Source: University of Otago
Te Reo Kia Ora started with a desire to create a kaupapa Māori-driven course for medical students to improve their confidence and ability to use te reo Māori.
The intergenerational confiscation of te reo Māori was not too long ago. It was part of a colonial agenda that set out to displace tangata whenua of their land, language, and culture.
When we turn our heads and look at the health outcomes among Māori, it is not hard to associate the loss of te reo Māori with the mistrust that Māori have with the health system leading to stark inequities.
But one group of tauira (students) is equipping our next generation of doctors to communicate with their Māori patients using te reo Māori and setting out to make generational changes that will shape the face of the health system as we know it.
Te Reo Kia Ora started with a desire to create a kaupapa Māori-driven course for medical students to improve their confidence and ability to use te reo Māori.
Fourth year medical student and Kaiako for the programme, Nic Sinnott (Ngāti Tūwharetoa, Ngāti Kahungungu ki Te Wairoa), said that “prior to Te Reo Kia Ora, the only opportunity to learn reo was at ‘Teddy Bear Hospital’, a yearly event where medical students meet with pre-school kids to treat their sick teddy bears”.
“The turnout in 2021 was huge. It sparked our confidence that there was an appetite to learn te reo within medicine and that once established, courses had the potential to take off.
“The initial response was overwhelming. We were inundated with students and staff alike who wanted to give up their own free time to learn more te reo – and so, it began.”
Students and university staff who take up the opportunity commit to two-hours an evening each week for eight weeks. The tauira Māori-led kaupapa plays a vital role in equipping our next generation of Otago University Medicine graduates with the ability to utilise te reo Māori.
“The main challenge we faced was the time required to create the necessary resources. The whole course was created from scratch, from sourcing funding to the lessons and materials. This was and continues to be a huge undertaking, considering we’re also full-time medicine students ourselves.”
“By giving medical tauira the confidence and knowledge to use reo in both their personal and professional lives we are beginning to address these disparities through their day-to-day clinical interactions.”
Nikau Reti-Beazley (Ngāti Hine, Ngāpuhi), a University of Otago alumni and part of the establishment roopū said that “the kaupapa is fueled by the inequities faced in the healthcare system and was the underlying motive to establish this space”.
“By giving medical tauira the confidence and knowledge to use reo in both their personal and professional lives we are beginning to address these disparities through their day-to-day clinical interactions.
“This opportunity for people to speak the reo was beneficial not just for Pākehā, but for many of our Māori tauira, as it provided a safe space to re-connect to who they are and where they come from,” said Reti-Beazley.
“But really in a nutshell we want to make the Nannies proud and kaikiri (racists) mad,” said Sinnott.
Research conducted in 2011 by University staff Professor Suzanne Pitama, Dr. Tania Huria and Associate Professor Cameron Lacey found that there was increasing evidence that te reo Māori was a determinant of health among the perspectives of Māori patients.
Te Reo was recognised as an important cultural competency, with participants of the study acknowledging that it contributed to the creation of appropriate doctor-patient relationships.
Participants often face abuse by way of name mispronunciation, leaving Māori patients feeling belittled and discouraging them from attending again.
General practitioners have been found to negatively react to the use of te reo Māori giving the perception that Māori perspectives weren’t valued. This led to individuals disengaging with the health system completely.
Reti-Beazley said: “The inequities in our healthcare system are quite frankly, unacceptable. We believe it is the combined duty of all healthcare professionals to take part in addressing this.”
“We are in positions and have the mana to either enable or to gatekeep health. By improving the reo of medical tauira, staff and our future health workforce, we can improve the experience of Māori patients, and ultimately improve health outcomes for Māori.”
The name given to the programme is a fine example of the intrinsic meaning associated with te reo Māori.
It speaks of the true meaning of ‘Kia Ora’ which is more than just a passing greeting. The kupu (word) ‘ora’ refers to health and being alive. ‘Kia’ creates a verb such that when you say ‘Kia Ora’ to someone, you are wishing the essence of life upon them.
Being student-led, the biggest challenge currently faced for the sustainability of Te Reo Kia Ora is finding the right Kaiako and kaiāwhina to continue delivering the programme.
“Being students ourselves, our time in Dunedin eventually comes to an end. Our busy academic schedules make it hard to fit in other commitments and we eventually move on,” said Sinnott.
“We were lucky to have such a great group of reo speakers within our course that were willing to give their time and expertise to Te Reo Kia Ora for 2021 and 2022, but these people will not be in Dunedin forever.
“The preservation of Te Reo Kia Ora relies on people who care about our reo, who can step up and take on these roles. We love being part of its inception, but we realise now that we need to look at ways to resource and fund the delivery externally.”
The kaiako are also interested in establishing two course levels, one for beginners and one for people who already possess some te reo Māori. They also want to encourage the other campuses to start their own version of Te Reo Kia Ora so that tauira can continue their journey when they leave Dunedin after the early learning medicine years.
Te Reo Kia Ora wants to mention its contributors: Kiringāua Cassidy (Kāi Tahu, Ngāpuhi, Te Āti Awa, Ngāi Takoto), Te Reimana Pārangi, Carlton Irving (Te Whakatōhea, Te Ūpokorehe), Leigh Albert (Ngāti Hine, Ngāpuhi, Te whānau-a-Apanui), Matt Tumohe (Waikato-Tainui), Maiea Mauriohooho, Kate Loan (Kāi Tahu), Laura Gemmell, Rebecca Goodman, Isaac Smiler, Karamea Pēwhairangi, Te Oranga ki Otakou, Otago University Medical Student Associations, Dean’s Office, Hunter Centre.
– Kōrero by Keanu Flavell Kaiārahi Pāpāho Māori | Interim Communications Advisor Māori
