Māhuri Tōtara national support worker summits: Evaluation report 2024

The Māhuri Tōtara national summits in 2024 focused on the theme of Hononga/Connection. The theme went beyond simply connecting with the workforce – it extended to connecting with oneself, with what drives support workers in their work and the broader issues facing the sector. The speakers and activities at the summits provided valuable opportunities for support workers to:

• connect with each other
• reflect on the reasons behind their mahi and how they connect to whānau
• explore how the great work they do with tāngata whai ora is supported by the accurate collection of data.

The summits were held in two locations — Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland for kaimahi based in Te Ika a Maui, and Ōtautahi Christchurch for those in Te Waipounamu. This approach aimed to encourage support workers from across Aotearoa New Zealand to participate. Despite the large number of mental health and addiction support workers nationwide, many face barriers to attend these professional development events. This is often due to a range of factors, including schedules, financial constraints, accessibility challenges, location-based issues, and a lack of support from employers. To assist, Te Pou offered a limited number of travel and accommodation grants to assist some organisations with the cost of their staff’s attendance at the Māhuri Totara summits.