Whakapapa
Tangata matatau … whānau matatū
Māori knowledge and understanding so that whanau can stand tall
Te Rau Matatau – The Journey
Sir Mason Durie
Over three or more decades, responses to Māori health have increasingly steered away from a ‘one size fits all’ approach to greater recognition of mātauranga Māori and tikanga Māori. We have seen the evolution of kaupapa Māori services in health, social services and education, as well as extraordinary increases in the Māori health workforce. Not only has the Māori professional workforce multiplied several times over, but the emergence of Māori community health workers has added a new dimension that brings health closer to whānau and communities. In parallel, Māori models of health, and Māori health priorities have been given greater recognition. However, although much has been achieved, there remains much more to be done so that inequities can become a thing of the past.
That aim will require going well beyond the conventional parameters of health to include wider environmental realities and greater collaboration in communities and across government. In addition, improving Māori health over the next decade will require a fundamental shift from a primary focus on poor health and disadvantage, to a focus on wellbeing and mauri ora. Whānau Ora already adopts a wellbeing perspective but wellbeing now needs to become an integral part of all interventions that seek to improve Māori health.
Te Rau Matatau will provide tertiary education programmes that focus on the determinants of health and the shift towards a wellness model of care. Courses for Māori health and community workers will provide opportunities for participants to understand the environments within which Māori live and the opportunities that can be taken to achieve wellbeing. They will also incorporate te reo Māori and mātauranga Māori as vehicles for understanding wellness and for lifting the aspirations of whānau.
Te Rau Matatau courses will have particular relevance for Māori working in the health sector, especially those in Kaupapa Māori Organisations.
Courses will be offered online and in kanohi ki te kanohi seminars. All courses will be underpinned by mātauranga Māori and will draw on both written and oral sources. The overall aim of Te Rau Matatau will be to increase the expertise of the Māori health workforce so that graduates are able to endorse helpful environments and address the not so helpful environments where Māori live. And they will be able to promote mauri ora as an achievable goal for all Māori.
– Sir Mason Durie, 20 January 2021