Our Work with ACEM

Last week, we had the privilege of being invited to Rotorua for ACEM’s Manaaki Mana kaikōkiri Hui.

We were there first to support the organising rōpū with a pre-hui team alignment session, creating space to connect, ground themselves in the kaupapa and prepare for the days ahead.

Then, as participants, we had the opportunity to listen and learn.

We heard more about the evolution of Te Rautaki Manaaki Mana — Excellence in Emergency Care for Māori, and from kaikōkiri across the motu who are doing the mahi of bringing its aspirations to life in their Emergency Departments.

There were successes to celebrate and challenges spoken about openly. It was a good reminder that change is never about one strategy, one programme or one person. It happens through many people chipping away over time.

People who are prepared to ask different questions, challenge what has become normal, learn from one another and keep moving forward, even when progress feels slow.

For many clinicians, there is a genuine desire to contribute to an evolved health system that better meets the needs of Māori patients and whānau. The challenge is not always willingness. Sometimes it is knowing where to begin, understanding what our own role might be, or having enough confidence to put what we are learning into practice.

This is why we do what we do.

There is no list of things to learn or a point at which we suddenly become culturally competent. It is an ongoing journey of learning, reflection and applying what we learn along the way.

Learning about te ao Māori is not only about improving outcomes for Māori, as important as that is. It also invites us to think more deeply about connection, wellbeing and what it means to care for people as whole human beings.

That understanding is something we carry into our teams, our organisations and the systems we are part of.

At the hui, Cultural Wellbeing gifted the rōpū a mauri stone to carry the intention of the kaupapa forward with them. Its shape resembles a mountain, which felt fitting: a reminder that meaningful change is often a step-by-step ascent, shaped by the many individual choices people make to do things differently.

That is how systems begin to transform.