Nursing with aroha in Tauranga's Maori ward

By ROSALEEN MacBRAYNE

Ward five in Tauranga Hospital, with its sweeping, second-storey view out to the famous landmark of Mt Maunganui, has been at the centre of racial debate.

Twelve of the 32 medical beds are earmarked for Maori in a ward focused on cardiac and diabetes cases.

Nine Maori registered nurses work shifts on the ward and, says kaupapa nurse manager Pat Cook, they aim to provide an holistic approach to health.

Caring for people spiritually, emotionally, physically, mentally and through their family and ancestral connections was the essence of nursing in the kaupapa unit, which was established 10 years ago, she said.

"We call it multi-dimensional care," Ms Cook, who has worked there for six years, said yesterday.

The service was aimed primarily at Maori who wanted to be grouped together because they found hospital upsetting and intimidating.

Traditional Maori medicines provided by whanau and approved by doctors were sometimes used, as was mirimiri (therapeutic massage). Visiting hours were extended in cases where frightened patients wanted family alongside, helping with their day-to-day care.

"Whanau make us well," she said.

Several staff members were fluent in te reo and, like her, were local tangata whenua, which helped to reassure the sick and their families.

"I know my tikanga [customs] and use it whenever I can in my nursing," said Ms Cook.

But it was not uncommon for non-Maori to ask for - and be allotted - available beds in the unit.

"As one woman said, we deliver our care with aroha," said Ms Cook.

A whanau room was open to other patients' families for "time out".

Cardiologist Jonathon Tisch said that often Maori were sicker when they came to hospital because they had left it longer to seek treatment.

Anything that made them more comfortable with their surroundings enhanced their wellbeing and aided recovery, he said.

It made a difference, particularly for elderly patients, to be nursed by staff who spoke their language.

Tauranga Hospital officials insist that the kaupapa service (established under a National-led Government) is based on need, not race, and the use of beds is flexible.

"There are no racial policies within this hospital at all," spokesman Charles Martin insisted.

Rather, the Bay of Plenty District Health Board, which runs Tauranga Hospital, was committed to providing culturally appropriate care to all patients.

There were four Maori in the kaupapa unit yesterday, some rooming with Pakeha.

Moki Teepu, 53, from the coastal village of Maketu, is no stranger to Tauranga Hospital and has seen the inside of other wards on his frequent stints, which usually last several weeks.

He far prefers being in the Maori unit, which is a safer option for him culturally.

"The staff are good," he said.

Yvonne Gardiner, 51, from Whakatane, did not ask if she could be in the kaupapa ward but was happy to find herself admitted there late last week.

She is enjoying speaking Maori with staff, from a laboratory technician to the cleaning lady.

"It is excellent," she said.

Tauranga's decade-old Maori unit hit headlines this month when Papamoa woman Elva Cooper, a Pakeha, complained to a local newspaper that staff had tried to move her to another ward room to make way for a Maori patient.

It was the first expression of dissatisfaction hospital officials can remember in the unit's history.

The hospital's general manager, Alan Wilson, said Mrs Cooper's refusal to be transferred was accepted. The district health board had received no complaint from her.

Herald Feature: Sharing a Country