Te Ara o Te Tuna – research on a healing metaphor

Watching eels (tuna) thriving in their natural habitat provided an inspirational metaphor for WITT Bachelor of Nursing ākonga Taylor Taurere. She’s translated her observations into a model for improving ways to meet the needs of Māori in the public health sector.

Taylor, in her final year of the three-year programme, has developed the culturally focused model – Te Ara o Te Tuna (the way of the eel) - as a health promotion resource and guide for nurses and healthcare providers to deliver whānau-centred, culturally safe care to Māori. She is hoping to publish her research later this year.

In Te Ara o Te Tuna, Taylor has created a philosophical basis with practical applications, and a poster to address issues and barriers Māori often face as they navigate the health system. These include poor communication, lack of understanding and racism.

Her model is a holistic approach to hauora (health and wellbeing) and recognises the role of the neehi/nurse as a genuine partner of Te Tiriti o Waitangi. It reflects how to demonstrate competence across the six pou of the Registered Nurse Standards of Competence (2024). These are: Māori health; Cultural Safety; Whanaungatanga (relationships) and communication; Pūkengatanga (knowledge) and evidence-informed nursing practice; Manaakitanga (care and generosity) and people-centred care; and Rangatiratanga and leadership.

Eeling to healing

Taylor describes how the idea for her research paper came about. She and her young daughter were feeding eels at a stream in Ōkato. “They were thriving, a result of collective care and collaboration of the local community in preserving both the tuna [eels] and the awa (river) they inhabit,” she writes.

She was “struck by the way the tuna moved, staying close together, intertwining, and navigating the waters in unison as a whānau.”

Shortly after this experience, she saw a video highlighting the importance of clean waterways for the survival of tuna (eels), “particularly in ensuring they have a clear and safe passage to the ocean for their long migration.”

She describes “a moment of connection” between her personal experiences and the video, which together sparked a new perspective. “It inspired me to consider how we, as health professionals, might learn from the collective efforts of the Ōkato community.

“Just as the tuna (eels) thrive through the intentional collaboration of those who care for their environment, so too can our tangata whaiora (people seeking wellness) thrive when supported by cohesive, interdisciplinary care.”

The journey to hauora

Creating trust is central. Nurses set the scene for a positive outcome from their first encounter with Māori by reflecting on their own identity, values and strengths, Taylor says.

This needs to be followed by establishing a connection through detailed, caring kōrero and acknowledging the person’s situation. Finding out about their diet, lifestyle, transport options, work, health history and whānau support are among critical factors in figuring out a treatment plan. Conversations about lifestyle are, Taylor believes, a means of clearing away barriers to health and wellbeing - just as the eels require good nutrition and a clean environment to overcome challenges (pollution threats, rapids and rocky waters) to reach their potential.

Nursing goals inspired by next generation

Taylor has dreamed of being a nurse since she was a youngster. Now, it’s her young daughter who inspires her.

Despite being told at high school that nursing wasn’t a realistic option, Taylor decided to move with her daughter to Taranaki from Ruakaka, where she grew up, to study at WITT. She enrolled in the New Zealand Certificate in Study and Career Preparation before enrolling in the nursing programme.

The first in her whānau to become a nurse, Taylor is keen to work in community mental health. “I’m really passionate about Māori health and achieving equity,” she says. “My daughter is one of my biggest motivators – I want her generation to grow up with better access to health services that reflect Māori realities, so we can see improved health for Māori.”

Nursing tutor Tara Malone says the notion of the nurse’s role as a potential barrier or enabler is pivotal to Taylor’s research.

“The storytelling approach she uses challenges us to see the world – when we’re providing health for tangata whenua - through a te ao Māori world view.”

WITT nurse educators encourage students “to ask questions, dig deeper, not just hand over a health pamphlet,” says Tara. “Sometimes the elephant in the room is the racism. It’s important to bring this out to the open because it’s still alive and kicking as a barrier to health care.”

While on a placement Taylor heard a nurse calling a support person’s moko kauae (facial tattoo) a barcode, and her colleagues laughing.

For Tara, it’s important to work with students to publish their research to underscore the importance of lifelong learning. She says health promotion projects like Taylor’s are an important way to address health inequities.

Māori health inequities prevail across a range of health experiences and outcomes, according to the Ministry for Health publication, Tatau Kahukura: Māori Health Chart Book (2024).

“These disparities are generational,” says Tara. “For example, the death rate from cardiovascular disease among Māori is more than twice as high as that among non-Māori while Māori aged 5–34 years are more than twice as likely as non-Māori in the same age group to have been hospitalised for asthma.”

Caption: Taylor Taurere at WITT with nursing tutor and research supervisor Tara Malone.