Māori nurses are angry and they're ready to show it. The annual annual Indigenous Nurses Aotearoa Conference will be a fiery affair as frustrations towards the disregard and disrespect shown towards Māori start to boil over.
The conference takes place at the Papakura Marae in Auckland on Thursday and the Waipuna Hotel and Conference Centre on Friday and Saturday.
New Zealand Nurses Organisation Tōpūtanga Tapuhi Kaitiaki o Aotearoa (NZNO) Kaiwhakahaere Kerri Nuku said since the coalition Government was elected, there has been a cascade of actions aimed at undermining the achievements fought for by her ancestors.
Ms Nuku said that over the past year Māori have faced numerous significant challenges from chronic nursing workforce shortages to unequal pay across the health sector. Many of these changes took place with 100 days of the new government being elected.
"Efforts to remove references to Te Tiriti from legislation and Crown entities, exemplified by the proposed Treaty Principles Bill, threaten to deny our status as Indigenous people. This has led to severe consequences, including the inability of Māori to govern their health services and an overrepresentation of Māori in poor health outcomes due to systemic failures and racism. The recent disestablishment of Te Aka Whai Ora, an agency designed to provide Māori oversight of their own health, highlights these issues.
"These issues have been exacerbated by financial restrictions and political decisions that will impact our health and well-being for generations," Ms Nuku said.
"It is crucial to recognise that Māori have never been passive victims of colonisation; instead, we have consistently demonstrated agility and resilience, from passive resistance to fierce warfare, always united in our fight for Tino Rangatiratanga and Mana Motuhake."
This year's conference theme is ngā Raukura. "In this time together, we will remember our collective, strengthen ourselves and each other, and find new and different ways to achieve our aspirations."
The prestigious Akenehi Hei award will be presented at 9am on Saturday, 17 August while the Tapuhi Kaitiaki Awards - the Māori nurse awards - will be handed out that evening.
Ms Nuku said some truly exceptional nurses and tauira have been recognised over the years through these awards, and she was confident this year would be no different.