"Doing the Right Thing"

A really hard time for our whānau 

This is quite emotional so bear with me. Six years ago, one of my sisters Joleen passed away from breast cancer. It was a really hard time for our whānau. 

It is still very raw and hard to talk about. 

At work, I think about my sister all the time. I think about how I want to change outcomes like hers for other Māori. 

At home, my husband and I care for her eldest son and daughter, embracing them alongside our own two children. 

It’s awesome to have them in our whānau. I love it. Of course, we’d rather my sister was here with us all, but we are blessed to be kaitiaki (guardians) of her children. 

At times I’m ok talking about it as it’s an important part of our healing journey. It is part of our history.  

My three sisters and me (Joleen is the first on the left)

For as long as I can remember I’ve been passionate about making things right for Māori. My sister’s passing has given me even more personal motivation.  

From what I have experienced, there are different access and outcomes for Māori, especially for those who live rurally, compared to non-Māori.  

We need to change that. And we are.  

Nothing but great memories 

I am one of four sisters. I am the tuakana (eldest sister) and with that comes responsibility.  

I am the organiser, I guess I still fulfil that role today. I love coordinating everybody and making sure that everyone is OK, which is why my sister’s passing was hard for me to take.  

We were born and raised in Kawerau in the Bay of Plenty.  

I have nothing but great memories of growing up. My sisters and I would play every sport under the sun. We had a lot of fun competing in everything.   

My dad worked at the mill and my mum looked after us and made sure that we got to all our sports and school. She worked hard.  

Dad worked hard too. He loved fishing, diving, hunting and played a lot of sports. We had a lot of fun as a whānau. 

Kawerau had a great general practice.  My mum didn’t drive when we were kids. She would walk us to the doctor which was 8km away. When you were sick you knew that you’d have to walk 8km there and then 8km home.  

I was a bull-out-of-a-gate type child, I was fearless. I have many stitches from various injuries and mum would chuck me into the pram and push me there.  I vividly remember my finger half cut off while she pushed me to the doctors! 

There is a common trend among Māori where we don’t want to make a fuss - that resonates when it comes to my whānau. 

My whānau after a trek through the Ngahere Forest on the Gold Coast

We need to build trust with Māori 

When I was younger, my uncle passed away with a multitude of complications. When we look back, we realise that if the first health issue had been dealt with properly, then we wouldn’t have ended up in that position. 

My uncle was always focused on looking after his whānau, looking after the farm, putting food on the table as a priority over his own health. 

This is something that we see a lot of in hapori Māori (Māori communities). Māori don’t want to make a fuss.  

There are lower levels of trust in the health system and in Crown agencies in general.  

Celebrating our daughter graduating with our whānau

There are a number of barriers for Māori accessing ACC support.   

There are lower levels of understanding of the types of support that ACC can provide.   

There are also perceptions that also stop people seeking help.  

In terms of my sister, it was similar. We don’t have a history of breast cancer in our whānau. She wasn’t a smoker. She was under the age of 40. She was fit and healthy. 

At 45 you have the free mammogram test, but she was under 40 so she didn’t qualify (not that you would even think about having a test at under 40 years old).  

She was a very well person. We just found out one day that she had breast cancer and it was advanced and there wasn’t anything we could do.  

After we heard the news about her cancer, she was only with us for a year and a half. It had a devastating effect on our whānau. 

It made me think, are our systems purpose built to meet the need? It’s great to have mammograms but do we need to have them at a younger age to detect any problems?  

When bowel screening for males came in quite a few years ago, I was in the primary health care space, the Ministry of Health had bowel screening for 60-year-olds, however the stats and our data showed that Māori males were getting bowel cancer at 55 years.  

On our way to my Dad's birthday (my sister Joleen's kids and mine)

I am passionate about changing our health system for the better.  

When I am asked what advice, I offer Māori when it comes to ACC it’s not a straightforward answer.  

Of course, we want all New Zealanders to have the help and the support that they need. 

Our data shows Māori are 2.5 times more likely to experience a serious injury, but 25 percent less likely to make an ACC claim.  

We need to overcome the barriers for Māori in terms of access to ACC. We need to build trust and partner with our whānau.  

A better Aotearoa for our next generation 

When I look at my sister’s tamariki (children) and my tamariki, I want to improve outcomes for the next generation of Māori.  

I am proud to be their māmā and look after them.  

It’s the right thing to do. I want to give these tamariki the best start in life and that is just what you do for whānau. 

And I believe that is how ACC should be positioned as well, it’s all about whānau, that for me is the WHY!  

What is the right thing to do for our tangata (people)? Well, then let’s make it happen.  

 Making a difference for Māori 

We are committed to improving the health outcomes of Māori, and we acknowledge that we can do more to make a difference. 

This work includes (but isn’t limited to):  

• Hāpai - In 2021, we began, an initiative aiming to create a more culturally responsive case management experience for our kiritaki Māori and their whānau.  Te Pihinga (the fledgling) stage of Hāpai involves seven recovery team members supporting 275 kiritaki Māori in Whakatane, Tauranga, Rotorua and Gisborne.  Insights gained from this phase are being used to expand the service across the motu.  
• Delivered a Māori led design of services for complex needs in the Tainui waka rohe (areas).  We now plan to incorporate Injury Prevention into the remaining tranche roll across the motu.  With Te Tai Tokerau  and  Tāmaki  Makaurau rohe under Tranche 2.   
• Our rongoā Māori (traditional Māori healing) service is growing day by day with the number of requests from kiritaki (clients) coming in. Not just Māori but non-Māori are embracing this service as well. We have more rongoā practitioners wanting to be registered with ACC. It is really growing.  
• Moving into the delivery of rongoā Māori to support the wellbeing of our kaimahi (staff) is exciting. That shows the value ACC places on their kaimahi in providing rongoā as a choice alongside our EAP (Employee Assistance Programme) service.  
• Expansion of Ngā Tini Whetū (whānau ora delivery that incorporates injury prevention)–into Te Waipounamu (South Island). 
• We are working closely with Te Tairāwhiti iwi and hapū on the Tūārai model that offers a different approach to organising and delivering injury prevention, particularly an approach that builds on the strengths of local Māori models, relationships and connections. 
• Enabling Māori leadership which recognises kaimahi that provide cultural support above their day-to-day roles. 
• Whāia te Tika (Māori strategy) being positioned at the heart of our enterprise strategy and measuring outcomes for Māori through Te Kāpehu Whetū (Māori outcomes framework) 
• And much more….