Te Mahi | The Role
As our Kaiārahi Māori, you will play a vital role in ensuring Māori patients and whānau receive culturally responsive, person and whānau-centred care throughout their hospice journey.
Working as part of our Community Engagement team and alongside the wider multidisciplinary team, you will provide advocacy, coordination, cultural assessment and support, education and guidance to patients, whānau, staff and community partners. This is a predominantly patient and whānau-facing role, with approximately 80% of your time dedicated to direct engagement with Māori patients and their whānau in both community and inpatient settings.
Some of your responsibilities will include:
- Supporting and advocating for Māori patients and whānau throughout their hospice journey
- Building trusted relationships with patients, whānau, iwi, hapū, marae and Māori community organisations
- Facilitating communication and coordination between patients, whānau, hospice services and community providers
- Providing cultural advice and guidance to multidisciplinary team members regarding the needs of Māori patients and whānau
- Promoting and embedding te ao Māori, tikanga Māori and whānau-centred approaches across the organisation
- Representing Tōtara Hospice within Māori communities and identifying opportunities to strengthen engagement and partnerships
- Assisting with the development of culturally responsive policies, procedures, education and service initiatives
- Supporting quality improvement activities that address inequities in healthcare access and outcomes for Māori
- Facilitating cultural learning opportunities for staff, volunteers, patients and whānau
- Supporting the implementation of Mauri Mate: A Māori Palliative Care Framework for Hospices
Ngā Painga | What We Offer
At Tōtara Hospice, we recognise that our people are our greatest asset. We pride ourselves on creating a workplace where everyone feels valued, supported and connected.
Benefits include:
- A unique employee insurance benefit package! We believe we are the first not-for-profit organisation in the healthcare sector in NZ to offer this enhancement to our permanent staff members!
- Ample free parking on-site at Tōtara House
- An on-site café serving great coffee and fresh, nutritious food and yummy treats
- Beautiful gardens and modern staff facilities
- A personalised orientation programme tailored to your role
- Weekly waiata practice and opportunities to contribute to Māori cultural initiatives across the organisation
- A collaborative and supportive multidisciplinary team environment
- An organisation committed to diversity, inclusion and equitable health outcomes
Te Tangata | About You
You are passionate about improving outcomes for Māori and are committed to ensuring Māori patients and whānau experience care that is culturally safe, responsive and mana-enhancing.
You will bring:
- Experience supporting patients and whānau within a health, social services, community or kaupapa Māori setting
- Strong knowledge of tikanga Māori and confidence applying tikanga in practice
- The ability to communicate in Te Reo Māori
- Understanding of strategies and approaches that reduce health and social inequities
- Excellent relationship-building and networking skills
- Strong communication, advocacy and coordination skills
- Emotional intelligence, empathy and the ability to work collaboratively within a multidisciplinary team
- Established relationships with local iwi, hapū, marae, Māori community organisations and Māori health providers
- A full, clean New Zealand Driver Licence
Experience within palliative care, hospice services, Māori healthcare organisations, not-for-profit organisations or Whānau Ora services would be advantageous.
About Tōtara Hospice
For more than 40 years, Tōtara Hospice has provided specialist palliative care services to the communities of South and South-East Auckland.
Based in The Gardens, Tōtara Hospice supports patients and whānau across community and inpatient settings through a dedicated team of clinical, allied health and support professionals who all share a commitment to our purpose of honouring living and dignifying dying.
Our people work collaboratively to ensure no one faces their end-of-life journey alone.
How to Apply
Please include:
- An up-to-date CV
- A cover letter telling us why you would like to work at Tōtara Hospice and what you would bring to the role
For a confidential discussion about the position, please contact Marleen Tuigamala at marleen.tuigamala@hospice.co.nz.
Tōtara Hospice does not conscientiously object to anyone accessing their rights under the End of Life Choice Act. Our focus remains on providing compassionate, person and whānau-centred care and supporting patients in accordance with their wishes and needs.
