Increasing Māori new graduate nurses in primary care

Counties Manukau DHB and Procare pilot: increasing Māori new graduate nurses in primary care

Procare PHO and Counties Manukau DHB are participating in a pilot designed to increase the numbers of Maori new graduate nurses working in primary care. Procare and the DHB work closely with Manukau Institute of Technology School of Nursing to identify both Māori undergraduate nurses who are interested in working in primary care and practices that are interested in employing a new graduate or having a student on placement.

The pilot includes a financial incentive for practices to support a Māori new graduate and cultural support, including identifying emerging leaders and providing opportunities for new nurses to participate in wānanga based programmes that blends the leadership curriculum with tikanga and mātauranga Māori values and principles. To be eligible to participate in the pilot, practices must demonstrate a commitment to high needs populations and offer employment.

Procare and Counties Manukau DHB work on the principle that employment of Māori nurses is an investment approach because they can effectively engage with Māori whānau and influence positive lifestyle changes. The pilot increases numbers of undergraduate clinical placements in primary care and numbers of primary care NETP positions. There will be two intakes of five Māori new graduates in September 2016 and a further five in January 2017.