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A group representing nurses in New Zealand says culturally-safe ratios within the profession must be urgently introduced to turn around Māori health inequities and improve whānau health and well-being.
The issue is highlighted in a new report, entitled ‘Kaupapa Māori Culturally Safe Staffing Ratios: Māori nursing leaders’ perspectives’, released by the New Zealand Nurses Organisation Tōpūtanga Tapuhi Kaitiaki o Aotearoa (NZNO) on Waitangi Day.
NZNO Kaiwhakahaere (manager) Kerri Nuku says the report tells a compelling and previously untold story through a Māori lens about the impact culturally unsafe practice has on her people.
“It highlights that nurses needed to be both clinically and culturally safe in their practice, and they need enough time to be both.
“It shows the need for mandatory, fully-funded and legislated culturally safe staffing ratios.”
Māori nurses need to lead the development and implementation of culturally safe staffing ratios, Nuku says.
Kaumātua and kuia need to be involved to ensure tikanga is upheld, and whānau, hapū and iwi need to define what is culturally safe practice.
“Māori nursing and the wider Māori health workforce needs to continue to grow across the entire health system.
“Decision-making about staffing levels needs to be based on consideration of both clinical and cultural factors.”
Nuku says there’s considerable international interest in the experiences of Māori nurses whose “soft skills” or whanaungatanga and building trust, are critical to keeping Māori whānau engaged in the health system.
“Māori nurses in the report explain how they do all the regular things required of them, but often get called on to do more. Their cultural work is often invisible.
“They don’t work with individuals, they work with whānau. They check whether they have kai, whether they are vaccinated.
“This takes time and can’t be a matter of ‘you’re up next’.”
