Light on the dying | Auckland News | Local News in Auckland

Why do Maori shy away from professional help in their last days? A researcher hopes to find the answer, writes Rowena Orejana.

Tess Moeke-Maxwell knows a lot about death and dying. She grew up hearing stories of her 2-month-old baby sister who had died of a congenital heart disease. Her small heart had been donated to science.

"It was unheard of for a Maori mother to do that," says Dr Moeke-Maxwell, whose Ngai Tai iwi is associated with Umupuia marae at Maraetai.

Now she is an experienced mental health researcher and professional counsellor embarking on groundbreaking three-year research on Maori experiences of dying, death and bereavement called the Kia Ngawari study.

She's now looking for people in the last phase of their lives who are willing to share their stories.

"For Maori, there's this belief that dying is part of living and we're exposed to it quite a lot," she says.

The study aims to increase the knowledge of what Maori want and need at the final stages of their  lives.

"We know Maori under-utilise palliative care services. We've got a lot of assumptions about what Maori need at this time of their lives but we actually don't have any evidence to support this."

She is looking for 30 people from South Auckland and Waikato. "From those 30, I'm going to be taking eight or nine case studies. I'll track through people's experiences during the time of wellness through to their deaths and afterwards. People will be selected for case studies by their diversity. They need to be 18 years or older. And they need to have a terminal diagnosis."

The interviews take the form of informal chats. She wants to find out how the people accept the news of their diseases, how it affects them and their families, how they cope with it and what services they  use - if any.

She also wants to hear about their hopes, dreams and aspirations for the future. "Just because we're dying doesn't mean we don't have those."

Some puzzlement surrounds why Maori do not use hospice or health boards' palliative care services.

"The hospitals are holistic and they quite easily align themselves into the Te Whare Tapa Wha model. And so they scratch their head and wonder, so why isn't the Maori using our services?"

She hopes the study will give strong pointers to what Maori need to feel safe and secure.

"This study is important because it is actually going to tell us what Maori want; because Maori may actually not want that type of service available now."

She hopes people will see this study as an opportunity to help others.

"Somebody will only be able to give their story when they are comfortable with the fact that they are going to die.

"And it's a huge gift and a huge privilege for me to hear that story."

Being Maori

The Kai Ngawari study is part of a wider Waikato University study of Maori tangihanga practices, past and present, led by Professor Ngahuia Te Awekotuku and Associate
Professor Linda Nikora. Interested in sharing your experiences? Call Dr Moeke-Maxwell on 0800 786 7437.