A hauora (well-being) day was held at Tāhunanui Beach last Tuesday to boost Māori health outcomes and for organisations to connect with its tāngata whaiora (patients).
Māori mental health community nurse, Suzie Paenga, who facilitated the second-year event alongside inpatient and community mental health wellness nurse Nicola Davis, says blood donation, smokefree, mental health, free prescription services and more ECG testing were introduced this year.
“Our main objective is to promote metabolic monitoring of our whānau, [Body Mass Index], and base line bloods to promote early diagnosis of diabetes, and cardiovascular disease which often goes undiagnosed until our tāngata whaiora end up in ED, when often it is too late,” she says.
“For Māori, it reflects Māori views of health and emphasises the importance of cultural identity and connection to the community.
“We recognise the importance of reducing barriers to ensure that our tāngata whaiora have access to appropriate services for health monitoring and providing occasions like this event to bring whānau together over kai to connect and build relationships.”
