Te Puāwai he Kākano - a new era in maternity and early years services

By Cathleen Walker, Pūkenga Kaiwhakahaere Te Puāwai he Kākano

“Poipoia te kākano, kia puāwai
- Nurture the seed and it will blossom
”

This year, Te Piki Oranga was awarded a major new contract to provide maternity and early years services. Te Puāwai he Kākano is currently available to whānau in Whakatū / Nelson, described here by Cathleen Walker:

Te Puāwai he Kākano was created by integrating existing services and weaving through a new model of care where we engage with whānau throughout their journey into parenthood and for their child’s first 2,000 days.

Critically, our service is grounded in Te Ao Māori. Our multi-disciplinary teams offer culturally responsive care – from preconception to conception, from antenatal to postnatal support. By building relationships with midwives and lead maternity carers (LMCs), we can enrol whānau, and start to support them, early in their pregnancy. We offer:

• Wānanga Hapūtanga

•  Tamariki Ora Well Child services  Lactation consultancy

•  In-home immunisation

•  Te Hā Aukati Kaipaipa (smokefree support)

•  Social work and pūkenga manaaki navigation  

• Gestational diabetes services

Cathleen Walker

Wānanga Hapūtanga – kaupapa Māori antenatal classes

An exciting new option for expectant whānau, our wānanga provide māmā and pāpā or support partner with a blend of knowledge about contemporary and traditional Māori birthing practices.

Wānanga Hapūtanga are led by our antenatal educators, experienced midwives, nurses and whānau navigators.

We create a safe and intimate space for whānau to learn and explore the processes of birthing and parenting practice, with a focus on the early days.

Whānau get to meet the amazing kaimahi available to support their parenting journey, from hapūtanga until their tamariki is five years old.

We are fortunate to have a team of wonderful kairaranga who attend our wānanga to share their expertise and mātauranga by teaching whānau to create their own muka-aho tāngaengae, ties made from harakeke to tie off the umbilical cord of pēpi.

Elevating antenatal options for whānau Māori with wānanga for midwives and LMCs.

Through Te Puāwai he Kākano, Te Piki Oranga can also support the professional development of midwives and lead maternity carers (LMCs) in the Whakatū rohe.

Just as our Wānanga Hapūtanga are a safe and intimate space for whānau to learn and explore, our Wānanga Muka-aho Tāngaengae are a nurturing space for midwives and LMCs to learn the tradition of muka-aho tāngaengae (ties made from harakeke), and how to use them to tie off the umbilical cord between pēpi and māmā.

The first Tāngaengae Wānanga this year was a significant event – the first of its type for Whakatū.

As more whānau choose to make muka-aho tāngaengae part of their birth plans, the knowledge these wānanga provide midwives and LMCs means that these amazing healthcare professionals can then correctly awhi whānau to make it happen.

New forms for a better online experience

We have updated our forms, to make it easier for you to get in touch.

A new service referral (application) form

One new form has replaced separate forms for our health hubs.

• complete the form on a mobile phone, tablet or desktop computer

• or complete it as an online PDF, or by printing the PDF and filling it out by hand

• new sections, such as a list of available services, aim to make your application efficient

All options are in one place here.

A new whānau services feedback form

Te Piki Oranga values your feedback. It’s good to know when we get things right, and we need to know if we can do things better. Our new whānau service feedback form:

• replaces the former ‘client evaluation form’

• can be completed on all types of device

• is still available as a PDF to print or complete online

• includes new sections, to help us consider your feedback

New complaints form

If your feedback is strong and you would like to make a complaint, we have a new, improved process for doing this.

• information about our process to handle complaints is on a new complaints webpage

• you will find online and PDF forms on this page also

Heartland Services are here for rural whānau

Te Piki Oranga and Waikawa Marae are delighted to offer a new service to whānau living in rural and remote parts of Marlborough – Waikawa, Waitohi / Picton and Tōtaranui / Marlborough Sounds.

Te Piki Oranga is a leading provider of health and wellbeing services for Māori whānau in the Top of the South. With Waikawa Marae, the two organisations are now providing Heartland Services – for people in rural and remote regions of Marlborough.

Ricky Carr is Pūkenga Kaiwhakahaere (Site Manager) for the Te Piki Oranga services in Wairau. He says that Heartland Services will provide a much-needed presence and support for rural whānau.

“We can offer a physical location – a place to get things done in-person – as well as support on the phone or by video-conference,” Mr Carr says.

“Living, working and raising a family in rural and remote Marlborough can be challenging enough as it is. With Heartland Services we can provide access, information, support and specialist health and wellbeing services that will make life a little easier.

“Although it is early days we already have many Government and community agencies ready to run regular drop-in sessions and workshops in-person from our High Street hub in Waitohi, Picton,” Mr Carr says.

Allanah Burgess is Kaiwhakahaere (Manager) of Waikawa Marae. Ms Burgess says the decision to locate Heartland Services in Waitohi Picton township was made after first considering Waikawa Marae. By being in town, Waikawa Marae kaimahi are able to extend manaakitanga into a central location, she says.

“A lot happens on a marae, more than may be appreciated, such as our provision of health and social services like Whānau Ora that enable whānau and wider community members to thrive.

“When discussing how to make these essential new services available to whānau and others who need awhi, we decided in favour of the High Street hub from iwi-owned premises. This way we can uphold the tikanga of whakaruruhau to provide a safe, comfortable place as we do on the marae, and that happens to be in a convenient, central location for people.”

What is Heartland Services?

Heartland Services is a Ministry of Social Development initiative, with locations from Northland to Southland. Waikawa Marae and Te Piki Oranga were successful in their co-bid provide the newest Heartland Services hub, from Waitohi / Picton. The main services are:

• assistance with technology: email, printing, photocopying, scanning, phones and internet

• support with accessing government and community service forms, applications and websites

• a place to meet with government and community service staff, kanohi ki te kanohi (face to face) or via videoconferencing

Drop-in sessions and health clinics

Government and community service staff are available on specific days, including:

• Inland Revenue (IRD)

• Workbridge and Connect agencies, for jobseekers and employers

• Diabetes support group

• Cancer information group

• Community Law (kaupapa Māori)

• Justice of the Peace

• Māori Land Court

• Whānau Ora navigators (from Waikawa Marae)

• Employment support (for both employers and employees)

Appointments are needed for some sessions – see the main webpage for detail

Less barriers to healthcare can lead to lifechanging results

Less barriers to healthcare can lead to life-changing results

A little manaakitanga – kindness – goes a long way when it comes to encouraging wāhine Māori to take steps towards better health outcomes.

For the Mana Wāhine clinics run by Te Piki Oranga, this kindness comes in the form of free transport, an alternative home visit, or the kind of kōrero about a procedure that you won’t get in a routine 15-minute GP appointment. And with the support of Sealord in a unique Te Tauihu partnership, the manaakitanga can flow a little more freely.

As the leading provider of kaupapa Māori health and wellbeing services in Te Tauihu (top of the South Island), Te Piki Oranga reduces inequitable health outcomes by providing high-quality and accessible services that are consistent with the concepts of whānau ora and tino rangatiratanga (self-reliance and independence).

The Mana Wāhine clinics are one of many innovative approaches Te Piki Oranga takes, that place whānau at the centre of care. Lorraine Staunton, Kaiwhakahaere Ratonga, Service Delivery and Operations Manager, is looking forward to seeing the seeds sown during the clinics start to bear fruit in the months that follow.

“One of the main reasons we need Mana Wāhine is to improve cervical screening rates and reduce inequities for wāhine in our rohe. Some women are 15 years overdue for their screening through no fault of their own – sometimes it just takes a little manaakitanga to help overcome barriers to healthcare.

“We will offer transport, a ‘no obligations’ conversation with a nurse or we will take our mobile screening service to a woman at home where she feels less worried or scared about the procedure,” Lorraine says.

With more than 350 wāhine Māori in Te Tauihu due or overdue for cervical screening at the time of the first clinic in September, Te Piki Oranga made a critical difference by supporting 40 wāhine to be screened on the day or booked for another time. At the second clinic in December, 40 women were screened and four booked for screening at another time.

“Mana Wāhine goes deeper than screening however, and our time with wāhine is valuable so we also take the opportunity to check for other unmet health needs.”

The December clinic proved an invaluable conversation starter about health and wellbeing. Wāhine, and in some cases their tamariki, were referred to services including: breast and bowel cancer screening, Stop Smoking Services, counselling, immunisation, Well Child Tamariki Ora nursing, social workers, midwifery services and more.

“The benefits from a holistic, one-stop approach like this can continue for months after a clinic – and that’s what we aim for in healthcare,” Lorraine says.

Te Piki Oranga has been able to cover travel costs for whānau with funding support from Sealord – a partnership that fits with the seafood company’s ethos of putting people first, says Sealord CEO Doug Paulin.

 “Sealord is half-owned by Māori and 15 per cent of our employees are Māori,” Doug says. “It’s important to us to support our people’s whānau and their communities, and this is making a real difference.”

The three-year agreement improves access to healthcare for whānau and also means that Te Piki Oranga kaimahi do not have to take as much time away from their main mahi to drive whānau to important appointments. 

Lorraine says that Sealord’s support is helping to bridge a critical gap.

“Achieving better equity in healthcare starts with reducing barriers where we can – even more vital during a cost-of-living crisis where some whānau are prioritising paying the grocery bill over their own healthcare needs.

“When you need to attend a dialysis appointment three times a week, and rely on taxi transport to get there, this can be hugely stressful.

“With Sealord’s support we are able to strengthen and empower whānau for better health outcomes,” she says.

Lorraine says the collaboration between Te Tauihu health and social services made the kaupapa a success. Te Kotahi o Te Tauihu contributed iwi liaison support, and kai for the Christmas kai hampers. Nelson Bays Primary Health Organisation’s Director of Nursing Bobby Hutton supported the cervical smear team. Te Whatu Ora Public Health contributed with health promotion activities and National Cervical Screening Team support. And Countdown Stoke gifted a $100 grocery voucher for a prize draw.

Sealord CEO Doug Paulin and Te Piki Oranga Tumuaki (General Manager) Anne Hobby

Photos from the December Mana Wāhine clinic

Clockwise from the top left photo:

• Kaimahi Amber Ford and Miraka Norgate

• Kaimahi ready to greet wāhine to the clinic

• Kaimahi with Kirihimete whānau packs to welcome wāhine to the clinic

• Wāhine were offered vouchers for a coffee break during the clinic from Baba Yaga’s coffee cart.

Mana Wāhine clinic success

Mana Wāhine clinic success

More than 350 wāhine Māori in Te Tauihu are either due or overdue for their cervical smear check, something that Te Piki Oranga has set out to address.

With the support of Nelson Bays Primary Health, Te Whatu Ora Nelson Marlborough Public Health, Te Kotahi o Te Tauihu, the Cancer Society, Sealord, and Te Whatu Ora, Te Piki Oranga held a one-day screening clinic in Whakatū called ‘Mana Wahine’ in late September.

The ‘by wahine for wahine’ clinic provided a safe and comfortable space for wāhine to get their cervical screening and to get support for other health concerns. 40 wāhine were screened, 11 were booked for another time and more than 80 per cent of all participants were wāhine Māori.

Conversations about other health concerns led to multiple referrals for services such as breast screening, endoscopy, Healthy Homes, B4 School Checks (for tamariki), navigation support for Oranga Tamariki and Te Hā quit smoking services. Dr Ricki-lea Aitchison, a Māori GP from Mapua Health attended the event to answer wāhiin pātai and concerns pertaining to the smear or other issues.

Transportation was provided, as some wāhine travelled from Te Hora Pa, Motueka, and Brightwater, and each wahine was gifted vouchers and a generous kai pack upon leaving.

The uptake and feedback from those that attended the day was very positive and planning is underway for the next Mana Wāhine event in November.

Special thanks to our health partners and sponsors for helping to make this event a success. 

Awhi aplenty for flood-affected whanau

Awhi aplenty for flood-affected whanau

Lorraine Staunton, Kaiwhakahaere Ratonga (Service Delivery and Operations Manager) managed Te PIki Oranga’s response during the worst of the severe weather event in Te Tauihu in late August.

Lorraine coordinated the team as they placed 1,336 calls to whānau who were evacuating or potentially affected by flooding.

Anne Hobby, Tumuaki (General Manager) checking in with whānau

The first step was to know who to call, made easier with the support of Te Whatu Ora - Health New Zealand - Nelson Marlborough data analysts who provided maps indicating the location of whānau in flooded areas.

"We were provided with lists so that we could call our whānau who were enrolled or had previously been enrolled,” Lorraine explains. “We had a team working for four days making calls, right through the weekend. We had a team in Wairau, Motueka, and Whakatū. We wanted to provide the lists by region because our people know those areas geography-wise because the questions they might get from whānau would be more common to them.

“Often whānau were being called at the time they were actually packing to evacuate so we talked through their plans and saw if they needed some support that we could offer them. For example, they’d say, ‘we’re going to our mum’s. There’s five of us, our mum’s got a little place and no food.’ We were able to have food ready for them by the time they got to their mum’s. They were just really relieved, it was one thing they didn’t have to worry about.”

Closed roads, increased traffic, and heavy rains meant that many were unable to go to pharmacies for time-sensitive, specialised medications. To combat this, Te Piki Oranga sought emergency authorisation to be able to collect medications on behalf of whānau by working with doctors and pharmacists.

To deliver medication and kai, Te Piki Oranga contacted Civil Defence and provided them with the specific needs of each whānau. If the household was in a closed-off area, kai and medication would be delivered via helicopter. However, having that initial first contact with a familiar organisation meant a lot to those who received the calls.

“A lot of it was reassurance and psycho-social support that we were able to give them over the phone. We made it clear we were coming from a health response, but we were able to connect them to the other support that they may require, like Civil Defence.”

For longer-term, less immediate kai needs, Te Piki Oranga referred whānau to the charitable organisation Te Pātaka, food banks, or other relevant service providers.

In addition to providing immediate support, the calls were a good chance for Te Piki Oranga to connect with whānau who had not been enrolled for a while and had new health needs.

Brenda McQuillan, CAMHS

“Other conversations that came out of the calls were in regards to other health worries they had. They had us on the phone already so they were able to say ‘hey, I’m really worried about my teenager,’ for example, and we were able to refer them to our CAMHS team for follow-up.

“The reconnection was really good. People were grateful for the calls – ‘oh man, you guys are cool, thank you for thinking about us.’”

In addition to directly calling whānau, Te Piki Oranga also kept in touch with the community via their social media channels during the worst of the weather event. Kairukuruku Whakapā (Communications & Telehealth Co-ordinator) Grayson Nepia stayed on through the weekend, pushing out details on hand hygiene, road closures, and boil water advisories. To these messages, Grayson added Te Reo and the friendly tone their audience is familiar with.

Lorraine says that going forward the flood response experience “added to the knowledge for our kaimahi that there will be fallout from the flood response in regards to the continued support that is needed. This morning, I sent an email out to our staff about the pharmacy closures and short staff so that they are aware of the challenges whānau will have. It’s not just the flood, it’s obviously sickness as well that’s caused changes in the community.

“Going forward we’re continuously informing our staff to be able to inform whānau they are working with about any updates or services that could be valuable and needed to provide support.

“I am really proud of our organisation for stepping up and doing what they needed to do at such short notice and between our COVID response and all of the other high-needs things that we do. I’m proud that we were able to respond the way we did. It was a great collaborative approach to supporting whānau in this time of need.”

Hari huringa tau, 100 years old!

Hari huringa tau, 100 years old!

Coralie has been participating in the TPO Noho Pakari (Sit and be Fit) programme in Wairau on a regular basis since we started. 

She is a wonderful role model to us all.  She drives herself to class, lives on her own and is a very keen gardener, growing her own vegetables.   Coralie is a humble, friendly, respectful person who engages & interacts with others easily. She smiles & laughs often and is always willing to try new things at Noho Pakari.

She has fully embraced the Māori culture -sings waiata, waiata-a-ringa, poi, rākau, tira, handweights, plus line dancing, resistance bands & all the other crazy things we do to keep our bodies moving. When we sing & boogie to the song “You’re 16, You’re Beautiful” -we remember that was only only 84 years ago for Coralie!!

Preparing for a new normal in wake of pandemic

Preparing for a new normal in wake of pandemic

The Nelson Mail / Stuff put the spotlight on Te Piki Oranga’s COVID-19 response in May, interviewing our service and operations manager Lorraine Staunton.

Lorraine explains that the conversations with Māori people in isolation with COVID-19 needs to start with the question ‘what matters to you right now?’.

Read the Stuff article here.

Notice of Annual General Meeting

Notice of Te Piki Oranga Annual General Meeting

11.00 am – 1 pm, Friday 29 October 2021

Tokomaru, Te Awhina Marae, 133 Pah St, Motueka 

Enquiries to: Anne Hobby, Tumuaki 03 543 7016

COVID-19 Level 2 rules will apply