Hauora Māori Vertical Module

The Hauora Māori Vertical Module is facilitated through the Māori/Indigenous Health Institute (MIHI) at the University of Otago, Christchurch.

The contact person is Dr Suzanne Pitama (suzanne.pitama@otago.ac.nz) who oversees the thread and co-ordinates the Māori Health teaching team.

Learning Objectives

Over the course of each year it is envisaged that students will begin to develop skills and be exposed to knowledge that will enable students to:

• Show an increased understanding of the diverse experiences, lifestyles, and realities of Māori living in Aotearoa/New Zealand
• Discuss the factors that contribute to the inequalities in health status found between Māori and non-Māori
• Respect both the rights and responsibilities of Mana Whenua
• Identify own personal strengths and difficulties when engaging with Māori and seek out professional development opportunities to increase skills in those areas
• Recognise and know how to access the health resources available to Māori in health systems, services, and from the community
• Understand the importance of, and demonstrate the skills required to work appropriately with Māori health professionals and communities
• Understand the need to advocate for Māori health needs, and demonstrate a willingness and ability to do so
• Critique research methodologies used in studies that identify and examine factors relating to Māori health
• Demonstrate an appreciation of the concept of Tino Rangatiratanga in order to understand the impact that this might have on interactions with patients, whanau, and the wider community
• Describe the determinants of health status, including the role of political, socio-economic, health services, and individual factors, and describe how these determinants may differ between population groups
• Demonstrate the ability to draw on Māori health research findings and recommendations, and apply these to students’ practice with Māori