Rhetoric, Racism, and the Reality for the Indigenous Maori Nursing Workforce in Aotearoa New Zealand

Abstract

Indigenous Māori nurses in Aotearoa are a critical part of the health workforce. They know their communities and are trusted. But rather than being valued, they are often silenced, rendered invisible, and oppressed, driven by unfilled rhetoric in the Māori nursing workforce and endemic racism within nursing that other colonized Indigenous nurses also experience. Despite inequities within the Māori nursing workforce and Māori health outcomes in general, nursing within Aotearoa, New Zealand has yet to meaningfully increase and value the role of Māori nurses. In this article, we discuss the history and impact of the concept of Kawa Whakaruruhau, a term to describe cultural safety. We also critique the rhetoric, racism, and reality of the Indigenous Māori nurses and discuss its significance as is relevant to the international Indigenous nursing workforce and minority nursing populations.