Te Tiriti o Waitangi & Cultural Safety Reflection

Reflective component for the Comprehensive Clinical Portfolio

Ko wai au?

Ko Ingarangi rāua ko Kōtirana ōku whakapaparanga mai. He Pākehā ahau.

I am Pākehā, and my ancestors are from England and Scotland. My culture is so ingrained that I struggle to see it; I am reminded when I go to Māori conferences and Te Ao Pākehā is suddenly the minority. I aim to be an ally; someone who upholds Te Tiriti o Waitangi and creates space for Māori voices. But there is tension in this for me; how to be an ally and an advocate, without cultural appropriation (Stewart, 2020)? I’m still working on finding that balance.

What I thought cultural safety was before this course

I came into this course thinking cultural safety was a specific set of knowledge and behaviours; for example, understanding the tikanga of separate pillows for head and body, and pronouncing someone’s name correctly. However, I’ve realised that although knowledge of Te Ao Māori me ōna tikanga is important, cultural safety is much bigger than that.

What cultural safety is really about

Cultural safety is ultimately about providing person-centred, mana-enhancing care, which we should do for every person who walks through our door. Because of the systemic impacts of colonisation and resulting health inequities for Māori, our health system and practitioners within it must maintain a focus on culturally safe care for Māori (Moewaka Barnes & McCreanor, 2019). We are obligated under Te Tiriti o Waitangi to follow its principles: tino rangatiratanga, equity, active protection, options, and partnership (Ministry of Health, 2024).

To help create the best outcomes for clients, as a practitioner I need to:

1. take time for whakawhanaungatanga (Sheehy et al., 2025),
2. take a holistic approach to wellbeing through collaborative goal-setting, improving function on meaningful activities, and addressing all elements of Te Whare Tapa Whā (Durie, 1994),
3. be aware of the cultural, social, and financial barriers that clients may face in accessing rehabilitation (Sheehy et al., 2025), and of the power difference between myself and the client (Curtis et al., 2019),
4. involve whānau in all aspects of rehabilitation, as desired by the client (Sheehy et al., 2025),
5. have continued self-reflection on my communication and biases.

How cultural safety is reflected in my one-page resources

In my one-page resources, I address cultural safety by:

• emphasising involvement of the client and their whānau in developing a rehabilitation plan, reflecting the principles of partnership, options, and tino rangatiratanga;
• focussing functional assessments and exercise prescription on the goals and activities that are important to the client;
• addressing biopsychosocial elements in assessments (e.g., Tampa Scale of Kinesiophobia, Pain Catastrophising Scale), supporting te taha hinengaro and reflecting active protection;
• clearly identifying red flags and referral triggers, supporting te taha tinana and reflecting active protection; and
• addressing the biopsychosocial causes of pain in the pain science resource, rather than a disease and biomechanical focus which can be alienating (Sheehy et al., 2025).

In conclusion

I am committed to ongoing reflection and growth in my person-centred approach, particularly when working with Māori. The responsibility to improve my cultural responsiveness and safety sits with me as the practitioner, and I want to continue to learn and grow in this space.