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Te Poka Pū is a Kaupapa Māori national surgical interest group that supports Māori doctors and medical students in Aotearoa who are interested in surgery. The group was formed to address the shortage of Māori surgeons and is committed to revitalizing te reo Māori and tikanga Māori as part of improving Māori health equity in surgery. Te Poka Pū conducts research, provides mentorship, and creates opportunities to strengthen relationships between Māori communities and surgeons. They have established an online support network and delivered webinars to connect Māori surgeons and academics. The group aims to conduct rigorous Kaupapa Māori research and develop solutions that prioritize the needs of Māori communities. [Extracted from the article]

Background Methods Results Conclusion The Royal Australasian College of Surgeons (RACS) Te Rautaki Māori cites the need for more research dedicated to health equity in surgery for Māori. However, the gaps in research for Māori in surgery have not yet been highlighted. This review is the first in a series of reviews named Te Ara Pokanga that seeks to identify these gaps over all nine surgical specialties. The aim of this study was to assess neurosurgical disease incidence and perioperative outcomes for Māori at any point from referral through to the postoperative period.A systematic review of Māori neurosurgical disease and care for Māori in NZ was performed. The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta‐Analyses statement assisted study selection and reporting. Kaupapa Māori (Māori‐centred) research methodology and the Māori Framework were utilized to evaluate Māori research responsiveness.Nine studies were included in this review. All studies were retrospective cohort studies and only two studies had at least one Māori clinical or academic expert named on their research team. Therefore, only one study was deemed responsive to Māori. Studies assessing long‐term outcomes from the management of neurosurgical disease for Māori and patient and whānau experiences of neurosurgical care are lacking.This study indicates the limited scope of research conducted for Māori in neurosurgery. The broader clinical implications of this review highlight the need for good quality research to investigate access to and long‐term outcomes from the management of neurosurgical disease for Māori. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Methods Results Conclusions The Royal Australasian College of Surgeons (RACS) recently instituted cultural safety and cultural competency as its 10th competency with formalized cultural safety training yet to be instituted. Wānanga are Indigenous Māori teaching institutions that can be used contemporarily for cultural safety training.In 2022, surgical registrars based at Taranaki Base Hospital (TBH) held in‐hospital wānanga ranging from 1 to 3 h focussed on cultural safety, professionalism and wellbeing. This study explores the perspectives of these registrars who attended wānanga using a Kaupapa Māori aligned methodological stance and interpretive phenomenological analysis.Twenty‐six wānanga were held from March 22nd 2022 to January 30th 2023. Six registrars provided their perspectives with four major themes emerging from their stories including: cultural safety; unity; time, place and person; and a new era. Registrars valued the wānanga which was scheduled for Friday afternoons after daily clinical duties. Wānanga facilitated unity and understanding with registrars being able to reflect on the context within which they are practicing – describing it as a new era of surgical training. ‘Time’ was the biggest barrier to attend wānanga however, the number of wānanga held was testament to the commitment of the registrars.Regular wānanga set up by, and for, surgical registrars cultural safety development is feasible and well subscribed in a rural or provincial NZ setting. We present one coalface method of regular cultural safety training and development for surgical registrars and trainees in NZ. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]