From early-career nurses to kaumātua, the Indigenous Nurses Aotearoa Conference provides an opportunity to network, reflect, and collectively navigate the future of Māori health.
The event is held to create a space for Māori nurses to come together, uplift one another, and lead the ongoing transformation of Aotearoa’s health system.
Held over two days, the hui brought together hundreds of Māori nurses, students, health professionals, and Indigenous leaders.
When speaking to Wikitoriaraukura Mitchell, she expressed her concerns about the nursing positions we have here in Aotearoa:
“Me pānoni, me tini hoki ētahi o ngā ture o te kāwanatanga kia whakaae, kia āhei hoki i ēnei tūnga mahi, kia tū ko te nuinga o ngā mahi o ngā tūnga nēhi hoki kua aukatitia.”
Growth and Support for Māori Nurses
According to the New Zealand Nurses Organisation (NZNO), Māori make up about 18% of the population but only 7.4% of the nursing workforce.
This gap highlights a significant underrepresentation of Māori in the nursing profession. To achieve parity - where the percentage of Māori nurses matches the Māori population -the number of Māori entering the profession would need to increase by around five times. At the current rate, this level of representation wouldn’t be reached until around 2054.
“It is disgusting that this government and previous governments have not put a strategy in place to support the aspirations and development of the Māori workforce,” says Kerri Nuku.
Hui-ā-Tau in Rotorua 2025
Māori nurses from across Aotearoa gathered in Rotorua for the Indigenous Nurses Aotearoa Conference 2025. The two-day event offered a space to focus on improving health outcomes for Māori communities.
Workshops and discussions centred on cultural safety, health equity, and strengthening the Māori nursing workforce.
Attendees had the chance to listen to dynamic keynote speakers, panels, and workshops delivered by some of the most influential Māori and Indigenous leaders in health, education, policy, and community development. Topics included health equity, Māori workforce development, systemic racism, rangatahi engagement, mental health, and more.
Future Focused
This year’s conference also sought to uplift rangatahi Māori entering the profession.
With hands-on mentorship, succession planning, and intergenerational learning, the Hui-ā-Tau acknowledged the vital role young Māori play in shaping the future of health.
The hui created a space for young Māori to see themselves as nurses, as changemakers, policy shapers, and cultural anchors within a system that desperately needs Māori knowledge and leadership.
“Tāku nei tōmina e hiahia nei, kia whai hua katoa te iwi Māori ki tēnei tūāhuatanga, tēnei mahi,” says Mitchell.
