Ngaire Button has been appointed to the role of Hauora Māori and Equity Lead – a new role for the CCN programme team. 

Ngaire will provide leadership and advice across the CCN work programme and within the CCN programme team to prioritise equity, enhance cultural development and responsiveness, and address equitable access and health outcomes for Māori and their whānau. 

She already has strong links with CCN, having been instrumental in the refocus of the Child and Youth Workstream and closely involved with the Māori Caucus. 

Ngaire, whose iwi are Tūhoe and Ngāti Porou, has spent most of her life in Ōtautahi (Christchurch) and raised her six children here. She has worked extensively in community development, worked for the Canterbury DHB as the Māori and Pacific Portfolio Manager and has also been an elected member in Christchurch City Council including Deputy Mayor in the three-years following the February earthquakes.

Ngaire says she is on her own journey of discovering her roots, so couldn’t turn down this fantastic opportunity to help advance the journey of the Canterbury Clinical Network and improve equity for our community. 

“My generation have not had the opportunity to learn our nation’s history and understand the impacts of colonisation on indigenous people, which has an impact on many of the challenges we see every day in the health arena,” says Ngaire.

“I am really interested in a helping facilitate a whole picture approach to achieving equity.”

“I prefer the term cultural development, rather than cultural competency, because we are all on our own journey. This is an opportunity for me to facilitate, encourage and create a compelling argument for each of us to take individual responsibility for our learning and development culturally. One of my goals is to help make a difference in CCN teams by being available to talk about next steps in the learning process." 

Part of this journey will be supporting the Population Health and Access SLA with their implementation of the Pae Ora ki Waitaha project (Māori Health – Healthy Futures), key to which will be engaging with Māori communities.  

Ngaire added: “I don’t want people to be whakamā (ashamed/embarrassed) about what they don’t know but rather to be excited about the opportunity to learn more about our story.”