28 November 2019

WDHB nurses Māori nurses Michelle Kahukura and Vikki Gray, who completed Ngā Manukura o Ᾱpōpō in 2019

A hui will be held at Whanganui Hospital on 6 December to find out more about Ngā Manukura o Ᾱpōpō - Clinical Leadership Programme for Māori nurses and midwives.

The programme, run by Digital Indigenous, begins in 2020 and is open to everyone in the Māori health workforce.

Two Whanganui District Health Board (WDHB) nurses, Michelle Kahukura and Vikki Gray, undertook Nga Manukura o Apopo in 2019 and will be at the hui to share their experiences. 

Michelle and Vikki said the programme helped strengthen their leadership skills and revitalised their commitment to equity for Māori in day-to-day mahi at WDHB.

“Nga Manukura o Apopo challenged me and completely pushed me out of my comfort zone. We had learning objectives and a project to present. Our project was ward-based and focussed on patient care and how incorporating (Sir Mason Durie’s) Te Whare Tapa Whā leads to a positive outcome,” said Michelle. 

Vikki encourages other Maori nurses to sign up for the course.

“Ngā Manukura o Ᾱpōpō opened up the fact that it’s not just about Māori. We nurse holistically but obviously a majority of people don’t do that because they don’t include the spirituality or wairua which is so important to well-being. The programme was very encouraging and you grow a lot more. It can only be positive.”

The hui will be held at Te Piringa Whanau, between Te Awhina and Stanford House, at Whanganui Hospital, at noon on Friday 6 December. 

To find out more about other Māori health workforce leadership programmes, visit digitalindigenous.com