Tapuhi Kaitiaki Awards for Māori Nurses launched

Tapuhi Kaitiaki Awards for Māori Nurses launched

PHARMAC and Te Pōari o Te Rūnanga o Aotearoa/Tōpūtanga Tapuhi Kaitiaki o Aotearoa/New Zealand Nursing Organisation (NZNO) are pleased to announce the launch of the Tapuhi Kaitiaki Awards (Māori Nurses Awards).

Sarah Fitt, PHARMAC Chief Executive, says that it is important for PHARMAC to strengthen its relationships with all Māori health professional groups. These relationships affirm PHARMAC’s aspiration to be a “great Te Tiriti o Waitangi” partner.

“The Tapuhi Kaitiaki Awards acknowledge the role that Māori nurses have as a key influencer and role model,” says Ms Fitt.

“For whānau, the Māori nurse with the knowledge, expertise and understanding of tikanga, kawa, Māori health needs and practise is an important advocate and support person. These awards are a financial contribution for all Māori nurses to further their studies and clinical practise, and can be used by nurses to help support their work load and whānau commitments.”

“One of PHARMAC’s new strategies is to eliminate inequities in access to medicines, and a key area of focus lies with whānau, hapū, iwi and the Māori health professionals who work with them on a daily basis.”

Kerri Nuku, Kaiwhakahaere, Te Rūnanga o Aotearoa Tōpūtanga Tapuhi Kaitiaki o Aotearoa, believes that the Tapuhi Kaitiaki Award is a great opportunity to acknowledge Māori nurses’ uniqueness, working to be clinically and culturally competent health professionals.

“Undertaking further academic study and training to become nurse prescribers and nurse practitioners is a huge commitment on top of everyday mahi and whānau life," says Kerri Nuku.

“Te Rūnanga are extremely proud of the support and investment PHARMAC is providing with the Tapuhi Kaitiaki scholarships and we believe this will help whānau, hapū and iwi to access and understand their medicines.

“Māori nurses are great innovators, it’s a great opportunity to showcase ways in which they work day-to-day for the betterment of their people, hei oranga motuhake mo ngā whānau, me ngā hapū, me ngā iwi."

Applications for the Tapuhi Kaitiaki Awards will run until 10 July 2018, and people can apply online at the NZNO website. (external link)

The awards to be presented at the Indigenous Nurses Conference in Auckland on 11 August 2018.

Criteria for the Tapuhi Kaitiaki awards
Category One - Nurse Practitioner / Nurse Prescribing awards

The exciting development of designated nurse prescriber roles means that more nurses will be able to move to prescriber status more quickly. This award:
• Acknowledges those Māori nurses who are on a professional development journey to become a nurse prescriber to advance their clinical practice and expertise.
• Offers financial tautoko and manaaki to nurses who wish to complete the additional study and clinical practice.
Category Two - Mātauranga Māori Award
This award is open to nurses who wish to further their study and/or would like to develop an innovative way to assist whānau, hapū and iwi to access and understand their medicines. It is also available to enrolled nurses who wish to study toward registered nurse status. These awards can be used by the nurses to help support their extra study, work load and whānau commitments.

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