HELPINGLOCALWĀHINEOVERCOMEWHAKAMĀ

Pegasus supported NETP nurse Kiri Manihera to undertake a specialist cervical screening course, responding to a need she saw in her community. Kiri is thefirstNETP nurse to do the course and says she is honoured that Pegasus lether forgea new path sothatshecanmakeadifferencein her community. In the year-long NETP programme, Kiri worked at Hei Hei Health Centre and graduated in March 2022. “I livejustdownthe road.Ihavefamily here.I amMāori.It iswhereIwant to be. My heart is in general practice and the community,’’ Kiri said. Shenoticed how low cervical screeningrateswere forenrolled Māoriand Pasifikapatientsandhad patients saytheywouldparticipateinscreening if she did it.

“I am thefirstMāori nurse they have hadat thepracticefor quitesome time, and [patients] would say ‘if you do it, I would get it done’. So many people were saying that, I thought there is a need here and I can do something about it. So I talked to Di Bos the Pegasus NETP Coordinator and got onto a course on cervical screening,” she said. “Women arethemums, providers,homemakersand oftencareforothers in extended whānau.When thereis achoice,women oftenputthemselves last. But if they were not there to do all those things, everyone would be affected. Screeningis such asimple waytoprotectourselves. Thereare barrierslike whakamā. Theyareembarrassed, anditisquiteataputhing, but if we can work to minimise those barriers we can help our women lookafter themselves,” Kirisaid.