidance on Māori cultural competencies for providers
To support our policy, we created this competency guide. This helps enable health providers to delivery culturally safe care to kiritaki (clients).
He rauemi āwhina | Further resources
Videos
Webinars
Cultural competency guidelines for providers
Cultural safety policy - Kawa Whakaruruhau
Support resources
Health Quality and Safety Commission - health literacy, equity, cultural safety and competence
The Royal College of General Practitioners - health equity and cultural safety
Mauriora Health Education Research - what we teach
Health Navigator - cultural safety
Questions or feedback
If you are an ACC provider or supplier and you have questions or feedback about cultural safety or competency related to ACC-funded services, you can reach out to your local Engagement and Performance Manager.
Te Rina’s story: ‘I struggled behind closed doors’
Te Rina has first-hand experience of the trauma that can be caused if whānau don’t receive culturally appropriate care.
Health providers on journey to lead way in cultural safety
We recently published our Kawa Whakaruruhau (Cultural Safety) policy to help healthcare providers lift their cultural competency, and make people from all backgrounds feel safe.
Council setting standards in culturally safe care
The Chinese Medicine Council of New Zealand is on a journey to make sure all its practitioners provide culturally safe care to clients, aligning with the ACC Kawa Whakaruruhau (Cultural Safety) policy