Sometimes the best support isn’t clinical at all.
Our Clinical Lead Maria joined kaimahi and tangata whaiora at Wāhi Oranga Mental Health Inpatient Unit in Whakatū for a waiata session alongside Tui Lister, Pou Korowai Te Waka Hauora, Hana Randall, Pou Manaaki Hauora Hinengaro Wāhi Oranga, and Sean Te Moananui, Pou Manaaki Te Waka Hauora.
Waiata carry kōrero, whakapapa and emotion. They bring people together and, in spaces like Wāhi Oranga, can also be a form of rongoā.
What made this session particularly special was seeing tangata whaiora leading waiata themselves, picking up the guitar and joining their voices with kaimahi and whānau.
For Maria, being there was also simply about tautoko, spending time alongside the kaimahi doing this mahi and the whānau they care for.
Mihi nui ki a koutou for welcoming us in.