Largest-ever grant supports Mātauranga Māori palliative care project

We awarded our largest single grant to date – $275,000 – to Te Arahanga o Ngā Iwi Inc for their groundbreaking Māori palliative care project. This important kaupapa aims to develop a best practice framework for dying well, grounded in Mātauranga Māori, and to inform culturally appropriate staff training and service delivery models that meet the needs of kaumātua and whānau in relation to end-of-life care.

Over the next 30 years, more Māori will die at older ages and with greater complexity which will necessitate extended periods of supported care, much of which will be delivered at home and in the community by whānau. The Māori palliative care project involves a first-of-its-kind deep dive to explore what good end-of-life care and services may look like for Māori, through six iwi-led wānanga around the country. An online learning platform may also be built and a national network of facilitators trained to deliver Mātauranga Māori-informed end-of-life care education to providers across hospitals, aged care, primary care and iwi services.

The findings will be shared via a publicly available report, which will be an invaluable resource that will inform future service development and support collaboration initiatives between aged care and Iwi (such as day programmes, marae-based care facilities, and hapū-based whare mate and appropriate bereavement care). It will also offer the potential to inspire new international models of indigenous end-of-life care grounded in culture and community.

Attendees of an end-of-life kaupapa Maori wananga with Vanessa Eldridge at Ngati Whatua Orakei Marae

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