A music therapy charity rooted in te ao Māori has transformed its practice through targeted professional development, thanks to HealthCarePlus’ Grants for Good funding.
When Dame Hinewehi Mohi founded the Raukatauri Music Therapy Trust in 2004, she named it after her daughter Hineraukatauri, who carries the name of the Māori goddess of music. Nearly two decades later, this small but mighty charity is ensuring its origins in te ao Māori translate into meaningful practice for the over 1,000 whānau they serve each week across Northland, Auckland and Hawke’s Bay.
The Trust provides subsidised or free music therapy for people with disabilities and mental health conditions, but recently they faced a unique challenge. While their name and history are deeply rooted in te ao Māori, most of their qualified music therapists come from overseas – a reality born from music therapy qualifications only recently becoming available in Aotearoa New Zealand.
“Our name and history carries with it expectations of familiarity with te ao Māori and organisation-wide Treaty partnership, and with over a third of our clients being of Māori descent, we take this very seriously,” explains Sarah Paterson-Hamlin, Funding Coordinator at Raukatauri Music Therapy Trust.
However, as a small charity, they hadn’t previously had the resources to properly embed this knowledge among their geographically dispersed team.
That changed when HealthCarePlus awarded them funding under the Grants for Good programme, enabling something that would have been impossible otherwise. “Without a doubt, we would not have been able to bring the team together without this funding,” Sarah acknowledges.
The funding supported a comprehensive professional development programme – a rare opportunity for their far-flung team to gather in person. The team met at their Northland Regional Centre before moving to the historic environs of Waitangi, creating a deep connection between place and purpose.
Working with Pukenga Psychology, a specialist organisation that helps healthcare professionals engage with te ao Māori, the team explored crucial topics, including Te Tiriti o Waitangi, Te Whare Tapa Whā clinical model, the utilisation of taonga pūoro (Māori musical instruments), and Rainbow awareness. They also covered practical elements like recorded music in dementia care and strategic planning.
"The impact has been transformative and lasting. Being able to be together in our Northland Regional Centre and then in the uniquely historic environs of Waitangi has had a substantial impact on our team culture in general and interaction with Te Tiriti and the Te Whare Tapa Whā clinical model in particular,” Sarah says. “We’re so grateful to HealthcarePlus for enabling this training that will have positive repercussions in our mahi for years to come.”
Perhaps most significantly thanks to this funding, the team achieved major milestones on their Roadmap to Te Tiriti partnership, including implementing Te Whare Tapa Whā in their clinical practice. This means improved quality services for whānau and a better working environment for staff.
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