Every day as a nurse practitioner (NP), Hohepa walks the kaupapa “kia anga whakamua te titiro – looking backwards to move forwards into the future,” successfully and organically weaving into her work, her Māori culture, values, identity and history.
“I’m always excited about sharing with my peers my lived experience as an NP trying to navigate a broken system and to uplift nursing standards for Māori and Pacific peoples by indigenising a health system that demands cultural transformation and innovation,” said Hohepa.
“Clinical excellence with a cultural focus has been my long-standing philosophy.”
Hohepa became a registered nurse in 2007, and an NP in 2018. She said her drive to become an NP was to help improve the health of all peoples, with a focus on Māori and Pacific populations, and marginalised populations such as takatāpui (rainbow community) who have the worst health status in the country.
NZNO kaiwhakahaere Kerri Nuku said Hohepa is emerging as “a light in the dark” for Māori nurses not confident enough to take up the NP challenge.
“They hear stories about an NP who is trying to indigenise a part of the health system, and that it is working. Her work is telling them it is okay to take your Māori to work, you don’t need to leave it at home.”
‘Hohepa is emerging as ‘a light in the dark’ for Māori nurses not confident enough to take up the NP challenge.’
Hohepa is particularly passionate about helping to lift the low number of Māori and Pacific NPs. About 9 per cent of NPs identify as Māori yet they make up 17 per cent of the country’s population. About 2 per cent of NPs identify as Pacific but are 7 per cent of the population.
That passion has led her to become an academic mentor on the country’s nurse practitioner training programme, at the University of Auckland, supporting indigenous and Pacifica nurses on their NP journey.
Last year, Hohepa received Te Akenehi Hei Memorial Award for best Māori nurse of the year. This is one of the most prestigious nursing awards from NZNO.
Hohepa grew within her tribe, Ngāti Raukawa ki Wharepuhūnga, and learned the ways of her people from her grandmother and elders of her tribe. She also has tribal connections to Ngati Tūwharetoa, Tanui, Te Arawa and Ngāpuhi. She is bilingual, also being a speaker of te reo Māori – a language which 20 years ago was on the brink of dying.
“Due to the process of colonisation, my late kuia was the last native speaker within my immediate family.”
Hohepa graduated with a bachelor in health science (nursing) in 2007 and has held a masters in nursing since 2015. She has worked predominately in primary health-care, including, general practice, marae-based clinics, accident and medical clinics, prison (correctional) nursing and more recently spent two years within the emergency department.
Hohepa credits her journey to the love of her whānau – unconditional aroha from her parents, brothers, sisters, nephews, nieces, children and supportive partner.
“For me, kia anga whakamua te titiro is about being inspired by our ancestors and learning from their experiences. It’s about being driven by our mokopuna, our children,” said Hohepa.
“My cup is filled with the cultural expressions of my people, kapa haka, karakia and tikanga that I endeavour to incorporate into my everyday being.
“The success of Māori, is the success of their village that surrounds and nurtures them.”