Kia Tika te Ara – Correcting the Pathway & Toa Mana Taurite – Equity Champions Network

Kia Tika te Ara 

The South Canterbury District Health Board has partnered with local Māori education leaders, for the delivery of cultural education for the SCDHB health workforce. This approach is about active partnership with our Māori community, by handing the mana to the Māori community, to direct our organisation on the right path.

The programme provides localised intelligence and mātauranga in regards to te reo, whakapapa, whakaahua, Te Tiriti, Kawa Whakaruruhau, equity, bias and racism. Increasing the cultural competency, cultural safety and connecting our SCDHB health workforce with the community, will provide far reaching benefits for all patients and communities, and is a critical component to achieving health equity for Māori.

A key component of Kia Tika te Ara is the development of equity actions and commitments from each attendee. Kia Tika te Ara is mandatory for all SCDHB staff to attend, and is now integrated as part of SCDHB monthly staff orientation programme.

The wānanga are held at Te Aitarakihi marae-ā-iwi, with kaumātua present and supporting. Our vision for the future, is that our health workforce is connected and has a relationship with Māori community. Kia Tika te Ara also teach community education courses e.g te reo, whaikōrero that many SCDHB staff attend outside of workhours.

Three (3) of the Kia Tika te Ara teachers graduated from SCDHB Navigate Māori Leadership programme. Most importantly Kia Tika te Ara has been supported and endorsed by respected leaders of South Canterbury Māori community. This includes Kāti Huirapa Upoko, Chairperson Arowhenua Rūnaka, Arowhenua executive committee and kaumātua.

“I love how it was delivered and the way it engaged me to understand inequity”

“I enrolled in Kia Tika te Ara community te reo classes”

Background – this is the why piece, the how, the impact:

Kia Tika te Ara is a 3-day mandatory cultural responsiveness program that all SCDHB staff attend, as part of the organisations monthly orientation program. The SCDHB is guided by our Māori community and mātauranga Māori.

Kia Tika te Ara aligns itself to key national, regional and local priorities outlined below. However the most important aspect is giving mana and empowering the Māori community, to exercises their authority through education for our DHB staff, from a localised context. Honouring Te Tiriti o Waitangi through active partnership, will enhance our relationships with Māori community. We also aim to Developing an equity action toolkit for SCDHB staff, so they can champion in their respective spaces.

Toa Mana Taurite

The Equity Champions Network are a group of individuals from SCDHB, that meet voluntary to lead change and champion equitable health outcomes for all people in South Canterbury. The group consists of whānau who have completed Kia Tika te Ara and is a mechanism to remain connected with each other whilst also supporting, challenging, celebrating, sharing, learning and keeping each other accountable on their equity goals from Kia Tika te Ara. This group also provides a safe environment to engage in decolonisation, responding to racism and ways to uphold Te Tiriti.

“Kia Tika te Ara has changed my life quite a lot…has energised me to be a better New Zealander, be more aware of racism in the health sector and do something about it”

Contact Joseph Tyro for more information.