Mātauranga Māori and Systems Thinking
Our health system has, at its centre, the concept of being patient-centred. While not denying that health is about improving the health and wellbeing of people, maybe it is not the patient that needs to be at the centre of our thinking and our models of care. In Mātauranga Māori and in Systems Thinking, the […]
Our health system has, at its centre, the concept of being patient-centred. While not denying that health is about improving the health and wellbeing of people, maybe it is not the patient that needs to be at the centre of our thinking and our models of care. In Mātauranga Māori and in Systems Thinking, the individual does not exist in isolation of their context. While both perspectives have different ways of describing this context, they both agree that to really help ‘patients’, we need to have much richer concepts driving our work than simply to be ‘patient-centred’.
On the 14th September 2021 Dr David Rees from Synergia, alongside Dr Ihirangi Heke shared their experiences bringing together the combined wisdoms of the System Sciences and Mātauranga Māori. With initial funding from the Johns Hopkins Global Obesity Centre they have worked in a number of communities and schools to explore health and wellbeing through the combined lenses of Mātauranga Māori and Systems Thinking.
David and Ihi talked about the work they have done, the links between Mātauranga Māori and System Thinking, and what they have learnt in applying both in a range of contexts. They also provided examples of how the ideas and methods in both traditions can can support those trying to improve the practice and outcomes of health services in New Zealand.
To learn more:
- Download the Powerpoint presentation
- Access the Zoom recording
- Download the published research article coauthored by David and Ihi
Our next Synergia Learning Series, builds upon this one. In November David will present a seminar with Prof. Boyd Swinburn on ‘Systemic Approaches to Obesity Prevention’. Further details will be announced soon. We’d love to see you again to continue this journey. Register here.