Awardee: Iisa Jean Kremer (Ngāi Tahu / Kai Tahu, Waitaha , Kāti mamoe), University of Otago
The Awardee will undertake the Whakaaweawe Impact and Transformation Grant titled Creating digital assets and illustrations for whānau who have pēpi in the neonatal unit.
In the neonatal intensive care setting, whānau receive a significant amount of written and verbal information about multiple procedures, screening tests and diagnoses, medication use, and more. Most of the written medical information is created from a Western perspective. Retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) A collaboration with a Māori artist led to the development of illustrations for a written resource on the diagnosis and treatment of ROP, as part of a 2024 honours project.
A video resource for whānau was created through a 2025 honours project. Ongoing discussions are underway regarding how to host this information so that all NICUs across Aotearoa can freely access it.
Hypoglycaemia
A similar process will be followed over summer to produce both written and visual resources for whānau on neonatal hypoglycaemia covering testing, diagnosis, treatment, and follow-up. Project aims and objectives 1. Engage with visual creative professional to recreate the ROP video to a professional standard 2. Engage with Māori artist for illustration development for written information on neonatal hypoglycaemia Value of research Whānau Māori have expressed a desire for resources that support health literacy and provide clear, culturally engaging information about what is happening for their pēpi. This project responds to that need and offers an exemplar for others producing medical information encouraging greater diversity and a shift away from the current Western perspective content.