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<p><a href="http://hosw.com/" target="_blank">Visit the website here:&nbsp;hosw.com</a></p>

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<p>Whakauae staff members Dr Amohia Boulton, Gill Potaka-Osborne, Rachel Brown, Ngareta Patea and sub-contractor Kiri Parata have recently returned from an invigorating four days at the Healing Our Spirit Worldwide 2015 Conference. Whilst at the Conference, the team met with friends and colleagues, made the most of networking opportunities and took part in a varied and stimulating programme of presentations and keynote speeches from Indigenous presenters. Healing Our Spirit Worldwide&nbsp;was formed in Canada in the 1980s to address Indigenous concerns about the devastation of alcohol and other drug abuse related issues amongst Indigenous populations. The four yearly gatherings bring Indigenous peoples from around the world together to share knowledge and explore solutions. &nbsp;</p>

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<p>Planning for the Seventh Gathering of Healing Our Spirit Worldwide began in 2011 when Te Rau Matatini was approached by the International Indigenous Council to host the 2015 conference. The overarching theme for this year&rsquo;s conference was &ldquo;Mauri Ora&rdquo;; a thread which was woven through the key streams over each of the four conference days. The key streams were Indigenous Leadership, Indigenous Solutions, Indigenous Potential and Indigenous Futures. Also running throughout these four days were activities specifically tailored to the interest of kaumatua-elders and rangatahi-youth as well as site visits of cultural relevance.</p>

<p>A highlight of the conference was the powhiri at T&#363;rangawaewae Marae where 1500 delegates from ten countries gathered to be welcomed. Other highlights included keynote addresses from a number of experts such as Professor Keawe&#39;aimoku Kaholokula, Sir Mason Durie, Associate Professor Papaarangi Reid, Professor Cindy Blackstock, Professor, Linda Smith and Rangimarie Naida Glavish. Further information about the keynote speakers can be found at http://hosw.com/keynote-speakers.</p>

<p>The Whakauae Research for M&#257;ori Health and Development team presented papers in three of the four conference streams: Indigenous Leadership, Indigenous Solutions and Indigenous Potential. Gill Potaka-Osborne and Ngareta Patea gave a presentation entitled A Participative Management Model. This presentation explored Whakauae&rsquo;s origins through to its current operational practices using whakatauki.</p>

<p><img alt="Dr. Donna Kurtz" src="/uploads/images/IMG_6683%5B1%5D.jpg" style="float:right; height:450px; margin:15px; width:300px" />Dr. Amohia Boulton and Dr. Donna Kurtz (University of British Columbia Canada) collaborated on a presentation entitled Honouring Healers and Traditional Healing Practices within Wellness Services in Canada and New Zealand. This presentation provided insights into two research projects; Supporting traditional rongo&#257; practice in contemporary healthcare settings in Aotearoa New Zealand and Embracing a Vision for Indigenous Health to Support Integrated Indigenous Diabetes and Obesity Services. There was considerable interest in the presentation with a number of thought provoking issues being raised by the audience about traditional healing, its role in modern day society and the preservation of Indigenous knowledge.</p>

<p>Kiri Parata presented the results of the Ng&#257; Kanohi K&#299;tea funded project Whaia Te Ahi Kaa: Ahi Kaa and its role in hauora. The objective of this research project is to develop a long term oranga strategy for the iwi of Atiawa ki Whakarongotai by exploring how being connected to iwi through participation in iwi activities can enhance overall wh&#257;nau wellbeing.</p>
