We were delighted to welcome six whānau members to a hui with Gonville Health on 26 November 2024. They represented four of the whānau participating in the He Waka Eke Noa study. All six were keen to talk with staff about their aspirations for Gonville Health captured in the Moemoeā o Ngā Whānau booklet created in the Dream Phase of the study. This was the first time that the booklet had been shared with Gonville Health staff and was a high point of the hui. Whānau felt that as Moemoeā o Ngā Whānau captures their stories and their voices it would best be shared with Gonville Health by them directly rather than through the research team.
Gonville Health staff appreciated hearing first hand from whānau about their experiences with the service and about their dreams for what an optimal Gonville Health could look like. Examining those dreams more closely, agreeing on priorities, and on ways forward, is at the heart of the mahi that a newly formed Gonville Health working group will engage with in 2025. Dr Heather Gifford, Research Lead and hui convenor, invited whānau to think about how they might want to influence the mahi of the working group. Without exception whānau present were keen to continue engaging kanohi ki te kanohi with Gonville Health as members of the working group.
A monthly working group hui schedule for 2025 was agreed with the first hui set for late January. If the smiles and conversation between participants as the hui wrapped up are anything to go by, this first full meeting of the working group was a step in the right direction.
