DHW 503 Principles and concepts of Maori Health and Wellbeing | Assignment 2 Solved
Cultural Competency
Mrs. Kahu is a 78-year old Maori kui who has recently being admitted to a residential care
unit in Auckland after she suffered a stroke. Mrs. Kahu has lived all her adult life in
Auckland she has four adult children and many mokopuna who are all living overseas.
Her husband passed away almost 2 years ago, her youngest son is living and caring for
her. She comes from the North her iwi is Ngapuhi and she has been bought up speaking
Te Reo but she can speak and understand a little English
Mrs. Kahu is not happy being in the residential care unit as she does not know how to
communicate to the staff about her mental and physical wellbeing, she is very whakama
about this and tells her son in Te Reo Maori to arrange for the kaumatua to come and
visit her for karakia as she believes she is dying and she does not want to be alone. Her
wairua is low and her hinengaro is not at rest because she is wanting her whanau
tamariki/mokopuna (children & grandchildren) to come home from overseas.
The HCA and trainee are wanting to support Mrs. Kahu but she is not responding to
them. The HCA had a meeting with her son and asking him on how to connect with his
mother because she has refused to eat the food given to her. Mrs. Kahu told her son
there is no tikanga Maori at the rest home, there is no karakia before their meals and in
the dining room every person is looking lost.
Mrs. Kahu wants to go home but she is being assessed by the resident dietician as she
needs to lose weight for her wellbeing. When her son explained about the diet plan, his
mother got upset and felt it was a breach of her privacy and that she can eat whatever
she wants.
In the coming days of Mrs .Kahu’s stay at the residential unit she became more friendly
with the HCA and trainee because they began to address her in the Maori language
especially when they did the morning shift. Example, ‘morena’(mornig) Mrs. Kahu and
she would reply to them in Te Reo ‘ata marie korua’ (morning to both of you).
Not caring in a holistic manner can result in the tangata whaiora not following a treatment
plan. Therefore it is important to be careful to check for agreement. Another reason for
lack of adherence to care plans could be because the whānau may not fully understand
why a support is being used and what the goals are.
Use open-ended questions to actively gather this feedback. Whānau members may also
be able to identify the tangata whaiora’s degree of understanding of health and support.
Body language can differ between Māori and non-Māori. While Māori may prefer face-toface meetings, as opposed to phone or email communications, prolonged eye contact is
to be avoided. “Māori often say that “we listen with our ears, not our eyes”. Sustained
direct eye contact can signal conflict or disrespect. Also, if there are more than two
people involved in the conversation, sustained eye contact can exclude the ones not
speaking. Also remember that, while lack of eye contact may be a sign of respect, it may
be due to other factors such as anxiety, boredom or anger.
Assignment Tasks:
Task 1– LO 3
1.1 Identify and describe three instances that may lead to whakamā in a Maori client. Give
one example with Mrs. Kahu.
(6 marks: 1 mark for identification and 1 mark for description of each situation. At least one
situation must be described in relation with Mrs Kahu as an example)
1.2 Analyse the potential impacts of whakamā discussed in task 1.1 (positive and/or
negative impacts) on the health outcomes of a Māori client. Include any three (3) impacts.
(6 marks: 2 marks for each impact of whakamā on the client’s health outcome in about
300words)
1.3 Identify and explain any two (2) strategies that may be used by the Health care assistant
(HCA to help develop a positive relationship with their Maori clients.
(4 marks: 1 mark for identification and 1 mark for explanation of the strategies)
Task 2– LO 4
2.1 Identify any four (4) impacts of colonisation on Māori population and explain with an
example from the case study.
(8 marks: 1 mark for identification and 1 mark for brief description for each impact)
2.2 Research any two (2) issues in detail and draw conclusions of impacts of colonisation
hauora of the indigenous Māori of New Zealand.
Range: Issues may include but are not restricted to social structure, political structure,
economic position, culture, language, religion, education, urban migration, employment
and housing)
(8 marks: 2 marks for each issue researched from credible sources and 2 marks for
conclusion of each in total of about 600-800 words)
2.3 Describe the application of any four values for culturally safe Māori Healthcare practice
(8 marks: 2 marks for describing the application of each value)
Task 3– LO 5
3.1 Explain the principles of The Treaty of Waitangi.
(8 marks: 8 marks for explaining the principles of the Treaty of Waitangi from credible
sources in 600-800 words)
3.2 How would you apply the principles of The Treaty in the case of Mrs Kahu.
(4 marks: 4 marks for explaining the application of principles of the Treaty of Waitangi in
200-300 words)