Kia ora koutou e te whanau mahi aroha o te whareherehere o Aotearoa. Ka mihinui koutou.
Ko Mangahaume te maunga,
Ko Waipaoa te awa,
Ko Mangatu te marae,
Ko Aitanga a Mahaki te iwi,
Ko Te Tairawhiti te kainga.
Taku Matua: Tokikapu Peta.
No Kahurautau te marae,
No Whanau a kahu te hapu,
No Te Whanau Apanui raua ko Ngati Porou te iwi.
Taku Whaea: Titihuia Whiri – Peta.
No Ngahina te marae,
No Ngati Tawhake te hapu,
No Tuhoe te iwi.
Ko Rawinia Peta-Douglas taku ingoa.

Greetings to our family of volunteers who work in prisons around New Zealand. My family name is Winnie and I live in the Chatham Islands, where I am a Rural Health Nurse. Between 2001 and 2005 I worked as a Prison Nurse for GEO NZ Ltd in Auckland Central Remand Prison (ACRP). Throughout these years, to the present, I have been a member of the Sunday Pastoral team in ACRP, supporting Sunday church services for prisoners. This team (A team) is lead by Chaplains Heremaia Mutu and Eileen Barrington, Kaumatua Ben and Kuia May, affectionately known as Ma.

As an ex prison nurse and current volunteer in ACRP, the kaupapa is whanuangatanga. Right from the minute I walked into the prison walls, there was a sense of everyone looking after each other.

The Māori philosophy towards health is based on a wellness or holistic health model. One of these models is Durie’s, Whare tapa wha model. With its strong foundations and equal sides, the symbol of the wharenui or house. The Whare tapa wha illustrates the four cornerstones or sides of Māori health. These are taha whanau - family; taha tinana – physical; taha hinengaro – mental health; taha wairua – spiritual (Durie. 1994). Should one of the four dimensions be missing or damaged, a person/s may become unbalanced or unwell.

In a traditional Māori approach to health, the inclusion of the wairua, the role of the whanau, and the balance of the hinengaro and tinana are as important as the physical dimensions in health. For many Māori, especially prisoners, (Māori make up the highest percentage of prisoners in NZ’s prisons), the major deficiency in modern health services is taha wairua (spiritual dimension) (Durie, 1994)

The spiritual well being of the person – As a health advocate, working and supporting Sunday karakia services, my mahi is aiding in the well being of prisoners, staff and visitors, especially in their spiritual journey, using all types of resources, music, drama, art teaching etc.

The values and belief that determine the way people live – What your beliefs are in comparison to another culture? - Listening to other beliefs. What values you have been brought up with.

Here is where I like to awhi and support people in what they believe, and what their values in life are, no matter what race they may be. Being culturally aware and responsive to the needs of the whanau in the whareherehere.

The search for meaning and purpose in life and personal identity and self awareness – Believing in ones self. Feeling good about who you are - you are a unique being.

Being in prison can be a positive or negative experience. I have always felt that people are special, and need to be told so, no matter what their circumstances are.

Taha Tinana – Physical well being. The body, its growth, development, ability to move and ways of caring for it (Durie. 1994).

Taha Whanau – The social well being. Family relationships and other interpersonal relationships. Feelings of belonging, compassion, caring and social support (Durie. 1994).

Taha Hinengaro – The mental and emotional well being. Coherent thinking processes, acknowledging and expressing thoughts, feelings and responding constructively (Durie. 1994).

For me, utilizing Durie’s framework is how I work and practice in the whareherehere, using all that I am; a whaea; a nanna; a teacher; a nurse; a person with life experiences; to portray aroha, understanding, empathy, as our tupuna would want us to do.

Being committed to doing my mahi, for the betterment of all. Teaching and encouraging life skills to your fellow man, equipping them with the necessary skills to carry on with life to the full when they leave the whareherehere.

References:
Durie, M. (1994). Whaiora: Maori Health Development. Auckland: Oxford University Press.

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When you cease to make a contribution, you begin to die – Eleanor Roosevelt

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