Munisha
From Pakistan (clinical nurse specialist – paediatric respiratory)
“A critical goal of mine is to improve health outcomes for all by implementing quality and safe health for all our minority communities in Aotearoa New Zealand which strongly aligns with the principles of the Te Tiriti o Waitangi and my passion for equity.”
Zarghona
From Afghanistan (registered nurse)
“Working with refugees is incredibly impactful and rewarding. Many organisations need volunteers to help with various tasks, from language tutoring to job training and mentorship. I am passionate about raising awareness about refugee issues and advocating for policies that support refugees can make a big difference.”
Kym
From the Cook Islands (health-care assistant)
“I am a dedicated health-care professional with a deep commitment to advocating for and improving the health outcomes for Pasifika and minority groups in New Zealand. In the past three years, I have been working tirelessly to bridge the gap in health disparities.”
Anna
From South Africa (registered nurse)
“I am deeply committed to fostering a country where individuals from all walks of life can thrive. My passion lies in promoting understanding and equality among people of diverse ethnicities and cultures. I believe that by celebrating our differences and working together towards a common goal, we can create a more unified and harmonious society.”
Those events laid bare the urgent need for a health-care system that truly sees, hears, and responds to the cultural realities of the diverse people it serves.
In the wake of this grief, we — health-care workers from the women and children’s service — made a decision: we had to do better.
We had to listen more, include more and centre the lived experiences of those who have long been marginalised in our system.
In March 2023, we facilitated the first multi-ethnic study day for Southern DHB, now Te Whatu Ora – Southern. The event was deeply moving.
It brought together health-care professionals and members of ethnically minoritised communities — many of who shared personal experiences of feeling unseen, unheard or unsafe within our services.
Their courage in speaking out affirmed what many of us already knew: cultural safety is not a checkbox, it is a matter of dignity, trust and often survival.
The study day became the catalyst for forming a working group and developing a multi-ethnic engagement strategy.
Although the strategy was approved by the DHB’s clinical council, it was required to operate within existing budgets and align with broader national objectives.
‘We continued independently, grounded in our belief that equitable, culturally safe care is a human right.’
Not long after, key support roles were disestablished due to organisational restructuring. The formal momentum stalled but our commitment did not.
We continued independently, grounded in our belief that equitable, culturally safe care is a human right.
From this, Worldwide Mosaic was born – a grassroots initiative led by a team of six professionals, all with extensive experience working alongside minority communities in Dunedin.
At the heart of Worldwide Mosaic is our four-hour cultural awareness workshop, focused specifically on the experiences and needs of Muslim, refugee, Pasifika, Filipino and African communities.
What makes this workshop powerful is not just the content – it’s who creates it. The material is directly informed by those with lived experience.
‘This is not academic theory – it is real, lived truth.’
Community members have shaped the narratives, shared the challenges and offered insights on what respectful, culturally safe care looks and feels like.
This is not academic theory – it is real, lived truth.
And it challenges us, as health-care professionals, to confront the ways in which power, privilege, racism and systemic discrimination continue to shape clinical practice.
The workshop explores:
- Education as a catalyst for systemic change
- Empowering staff to foster inclusive, culturally responsive environments
- Cultural literacy and the celebration of diversity
- Effective verbal and non-verbal communication across cultural boundaries
- Racism, equity vs equality and unconscious bias
- Stereotyping, privilege and power imbalances in health-care
- Cultural traditions and beliefs that influence health behaviours and decisions
‘Our goal is to equip staff not only with knowledge but with empathy – the kind that can change the quality of every patient interaction.’
Our goal is to equip staff not only with knowledge but with empathy – the kind that can change the quality of every patient interaction.
In 2024, our initiative gained national recognition.
We were honoured to present at the NZNO conference, the Paediatric Society conference, Mercy Hospital, Plunket – South Island, Mindz in Action business conference, a neonatal conference, Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists conference and various Te Whatu Ora – Southern gatherings.
Most recently, the Midwifery Council of New Zealand accepted our workshop as fulfilling the additional four-hour cultural education requirement (to be completed by 2027).
While this does not replace the mandatory Ngā Maia modules, it marks a crucial step forward – offering practical, community-informed training that addresses ethnic diversity in Aotearoa.
‘Despite this progress, deep-rooted barriers persist within our healthcare system—a system that was never designed to serve everyone equitably.’
But recognition alone is not enough.
Despite this progress, deep-rooted barriers persist within our healthcare system—a system that was never designed to serve everyone equitably.
Power imbalances are entrenched.
Racism, both overt and unconscious, continues to shape the quality of patient care and limit professional opportunities for many.
Privilege operates invisibly, reinforcing structures that silence and marginalise minoritised voices.
Funding priorities and leadership pathways too often exclude those who understand these lived realities best.
‘Cultural safety must never be viewed as a ‘nice to have’ or optional extra – it is a non-negotiable foundation of ethical, compassionate care.’
Cultural safety must never be viewed as a ‘nice to have’ or optional extra – it is a non-negotiable foundation of ethical, compassionate care.
Yet, despite clear evidence and national validation of our work, and despite urgent calls from the communities we serve, we have struggled for over two years to secure meaningful acknowledgment or support from nursing leadership and senior management within Te Whatu Ora – Southern.
This silence is more than disappointing, it is a painful reminder of how power and privilege can perpetuate systemic racism, even within institutions committed to care.
We are not asking for accolades or applause. We are asking for acknowledgement.
Because the lives and well-being of patients depend on it. Because the integrity of our health-care system depends on dismantling the entrenched barriers of racism, power and privilege that compromise equitable care.
‘We cannot deliver true cultural safety without confronting these uncomfortable truths head-on.’
Because we cannot deliver true cultural safety without confronting these uncomfortable truths head-on.
The lack of institutional support threatens the sustainability and reach of this vital work. But we will not be deterred. Despite the resistance, we see glimmers of hope.
We see nurses and midwives stepping up leaning in, asking hard questions, reflecting deeply on their practice. We see a new generation committed to unlearning bias and advocating for systemic change. We see compassion growing, carried forward by community voices and lived experience.
This is a call to all of us – leaders, clinicians, policymakers—to stop perpetuating racism and inequity through silence and inaction.
To recognise that confronting power and privilege is essential to delivering health-care that truly serves every person in Aotearoa New Zealand.
We persist because we must. Because the future of health-care depends on it.