HCA’s 17th national hui at Maraeroa Marae in Porirua reviewed achievements and focused on opportunities for growth. We have put photos and some of the presentations on our website for you to review.

• Don Matheson Massey University Professor and founding HCA member reminded attendees to keep advocating for health equity. “HCA has always played an integral role in developing tactics on how primary health care can better serve vulnerable populations. It was a struggle and we were not popular but equity is about advocacy and perseverance.”   Read more

• Trevor McGlinchey New Zealand Council of Christian Social Services (NZCSS) Executive Officer spoke about ways to frame messages in a way that the decision makers can hear them. They work towards a more just and compassionate society in New Zealand with a special focus on those poor and vulnerable New Zealanders.  Read more

• Dr Annie Judkins Newton Union Health Service - spoke about a collaborative community model for dealing with child eczema and understanding and diagnosing rickets within migrant communities. By assembling a multi-disciplinary team with mutual respect for each other roles and a truly family-centred focus they were able to deliver ways to meet their communities’ needs.  Download a PDF copy of her presentation.

• Justine Thorpe Well Health Trust Chief Executive Officer - shared her perspective of the challenges and wins associated with two health organisations merging. Read more.

• Jon Royal Chief Executive Officer Health Care Aotearoa – spoke about the need to enhance HCA work to support and provide added value to its members.   Read more.

Other workshop presenters included:

Shona Johnson a whanau ora kaimahi gave a moving presentation about the journey she took to get one family the care they needed. She showed how a provider centric system of care led her family on a convoluted pathway, both complex and gated. However through the perseverance of her organisation Te Kotuku Hauora o Rangitikei (a Maori primary health and social service provider) and a focus on the whole family they were able to navigate the systems of care and get this family the support they needed.

Ara Swanney gave participants the chance to reflect on their work, identify strengths, clarify goals and identify obstacles. “We all work in the health sector but often forget to look after our own health.”

Sha Panapa explained the importance of getting more Maori nurses in the primary healthcare sector. The Bachelor of Nursing, Maori at Whitireia programme was established in 2009 with the first wave of nurses due to graduate next year. Go to the Whitireia website to read more.

Lisa Ngaia shared how they were able to redevelop the HCA website on a shoe string budget. The aim of the redevelopment was to get a website that was easy to understand, and could be updated and maintained in-house. “The fastest way to learn about the health of an organisation is to visit its website. IT development is increasingly becoming a business requirement to manage information expediently and appropriately.

Tania Forrest spoke about the outcomes of a report on the role of the Community Health Worker in a Maori person’s health journey. It was part of an internationally sponsored research project ‘Revitalising Health for All’. The report found that there is a huge demand for community health workers by Maori whānau. The report found that they were able to relate with the health worker and through that were able to access other parts of the health and social sectors, get transport and help with complicated health information.  They make up 50% of the Maori provider workforce without them Maori providers would be compromised. Download a summary of the Community Health Worker report.

Ian Johnson’s time management software solution workshop had the highest attendance, highlighting the need many providers place on good time management and helpful tools to generate efficiency.

The hui concluded with HCA’s AGM. Read more about the AGM

View the photos from the hui.