Meri Kirihimete, kia haumaru te noho
Photo by Dr Natalie Anderson
Reviewing 2025
Our Te Ārai researcher whānau have had another busy and rewarding year. We welcomed new members and PhD students, growing to 25 members who bring a shared passion for creating change where it is most needed, as well as diverse skills and expertise.. At the same time, we said au revoir to one of our founding members on her retirement, Dr Lisa Williams. Lisa has been instrumental in shaping how we work, particularly through her leadership in creative, arts-based approaches to research and dissemination. Fortunately, Lisa remains in Auckland, allowing us to stay connected—and to keep picking her brains!
This year, we further developed our work with communities who experience disadvantage in accessing palliative care. We were privileged to work alongside people with lived experience, as well as the health and social care professionals and community members who support them. Key areas of focus included developing legacy plans for people experiencing homelessness, improving palliative care in prisons, identifying priorities to enhance end-of-life experiences for people with learning disabilities, and improving care for children with palliative care needs. We also look ahead to the findings of the Waerea study led by Dr Tess Moeke-Maxwell, including resources to support Māori whānau navigating Assisted Dying. Alongside this, our PhD students continue to contribute important research, including work with Chinese and Thai migrants, research looking at whānau experiences of out of hospital deaths where an ambulance responds, and an exploration of the end-of-life needs of people living with serious mental illness.
We also acknowledge the invaluable contributions of our research participants, supporters, and funders. We are grateful for the continued support of the Te Ārai Kāhui, and Stella and Jackie extend particular thanks to Te Tōpūtanga o te Mauri for their support.
Finally, we know that those who read are blog are usually involved in palliative and end of life care themselves. So thank you for all that you do to improve palliative and end-of-life care for whānau and families in Aotearoa and beyond. It is a privilege to be part of a community united by this shared purpose.
Meri Kirihimete, kia haumaru te noho.
We wish you a restful and safe holiday season and look forward to sharing more news with you in 2026.