A safe place to talk about tough topics

If you or someone in your whānau have experienced any abuse while in the care of state or faith-based institutions, Te Piki Oranga can offer a safe place to talk about your experiences.

 We understand that sharing about traumatic experiences can be difficult. Our qualified, specially-trained community champions can listen and kōrero with you in a non-judgemental, safe way.

 In one of our pānui last year we introduced you to community champion Rameka Te Rahui. Rameka says that talking with someone you trust can be the start for people seeking help and treatment for trauma.

 “We understand that anyone telling their story is going to go through a lot of emotions in the process. Talking can bring up a lot of grief, anger, and fear. Sometimes the hardest thing is making the first move and picking up the phone,” Rameka says.

 “We’re here to help anyone through that process – deciding whether and how to take part, navigating the process and getting the follow-up care you need.

 “There is free counselling available and for many people, this has made it possible for them to get treatment for any ongoing trauma they are experiencing as a result of their experiences.”

 Contact Te Piki Oranga in confidence on 0800 ORANGA (672642) or email us at admin@tpo.org.nz and ask to speak to one of our community champions.

Go on, tell us what you think!

As part of how we continually review our services to find out what we are doing right, what we could do better and what we need to fix, we invite you to tell us what you think in a survey. All survey participants will go into the draw to win a $100 kai or petrol voucher.

 We’ll be asking things like:

·       What are the challenges you find in accessing and using our services?

·       What can we do to improve?

·       What are we doing well that works for you and your whānau?

·       What services do you need that we don’t already provide?

·       How would you prefer to receive information from us?

We’ll send the survey by email to whānau on our mailing list. If your email address has changed please let us know and we can update it for you, so you don’t miss out. You can email us at admin@tpo.org.nz, phone 0800 ORANGA or join our mailing list by going to the ‘ohauru/subscribe’ link at the bottom of our website, www.tpo.org.nz

 Please let your friends and whānau know to do the same, so that they can have their say.

Te Piki Oranga in the News

A selection of media stories featuring our kaimahi and service users.

On 24 January, TVNZ’s Te Karere team featured Te Piki Oranga in their TV news item about South Island iwi ramping up defences against Omicron. You can watch this online here.

On 30 January, the Marlborough Express published a story about our Wairau vaccination clinics for tamariki. You can read this here

On 11 March, the Nelson Mail/Stuff published a story about our nurse practitioners Meg Robertson and Carol Whitfield. If you’re wondering what nurse practitioners can do for you and why you should choose kaupapa Māori care, read the article here.

Looking for our 'next top models'

We are looking for a multigenerational whānau (eg, kuia and koro with their children and mokopuna) to take part in a photoshoot to help inspire others to use our services.  Is this you?

We want to keep it real, so might ask to photograph you at home, in your garden or local playground. We also want to represent our region, Te Tauihu, so are looking for whānau in Whakatū, Waimeha, Motueka or Wairau!

The photos will be used on our website, brochures, social media and pānui. In exchange for your time and beautiful smiles, we will give you copies of the professional pikitia.

This is a great opportunity to inspire others who have not yet joined the Te Piki Oranga whānau, and to get some lovely photos of you and your loved ones to treasure. If you are interested, please call Grayson on 0800 ORANGA (672 642) or email her at admin@tpo.org.nz

Below are some examples from a photoshoot a few years ago.

Don’t let the flu get you this winter

Covid-19 has shown us how simple but effective steps help us stay well – hand washing, covering coughs and sneezes, staying home when we are unwell, and vaccination. It has shown how our whānau can really step up when it comes to their health and that of their whānau and community.

While our Covid-19 vaccination programme continues, we are now also looking ahead to winter and the flu season.

Many of our whānau get their flu vaccine each year and this year it is even more important as we prepare for the return of seasonal flu now that international borders are open again. While the flu virus can circulate year-round, we mostly have seasonal outbreaks in Aotearoa. Each year a different variant of the virus makes its way here from the Northern Hemisphere where it has already had the northern winter to thrive and spread.

The flu can be dangerous for kaumātua, hapū māmā, tamariki who have been unwell before with respiratory illness, and any whānau with diabetes, heart and lung conditions and other illnesses. Vaccination is free if you are in these groups, but the criteria is broader than this, so if you are worried about how the flu would affect your health this winter please get in touch.

Flu vaccines are usually available from April, and we’ll provide more information on our website, Facebook and Instagram closer to the time.

Let’s get ready for winter by protecting ourselves against debilitating flu as well as COVID-19 – and yes you can get both vaccinations at the same time

Māmā and pēpi feel at home with kaupapa Māori care

Sarai and Māreikura

Sarai Tuhua lives in Whakatū, Nelson – a long way from her family in Rotorua. When her fourth child Māreikura was born she sought out kaupapa Māori support through the Tamariki Ora service.

This was the start of her relationship with specialist nurse and lactation consultant Debbie Kotua, who became Sarai’s clinician when Māreikura was a few weeks old.

 “I wanted to have a kaupapa Māori health service looking after me and my newborn this time round,” says Sarai.

 “I don’t have much whānau here in Nelson, and I felt this was really important for me. The service Debbie provided turned out to be the best I’ve experienced. It just made me feel so comfortable even though I’m a long way from my own whānau.”

 Sarai loved the way Debbie came to her house for appointments.

 “I didn’t have to pick up my newborn and take her out to a clinic – Debbie visited me in my home which really helped.”

 Sarai had a lower milk supply than she’d experienced with her previous children. She worried that Māreikura was not gaining weight and needed reassurance that everything was OK.

 “It just was not as easy as with the other three, and I did get a bit panicky.”

 Debbie helped with close supervision and monitoring of both māmā and pēpi, and had plenty of tips and advice on breastfeeding and nutrition.

 “Debbie visited whenever I needed her, and she really went the extra mile. She was accessible by phone, even if she couldn’t get to see me.

 “She watched me feed, gave me information on different recipes to help boost my supply, and built my confidence up that everything was OK. She was very non-judgemental – I felt very comfortable when she visited me in my house.”

 Sarai said one of the biggest advantages of using a kaupapa Māori service was Debbie’s awareness of Sarai’s needs and how best to help her manage any problems.

 “Debbie was just like an auntie – in fact I think Māreikura thinks she is an auntie! She made me feel like my child was special, even though I know she has many others to look after!”

 Māreikura is now two and a half years old. Debbie is still available for the toddler’s Well Child checks and she and Sarai keep in touch by phone and text in between visits.

 “Debbie is fabulous,” says Sarai. “She’s just very good at her job!”

Whānau at the heart of Tamariki Ora

Our Ngā Pūkenga Hauora Tamariki Ora/Well Child Tamariki Ora Service is here to help māmā and pēpi thrive during those special, and crucial, years from birth to age five.

Part of the national Well Child (Plunket) programme, Tamariki Ora is just what whānau in our region need. Our specially-trained nurses offer Well Child checks, specialist lactation advice and support with breastfeeding, childhood immunisation, safe sleep and creating a smokefree environment for pēpi.

We care for māmā of all ages, talking through things like kai and nutrition, sleep, exercise, and wellbeing. And if you need it, our pukenga manaaki/counsellor is available. We can also connect other whānau members to other health and wellbeing services they may need.

Whakatū Tamariki Ora nurse and lactation consultant Debbie Kotua helps māmā with breastfeeding, advises about nutrition for milk supply and checks that pēpi is getting enough food and growing well.  

She does Well Child checks as pēpi grows but says that the health of the whole whānau is important as well.

“There are several ways we tailor things to whānau,” says Debbie.

“First there’s the cultural connection that comes through from Te Piki Oranga’s kaupapa Māori approach and vision of whānau ora and tino rangatiratanga. 

“We use te reo as much as we can, and it’s really important to me to take the time to build a rapport with māmā, tāne and whānau as they all play a role in raising their tamariki. Māmā and pēpi are at the centre but we take the Te Ao Māori view of hauora and wellbeing.”

Debbie says that the four dimensions of hauora are integral to healthy tamariki and their whānau. These are: taha wairua (spiritual health), taha hinengaro (mental health), taha tinana (physical health) and taha whānau (family health).

“We put a high value on the connections between the four dimensions within the whānau as a whole and as individuals. Because Tamariki Ora nurses have access to Te Piki Oranga’s other services, we can make referrals for other issues that come to light – it’s a wraparound service that benefits the whole whānau and leads to better outcomes for everyone.”

 Debbie has been with Te Piki Oranga for nine years, five of which as a Tamariki Ora nurse and lactation consultant. Debbie is tangata whenua from Whakatū, of Ngāti Koata, Ngāti Toa, Ngāi Tahu and Ngāti Raukawa descent. She lives with her partner and four tamariki aged between 10 and 17 years-old.

Notice of Annual General Meeting

Notice of Te Piki Oranga Annual General Meeting

11.00 am – 1 pm, Friday 29 October 2021

Tokomaru, Te Awhina Marae, 133 Pah St, Motueka 

Enquiries to: Anne Hobby, Tumuaki 03 543 7016

COVID-19 Level 2 rules will apply

Te Piki Oranga is an essential service in Level 4

Te Piki Oranga is here for your health during Level 4

New Zealand will be in Level 4 lockdown from midnight tonight for three days. In Level 4, Te Piki Oranga is still an essential service, so we will continue to operate our services this week, although differently than usual.

At Te Piki Oranga most of our kaimahi/staff will work remotely at home. Kaimahi will be taking whānau phone calls and will help ensure you can manage your health needs.  Home visits will take place where necessary and safe for everyone. We will continue to help you access your GP or other health services if you need to this week.

Our kaimahi will also be ringing as many whānau as they can to ensure that they are safe and well and have what they need to self-isolate.

If you have health concerns for a member of your whānau or someone else at this time, please let us know by ringing 0800 ORANGA (672 642). We will also have a few kaimahi working at our hubs in Whakatū, Wairau and Motueka over the next three days. Any Te Piki Oranga kaimahi travelling outside of home or our office will wear our Te Piki Oranga ID to identify themselves as essential workers.

You may wish to visit the COVID-19 website if you would like more information about what you need to do in Level 4.

Arohanui to all our whānau as we go into Level 4 together – we are still here and doing everything we can to support you.

Meanwhile, we do encourage whānau to get fully vaccinated against COVID-19. Our COVID-19 Vaccination Clinics in Picton, Wairau, Nelson, Richmond and Motueka are continuing in Level 4, with Level 4 restrictions. We will be in touch if we need to rebook you to a different time, otherwise please come if you are scheduled to come and don’t hear from us. You can book now for you and your whānau at any of our upcoming clincis, call 0800 672 642 and press option 1 to register.  

Get Vaccinated. COVID-19 Vaccination Clinics at Te Āwhina & Waikawa Maraes

Te Piki Oranga are running two COVID-19 vaccination clinics on Thursday 27th & Friday 28th May.

We invite kaumātua (65+), and whānau who live with them, to receive their free Pfizer at the following clinics:

Thursday 27th May

Waikawa Marae
Waikawa Road
Waitohi (Picton)

To book into this clinic please call our Wairau office on 03 578 5750 or email admin.wairau@tpo.org.nz

Friday 28th May

Te Piki Oranga Office
Te Āwhina Marae
133 Pah Street
Motueka

To book into this clinic please call our Motueka office on 03 528 1046 or email admin.motueka@tpo.org.nz

BOOKINGS ARE ESSENTIAL

PĀTAI/QUESTIONS

If you have any pātai, contact Donna Grace | E: donna.grace@tpo.org.nz | M: 027 4133 697

Covid-19 Vaccines: What you need to know

Aotearoa has received the first batch of a Covid-19 vaccine and has prepared roll-out plans for three different scenarios, depending on the level of community transmission.

If there is no/low community transmission, border and managed isolation and quarantine (MIQ) workers will be vaccinated first. This is to reduce the risk of them getting Covid-19 and the roll out should be completed by the end of March.

Healthcare and essential workers, including Te Piki Oranga kaimahi, and those most at risk of severe illness will then be vaccinated in the second quarter of the year (from April to June). The general public vaccinations are expected to begin in the second half of 2021 (July onwards).

If there is widespread community transmission, those most at risk of severe illness—including older people, and Māori and Pasifika—will receive priority access to the vaccination.

This will be the largest immunisation programme our country has ever undertaken and a lot of work is going on behind the scenes with the Ministry of Health leading the roll out.

Te Piki Oranga’s Covid Response Manager Sarah Lee was employed last year to coordinate Te Piki Oranga’s response and coordinates Covid-19 recovery activity across Te Tauihu.

To make sure the correct information is in the community and online, she has prepared answers to some frequently asked questions about the Covid-19 vaccines to help you and your whānau make an informed decision when the vaccine becomes available. More information on the general vaccine roll out is due from the Coivd-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins on Wednesday 10 March.

Click here for more general information about Covid-19 and if you have any further questions about Covid-19 vaccines, please contact your local public health organisation (PHO).

Tūhono supports mothers of all ages

Our Tūhono programme has recently supported an older māmā, hapū (pregnant) with her seventh pēpi (baby), to give birth to a healthy girl, while also helping her keep her whare and support her other tamariki, as told by her Te Piki Oranga nurse.

Tūhono is an innovative Te Piki Oranga programme that provides kaupapa Māori intensive, personalised interventions for a small number of whānau, designed to develop and support the relationship between māmā (or matua) and pēpi.

One of our beautiful hapū māmā came to Tūhono not long after she discovered she was hapū with her seventh pēpi. Due to her age and the size of baby, she needed some extra support from the health system for the first time. 

Our Te Piki Oranga dietician Brittani was a huge advocate and support for her throughout this journey. A referral to Sonia at our Te Hā Aukati Kaipaipa Pēpi First program proved to be a success and our māmā managed to stop smoking during her pregnancy.

We were also able to provide this māmā with a new push chair and car seat through Tūhono, pay for her many and much needed growth scans and offer emotional support through some of the daunting decisions she had to make as an older māmā.

Tūhono also played a pivotal role in ensuring the whānau were able to keep their whare by organising and funding some vital property maintenance. During lockdown and school holidays we were able to assist with kai, and scrapbooking stationary for both māmā and her five young tamariki, as getting out and about was proving difficult.

The māmā gave birth to a beautiful, healthy girl naturally, using the wrap-around team’s support and encouragement to follow her intuition.

Nau mai e te pēpi ki te ao mārama.

It’s all about kōtuitui

After five years on the Te Piki Oranga management team as Te Pou Taki (Cultural Adviser), Sonny Alesana has a new role, as Kōtuitui Hapori (Community Connector).

‘We were already doing a lot of work with the community and had also been asked by other organisations to provide cultural advice on health,’ Sonny explains.  ‘In this role, it’s about Te Piki Oranga engaging with service providers to support families.’

He commenced the role in November 2020 and, since then, has been focusing on ensuring individuals and whānau can access Te Piki Oranga’s services with ease.

Being responsive

The Kōtuitui Hapori role was initially created in response to the pandemic, to help mitigate the negative social impacts of Covid-19 for whānau, but Sonny says it is about being  responsive and creative to find solutions for the needs of whānau.

‘Covid-19 has been difficult for some families but there have also been positives,’ says Sonny, ‘and I like to focus on the positives. There’s employment out there but now it’s about how we prepare our whānau for those employment opportunities. It’s also about preparing others who might have lost their jobs and working out how we can utilise their transferrable skills to ensure they can transfer into other industries and jobs.’

Supporting tamariki and rangatahi at school is another focus. ‘Covid-19 really identified that, for some of our families, they didn’t have the digital equipment they needed to support their children in their education or they had the equipment but didn’t know how to use it to access student portals. We had to be creative in the way we worked.’

Sonny adds, ‘Then you have families ring you to say their child’s at home and they’re not willing to go to work. It’s about looking at how we can provide services early to avoid bigger costs in the long run. Prevention is better than the cure.’

He also sits on a gateway panel with Oranga Tamariki to ensure whānau are getting the right support when their children are being returned from care.

Looking ahead, Sonny will be working with a team of five to six other community connectors in Te Tauihu. They are planning to meet in person soon to determine what services can be offered, ensuring they are not duplicating what is already available. 

Read about how Sonny connected with a local shearer, who with a new driver licence says he is ‘unstoppable.’

Sonny Alesana has a new role, as Te Piki Oranga’s Kōtuitui Hapori (Community Connector)

Pēpi Comes First For Naomi. Smoke Free and Loving It

A young woman’s strength to quit smoking for the sake of her unborn baby was celebrated with a special gift and acknowledgment. Naomi Te Kiri’s was supported to quit smoking with the guidance of her quit coach Sonia Hepi Treanor.

Sonia and Naomi came together through Pēpi First, a free programme that supports pregnant women to quit smoking and rewards them with grocery vouchers along the way.

“It was such a challenge to quit, the hardest thing I’ve ever done. Having a quit coach beside me was the 20% extra I needed alongside the 80% I put in myself,” Naomi says.

Sonia, Te Hā Pūkenga Manaaki of Te Piki Oranga Māori Wellness Services, says that the Pēpi First model of one-on-one support is key to success, especially for hapū mama.

“It’s all about building relationships and trust. We continue to support women for six weeks once pēpi is born but usually find that if a wahine is smoke-free in the second or third trimester she is usually smoke-free post-partum,” Sonia says.

Naomi is gifted donated a beautiful flax basket designed for the burial of a pēpi’s whenua (placenta) and pito (umbilical cord) by Flax Farewells for going the extra mile to honour a pēpi who is growing inside.