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Rangahau · Doctoral thesis

Ahakoa he iti, he pounamu: How do wahine Māori nurses utilise mātauranga Māori as a means to address health equity in Te Tai Tokerau?

About this research

PHD Candidate: Coral Wiapo (Ngati Whātua)

Primary Supervisor(s): Dr Sue Adams 

Work is underway in Te Tai Tokerau to strengthen the Māori nursing workforce by supporting kaimahi to enter the nursing profession; and registered nurses to advance their scope of practice to become nurse prescribers or nurse practitioners (NPs). Improving access to healthcare for Māori whānau through a culturally competent nursing workforce, in alignment with Te Tiriti o Waitangi underpins this work.

Just 7% of all nurses in Aotearoa are Māori, despite two decades of rhetoric to increase their numbers proportionate to the populations they serve. Further, within the health sector Māori nurses are often marginalised and experience racism and discrimination together with ongoing pay disparity.. Evidence from Aotearoa and overseas informs us that Indigenous knowledge practices are undervalued, yet when incorporated into healthcare delivery models this leads to improved health outcomes. With the formation of Te Aka Whai Ora (the new Māori Health Authority), there is an opportunity to work with Māori health and Iwi providers to strengthen the Māori nursing workforce and promote hauora.

The purpose of this research is to explore from the experiences and stories of wāhine Māori nēhi (nurses) how they use mātauranga Māori as they pursue equity for whānau, hāpori and iwi within Te Tai Tokerau.

Ētahi atu · Other projects

Research Programme

He oranga whānau: mahi ngātahi: Whānau livelihoods within the context of work and Māori economies of wellbeing
Kaiārahi · Project lead Professor Chellie Spiller
Whare wānanga · Host University of Waikato
Matakitenga · Framework
Wā rangahau · Timeline Completed 2025

He oranga whānau: mahi ngātahi: Whānau livelihoods within the context of work and Māori economies of wellbeing. These groundbreaking works celebrate Māori futures rooted in kaupapa Māori values while fostering pathways for responsible relationships, meaningful lives, and flourishing Indigenous wellbeing economies. By emphasising the central role of whānau…

Internship project

Investigating traditional mahinga kai practices of preservation throughout Aotearoa
Whare wānanga · Host University of Otago
Matakitenga · Framework
Wā rangahau · Timeline Completed 2022

This internship compiled a database of traditional Māori food preservation practices to better understand archaeological midden sites and mahinga kai history. Working with Otago’s SPAR team, the project links historical knowledge with contemporary preservation techniques across Aotearoa.

Doctoral thesis

Mana Tinana, Mana Mōmona, Mana Wāhine: Ngā Pūrākau o Ngā Tinana Body Sovereignty and Fat Māori Wāhine
Whare wānanga · Host Waipapa Taumata Rau, University of Auckland
Matakitenga · Framework
Wā rangahau · Timeline Completed 2023

How do fat Indigenous wāhine reclaim body sovereignty as a form of resistance? This research centred on the lived experiences of fat Māori wāhine, challenging colonial and biomedical narratives through the lens of mātauranga Māori. It reclaims tino rangatiratanga and mana motuhake of the body, and reimagines access, wellbeing, and worth beyond systems of…