Engaging Maori

Te Pou continues to develop and maintain relationships with tangata whaiora, Maori managers, kaumatua and kaimahi, networking with key stakeholder groups and developing effective working relationships with Te Rau Matatini, Maori research centres and leadership groups.

Maori interest groups

Te Pou is a member of, and networks with, a number of Maori interest groups.

The Waikato Maori MH&AOD Local Advisory Group
This group meets bi-monthly to network, advise and advocate on behalf of Kaupapa Maori providers.

Midland Regional Maori Advisory Group
Te Pou is also a member of this group. Attendees are the Midland DHB's general managers of Maori health, along with Maori NGO MH & AOD managers and Kaimahi.

Supporting Whanau Ora in clinical practice
One of the central tenets of Whanau Ora is the inter-relatedness of whanau relationships, with community, fulfilment and self-reliance. The Health of the Nation Outcome Scale (HoNOS) has the ability to measure change in items that relate to this, for example, relationships, activities of daily living, community involvement and living situations.

Kaupapa Maori providers have training available to inform and support their use of outcomes information within their Maori models of health. This work recognises that the concept of whanau ora has been embraced by tangata whaiora Maori as a korowai for recovery.

Engaging Maori in outcomes and information development

This work aims to increase awareness of the value and uses of mental health and addiction outcomes and other information when working with tangata whaiora Maori (indigenous service users).

Te Pou delivers training aimed at:

• demonstrating to clinicians the importance of cultural differences and the impact that these have on assessment, outcome ratings, and the analysis and interpretation of data
• supporting clinicians to identify how outcomes and other information can be used to inform conversations and recovery planning with tangata whaiora Maori and family/whanau
• demonstrating to clinicians, managers, planners and funders the value PRIMHD outcomes and other mental health reports provide when planning services for tangata whaiora Maori and the Maori workforce.    

The Data Use Guidelines developed by Te Pou provides a framework to analyse, interpret and present data constructively and meaningfully. Maori access the full range of mental health services in Aotearoa, New Zealand. How services can best use mental health information to support the health and well-being of tangata whaiora Maori and their whanau is a complex discussion. These guidelines (while not definitive) highlight key concepts and examples of sound practice to inform this discussion.

Te Pou continues to take a value-add approach, by working with key stakeholders and linking key publications and pieces of work. A recent example of this was the launch of  the Hua Oranga at the third Australasian Mental Health Outcomes Conference hosted by Te Pou in  November 2010.

The Hua Oranga is the first outcome measurement tool designed specifically for use by Maori for Maori. It is unique not only to Aotearoa New Zealand but also to indigenous health outcome measurement throughout the world.

Te Pou looks for opportunities that profile health as a career choice amongst rangatahi. In 2009 Te Pou and Te Rau Matatini partnered with the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists to fund Te Rangatahi Parae High School Students Programme. The programme aimed to engage Year 13 students with the profession of psychiatry, with the hope that this experience might inspire the students to take up a future career in psychiatry or other related disciplines within mental health.