Congratulations Gemma and Tess!

Big congratulations to Tess and Gemma who recently attended the 4th International Children’s Palliative Care conference in Manila, Philippines. They won the best oral abstract of the conference, for their research Te Whare Kaiao (Breathing Life into the House) – development of an adapted Te Whare Tapa Whā framework for Paediatric Palliative Care. This framework was developed with the permission of Tā Mason Durie and with the support of the Te Ārai Kāhui.

Te Whare Kaiao acknowledges the importance of supporting a child to live and reach their full potential while navigating serious illness.  The value of kotahitanga (working in partnership with whānau) and recognizing the significance of cultural and spiritual mātauranga (knowledge) in the care of children and whānau is represented through Indigenous symbolism. The framework is the outcome of an HRC Activation Grant led by Gemma and Tess and also involving Deb Raphael, Ross Drake and Merryn Gott.