Placing wairuatanga at the centre of end of life care

In her presentation, Dr Tess Moeke-Maxwell, PhD, will highlight the importance of wairuatanga for Māori who have a terminal diagnosis and whānau who have the privilege and responsibility to care for their dying whanaunga before, during and following death. Tess will draw on over 15 years of palliative care research to explore the importance of wairuatanga in end-of-life care and bereavement. This training would benefit health professionals, social workers, and care providers supporting Māori at end-of-life.

Biography

Dr Tess Moeke-Maxwell is a descendant of Ngāi Tai ki Tāmaki and Ngāti Porou. She is a Senior Research Fellow and co-director of the Te Ārai Palliative Care and End of Life Research Group at the School of Nursing, University of Auckland. Tess leads Kaupapa Māori “lived Indigenous experience” qualitative research on behalf of Te Ārai’s Kāhui Kaumātua advisory group. Improving end-of-life, palliative care and Assisted Dying experiences for Māori whānau (family, including extended family) are her research interests. Currently, she leads the Health Research Council funded ‘Waerea study’ on Māori whānau experiences using Assisted Dying services. Tess is an advisory member of the National Palliative Care Work Programme for Te Whatu Ora – Health New Zealand. In 2022, the Royal Society of NZ awarded Tess and Te Ārai Kāhui the NZ Health Research Council’s Te Tohu Rapuora Medal for research excellence with Māori communities. She was selected as one of New Zealand’s 100 Māori Leaders as part of the Henry Rongomau Bennett Foundation Leadership Strategy based on her contributions to Indigenous end-of-life care research. Tess and her team have produced a website to support Māori whānau caregivers and New Zealand health professionals.

https://www.teipuaronui.co.nz