Cultural and clinical practice realities of Māori nurses in Aotearoa New Zealand: The emotional labour of indigenous nurses

In Aotearoa New Zealand there is limited research exploring the tensions for Indigenous Māori nurses when integrating cultural priorities into clinical practice. This study explores how Māori nurses navigate delivering culturally responsive care to iwi, hapū, and Māori whānau across different healthcare settings. A qualitative Indigenous narrative inquiry was used to obtain data. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 12 Māori registered nurses and nurse practitioners. The thematic analysis was both inductive and deductive. The narratives provide insight into the nurses’ holistic Indigenous world view by contextualising their professional practice experiences. Four main themes were derived from data: te tuakiri Māori - cultural identity; kawenga taumaha - bearing the burden; te kaikiritanga - racism; and tauutuutu - reciprocity. Māori practitioners routinely experienced compromises within biomedically oriented healthcare services. Practitioners witnessed discriminatory practices that may negatively impact on healthcare outcomes. Sustained cultural dissonance may also negatively impact on retention of Māori nurses. Māori practitioners value tauiwi colleagues who work as allies and affirm culturally shaped care for Māori.