Ko Whakapunake te maunga e marumaru nei e au
Ko Te Wairoa Hōpupu Hōnengenenge Mātangirau te awa e ora nei tōku wairua
Ko Ruataniwha te marae
Ko Ngai Te Kapua Matatoru te hapū
Ko Ngāti Kahungunu ki te Wairoa te wāhi e whangai nei e au
He uri ahau nō Ngāti Pōrou me Ngāti Awa
Ko Annmarie Taiapa tōku ingoa
Tuatahi, ka tika me mihi ki tō tātou rangatira a JB. Ko ia tērā i kaha tiaki, i akiaki, i manaaki i te tangata ahakoa ko wai. Nāna ahau i whakahoki mai ki a Ngāti Kahungunu. Nāna taku whānau i tautoko i roto i ngā tau. Nō reira e te tōtara haemata o Takapau, kia au tō moe.
Annmarie Taiapa has returned home to Te Matau a Māui, Ngati Kahungunu, to take up the newly established Māori midwife lead role, Te Kaihaukura, after being encouraged by the late Rangatira JB Heperi-Smith to apply for the role.
As Te Kaihaukura, Annmarie will prioritise the implementation of the recommendations of Hau Te Kura – Nurturing our Treasures cultural responsiveness review of the then Hawke’s Bay District Health Board’s maternity services for whānau Māori, released last year.
The role has been established in response to the review’s recommendations to increase Māori leadership in maternity services.
Annmarie says she is just one of a team at Te Whatu Ora and Te Aka Whai Ora working to make meaningful changes to ensure health equity for Māori.
“This is culturally led, clinically partnered mahi and whānaungatanga is the priority by reconnecting with whānau and teams who work directly with hapū whānau Māori and pēpi hou. I’m building relationships, strengthening existing mahi and identifying and bridging gaps internally and externally to this organisation.
"This is done by kanohi ki te kanohi (face-to-face) and developing regular wānanga. Wānanga provides a safe space for kaimahi voice and brings in collective mātauranga (knowledge), that shapes (mōhiotanga) understanding and develops collective kaupapa.
Ultimately, we all strive for improved outcomes for whānau Māori, and we achieve this better collectively.”
Annmarie is passionate about Māori maternity health. She started working as a midwife at Wairoa Maternity in 2010 then relocated to Hawke’s Bay Maternity in 2016.
An opportunity arose to manage a Māori midwifery team focussing on prioritising equity improvement for hapū whānau Māori at Te Whatu Ora Te Toka Tumai, Auckland Hospital.
But the opportunity to make a difference is what has brought her home.
“I think when you’re asked to come home, especially by JB, there’s a sense of obligation to iwi and hapū to undertake the mahi that ensures whānau voice is heard and being actioned.”
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