The Treaty of Waitangi, Cultural Safety and Maori Health

This essay delves into the critical relationship between the Treaty of Waitangi, cultural safety, and Maori health within the context of New Zealand. It emphasizes the historical and social consequences faced by the Maori population due to British colonization, leading to health inequalities. The assignment highlights the importance of the Treaty of Waitangi as a foundational document for the safety and integrity of Maori people, outlining principles of partnership, participation, and protection. It then explores cultural safety as a key element in healthcare, advocating for interventions that respect Maori cultural norms and preferences. Effective therapeutic communication and advocacy are presented as crucial strategies for nurses to improve health outcomes. Effective communication fosters trust and inclusion, while advocacy ensures the protection of Maori healthcare rights and adherence to key principles like autonomy and cultural identity. The essay concludes by reaffirming the significance of cultural safety in healthcare for the Maori community, emphasizing the positive impact of these interventions on health outcomes.

Running head: THE TREATY OF WAITANGI, CULTURAL SAFETY AND MAORI
HEALTH
THE TREATY OF WAITANGI, CULTURAL SAFETY AND MAORI HEALTH
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author note

1THE TREATY OF WAITANGI, CULTURAL SAFETY AND MAORI HEALTH
Introduction
The Treaty of Waitangi holds supreme importance in the lives of Maori, the indigenous
population of New Zealand and others. Cultural safety is defined as the operative nursing
practice delivered to a patient belonging to a different culture and is determined the person or the
related family (Hally, 2008). This assignment will discuss the relation among cultural safety, the
Treaty of Waitangi and Maori health with effective communication and advocacy as
interventions to meet the terms of the ethics described in the treaty of Waitangi.
Discussion
The relationship between the Waitangi treaty, cultural safety and Maori health is of
supreme importance. During British colonization, the Maori group had to suffer different social
consequences that decreases their colonization within the society. Eventually they became
minority section in New Zealand that deprived them from the health equalities, which is their
basic human rights (Wepa, 2015). Therefore for the development and improvement of the health
status within the Maori community, the treaty of Waitangi was signed by the Maori leaders. The
treaty of Waitangi is the document of principles for the safety and integrity of Maori people and
these principles are participation, protection and partnership (Harding, 2013). Partnership is
determined by the healthcare professional by implementing health and wellness related
preferences of Maori community, whereas the participation of Maori community within the
decision-making process empowered their status within the society. Thirdly the protection
determines security of the cultural beliefs while receiving healthcare interventions (Hally, 2008).
Cultural safety also helps to achieve healthcare invention irrespective of the socio-economic

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status, race, caste, gender and community. Therefore, the relation between treaty of Waitangi,
cultural safety and Maori health is interlinked to reduce the health inequalities within the society.
One of the strategies that nurses can utilize to provide quality life to Maori people is the
effective therapeutic communication. Often, it is seen that Maori people suffer from inferiority
complexes as they feel that their cultural traditions, preferences and inhibitions will not be
respected and valued by the Non-Maori healthcare organizations or healthcare workers. History
of social deprivation had made them develop fear and negativity against the healthcare
organizations (Harding, 2013). Therefore, one of the strategies that the nurses can initiate is to
include the patients and their families in healthcare process through effective communication.
Through This process, the related healthcare professional will be able to understand the cultural
norms and inhibitions of the patient and they will be able to provide the patient with culturally
safe interventions. Through effective communication, the patient and associated family can be
included in the healthcare intervention which will result in better health outcome (Evelyn
Theunissen, 2011). Therefore, this intervention can be utilized to implement the principles of
treaty of Waitangi.
Another intervention that can be used to comply with the treaty of Waitangi in Maori
healthcare is Advocacy (Evelyn Theunissen, 2011). This nursing strategy would be able to
develop initiatives where all the concerns of the Maori would be attended as the nursing
professional will become defender and promoter of Maori healthcare rights. According to the
nursing council, the healthcare professional bears the right to question the physician if he or she
observes any loophole or lack in the healthcare process for Maori community patient. Such
policies and interventions are able to eliminate the discrimination from the healthcare system and

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support the Maori community to attain greater outcome. Therefore, using advocacy as the second
intervention, the nurses will ensure maintaining the four important principles of
Tinorangatirotanga (autonomy), Kawanatanga (governorship/direction)
Oritetanga (Equality/respect) and Wairuatanga (cultural identity/whole self) (Harding, 2013).
Conclusion
Cultural safety is an important aspect that focuses on cultural, social, political and
historical aspects of healthcare. Based on these aspects, the intervention are determined so that
the integrity of the community-receiving healthcare can be maintained. It will help to attain
positive results for Maori community health. The two interventions advocacy and effective
therapeutic communication help to provide cultural safety healthcare to Maori community.

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References
Evelyn Theunissen, K. (2011). The nurse’s role in improving health disparities experienced by
the indigenous Māori of New Zealand. Contemporary nurse, 39(2), 281-286.
Hally, M. B. (2008). A guide for international nursing students in Australia and New Zealand, 1st
edn, pp. 123-145, Elsevier Australia.
Harding, T. (2013). Cultural safety: A vital element for nursing ethics. Nursing Praxis in New
Zealand, 29(1), 4-12.
Wepa, D. (Ed.). (2015). Cultural safety in Aotearoa New Zealand, 2nd Edn, pp. 23-57, Cambridge
University Press.