A box of fruit marked the beginning of a beautiful partnership between Te Toi Ora ki Whaingaroa and Braemar Charitable Trust.
When Paula Baker, manager of Braemar Charitable Trust was invited to Poihākena Marae in Whaingaroa Raglan to have a casual catch up, she arrived with a box of fruit.
“It was such a beautiful koha,” says Te Toi Ora Manager Michael Edmonds, “The fruit was a winner. We sat down and shared who we are, what we do, and from there we formed a relationship that has led to Te Toi Ora becoming one of Braemar Charitable Trust’s community partners.”
The trusts have a shared kaupapa to raise health equity and help people in need to access health services.
Michael says that initially the partnership was “one of opportunities for our patients, our whānau to get private treatment through Braemar if they meet some simple criteria, but it is proving to be a lot more than that”.
Another thread of the partnership involves direct engagement, which is enhancing the holistic care provided by Te Toi Ora to support hauora Māori.
“We have been able to engage with Braemar Hospital clinicians to break down what healthcare looks like to our people, and they so willingly share that information,” says Michael.
“This partnership is helping us educate our whānau about what they are putting in their bodies. What operations they are about to have, and we are breaking down the barriers for accessing better health outcomes, which is what Braemar Charitable Trust has given us.”
Braemar Charitable Trust Manager Paula Baker says partnering with Michael and the team from Te Toi Ora is a wonderful collaboration.
“They truly are a whānau-focused organisation that listens to the voices of the community, challenges the status quo, and enables mana motuhake by creating opportunities for people to access resources and services that create sustainable long-term improved health outcomes.
“This kaupapa aligns beauifully with what Braemar Charitable Trust seeks to acheive.”
At Braemar Community Trust’s free community surgery days in November 2024, Te Toi Ora had the opportunity to access some much-needed free dental treatment for their whānau.
“We had a patient who needed emergency dental care but did not have the means to pay for it. This was an opportunity for them. They made the appointment and what a beautiful bunch of people they met,” says Michael.
“Everyone was in a fit of laughter throughout the whole engagement. They left smiling with brand new teeth and no pain, but the experience they had was just as important.”
Dental poverty in Aotearoa New Zealand is a serious problem with too many people unable to afford access. Michael’s team is educating whānau on the side effects of long-term infection.
“Treatment is expensive, and it is important we respond to it, but we look at it more holistically. It is not just your physical health,” says Michael.
“Having bad teeth can affect your heart, but it also affects your confidence, your mental health, your spiritual health and your employability. Employability is a big one, when you need money to fix your teeth, you need a job to pay for that.”
In October 2024, Te Toi Ora hosted an event where they partnered with Waikato Dental. Braemar Charitable Trust were involved too, as part of the referral pathway. A mobile clinic was set up to help with extractions, fillings and cleaning. Although it was a limited service, one patient required 17 extractions.
“Here in Raglan, you just peel a single layer of the onion back away from the million-dollar properties. The heart of Raglan is impoverished, a lot of our community members live in multi-generational homes with 10 to 20 people living in them,” Michael says.
“We don't really have any industry in Raglan - if you don't work in hospitality or one of the shops there are limited opportunities, so people travel to Hamilton or Auckland for work. When we look at rural settings, we need to start focusing on what the real issues are for these communities. It takes one hour to travel to the nearest hospital. When you call 111, if you don't get emergency services from Raglan, they come from Huntly or Hamilton.
“There absolutely is a need in Raglan and Kāwhia to provide local solutions to these problems through organisations like ours. This is where the benefit of Braemar Charitable Trust and the relationships with community-led organisations are. For many of the people we engage with, there is sometimes not enough money to put food on the table.
Michael says the relationship with Braemar Charitable Trust is hugely important for Te Toi Ora and the whānau in their community.
“This partnership is paramount to the positive health outcomes we’re trying to achieve.”
“I've made-up my mission to hook as many people up as I can with Braemar Charitable Trust,” says Michael.
The partnership is proving to have multiple strands.
Recently Paula delivered a much-needed Cobas (laboratory diagnostic) machine and medical supplies the Trust had originally funded for a working clinic at Wintec. The unfortunate closure of the clinic meant Wintec has donated a very welcome gift to Te Toi Ora.
A 2024 Braemar Charitable Trust Health Scholarship recipient, Bachelor of Health student Nicola Stanton is having her work placement at Te Toi Ora. Nicola’s research project is supported by Pūtahi Manawa and Braemar Charitable Trust.
Nicola is working alongside the clinic and registered nurse lead, Maine Tito to evaluate their cardiac screening services focusing on patient outcomes, equity and the benefits of whānau-centred care.
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Image: All smiles for Te Toi Ora Manager Michael Edmonds (centre) at the recent Niho Ora programme in Kāwhia.
