Kāhu ki Rotorua: Jamaine Fraser driving change at Lakes DHB

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Taihoa e whakahuri ai te āhuatanga mahi ki te poho o Te Poari ā Rohe ki Te Waiariki, kua riro tēnei mahi nui i a Jamaine Fraser te Pou Manukura hou. Ko tana mahi e hika mā, he taumaha.

Māna ngā kaupapa mātauranga mā te hunga mahi e waihanga engari ka waihangatia i runga i te aro nui ki te whakapikinga o te wairua Māori ki Te Poari ā Rohe ki Te Waiariki, ko te whainga tuarua ki te whakakaha i ngā mōhiohio o te hunga mahi kia noho taurite ai te mana o ngā iwi katoa.

Ko tētehi anō o āna mahi ko te amo me te whakahaere i te kaupapa, Kia-Ora Hauora, he kaupapa e taupoki ana i te puku o te rohe e kī a nei ko te Midlands, he huinga rohe tēnei i whakatūria ai kia pai ake ai te awhina i te hunga māuiui. Ko te whānuitanga o tōna rohe ka timata i Te Waiariki nei, tae ki Waikato, whakawhiti atu ki Taranaki me te Tairāwhiti.

Ko te tihi o tana mahi ko te whakaoti i te pou tarāwaho he kaupapa nā tētehi anō tangata i tāti whoi anō māna e whakarākei, he kaupapa mā te hunga mahi Māori ki Te Poari ā Rohe ki Te Waiariki me Te Hunga Hauora.

Hai tāna hoki, ka nui te hari o te ngākau ki tana tūranga hou nei.

"Ka whānui noa te nanaotanga o tēnei kaupapa mai i te hunga hauora tae ki te ngā pou-whakahaere ā, eke noa atu ki te hunga mahi. He wāhanga nui o tēnei mahi ko te aro ki te whakapikinga o te tauritenga mahi i ngā wāhanga huhua o Te Poari ā rohe ki Te Waiariki".

Ko tana mahi tuatahi ko te noho tahi me ngā rangatira o te iwi ko te aronga o tēnei noho me pēwhea rā e nanao atu ai ki te hunga pīrangi mahi, tuarua mai ko te pupuri i ngā pou mahi me te whakakaha ake i ngā pūkenga o te pahi hauora.

E tika ana kia noho tahi me te hāpori e tere tika ai tēnei waka. Me manawa kai tutae te ngākau o te tangata ka tū ki tēnei tūnga! Whoi anō he waimārie nōna i tupu whakaiti nei i te aroha tōhukihuki o ōna kaumātua ko Dando rāua ko Kiri Fraser.

Ko rāua ngā whetu pīataata o te rangi, he tokorua tukituki whenua, marae, aroha nui ki te whānau. I whānau mai ia i Rotorua, ka tangata mai i Ōwhata, ko tona hoa rangatira ko Anna, ā, i tūtaki atu ki a ia nō rāua e kura tuarua ana ki te kura o Ngā Moana. Ko tōna mātua tāne ko Steve tētehi o ōna ihopoumanawa hoki.

Nōna e whakamaumahara ana ki te wā nōna e kura tuarua ana ka tae mai tōna mahita kura poitūkohu, ā, he mahita tuhituhi hoki ko Roger Morgan, kātahi te tangata mārō ko ia. Ka nui tana whakamihi atu ki tēnei rangatira.

Ko te Pūtaiao me te mātauranga kāre i noho pono mai ki a ia. Engari ka wawe tana whakahuringa whakaaro i te wā e noho tahi ana i tōna mātua ko Hinga Marsh he rangatira nō Ngāti Moko.

He mātanga tunu kai a Hinga, koinā e whakahīhī ai tōna ngākau ki te mātauranga o te ao hou. Kāti ko Hinga, he tangata marae, e mau hingareti e mau kamuputu hoki he tohunga ia ki te mahi hangi.

Inā hoki anō tētehi mātua ko John Kendal, ko ia te tumuaki o Te Kāreti Tāne ki Te Aumiti . E ai ki a Jamaine, "Karatete katoa ahau ki te ihi o taku whānau. E uiuitia ana ahau e te pae uiui ka ngāwari noa te korerohia i ōku pakeke ko taua mātauranga i heke iho ki ahau, tūturu taku whakapono he māmā noa te tuku atu hai painga mōku ā mō tātou tahi".
He ahakoa e toru tekau mā rima te rahi o Jamaine, he mōhio nōna nā ēnei tū momo tangata e rangatira ai te hāpori.

E pūare ana ōna kanohi ki ngā whakahuringa kaupapa o te ao hauora ki Aotearoa nei e rua e rua, ka totohū ētehi whare, ka puāwai ētehi whare engari ka tau ana te pūehu ko te reka o te mīere mātua te hua nui ka puta mai.

Ka pau i a ia e toru o ngā tau e ako ana e whakrākei ana i ōna mōhiohio hai mātanga ngākihi i te whare wānanga o Otakau, ka tahi ia ka haere ki te hōhipera i Tamaki Makaurau mō tētehi wā mahi ai, ā, ka haere hoki ia ki te hōhipera o Waikato anō ki reira mahi ai.

Ka oti ana, i mua noa atu i tēnei haerenga whakaharahara ka whakawhiwhia hoki ia ki tētehi mana nui hai poumahi-whakaahua.

He Ngāti Rangiwewehi, he Ngāti Moko, he Wāhiao tēnei manu taiko nā ēnei herenga whakapapa noa atu kua tika kē tana huarahi ki te whatumanawa o te iwi.

E te rangatira maranga rā, tū paiāhahā.

There is change gaining momentum in the workforce at Lakes District Health Board.
Tasked with driving that change is Jamaine Fraser.

As Pou Manukura Workforce — which started on January 31 — his job is to develop a new framework for health workforce development to increase Māori presence within Lakes DHB and upskill existing workers in equity. Another part of his role is to support and manage the Kia Ora Hauora programme for the Midlands region which covers Lakes, Bay of Plenty, Waikato, Taranaki and Hauora Tairawhiti District Health Boards.

As well, Jamaine has to complete the current framework for Māori workforce development for Lakes District Health Board alongside the Maori Health Team for Lakes.

He is excited to be leading this work.

"This will be across the spectrum of health workers from clinical, to administration and auxiliary staff.

"It will also look at how we can upskill our workforce to respond to equity across our DHB."

As the new Workforce lead, Jamaine will look to korero with iwi and other stakeholders about recruitment, retention and development of the Māori health workforce.

Building networks will be key to the success of Jamaine's mission. It is not for the faint-hearted.

Thankfully, he has the benefits of a firm but loving upbringing from his koro and nan, Dando and Kiri Fraser. He holds them up as role models — hard-working and devoted to whānau.

Born in Rotorua and raised at Owhata, Jamaine met his wife Anna at Rotorua Lakes High School. He counts her father Steve Ross as another important role model who forwarded him sound values and experiences.

Jamaine often reflects on his early days at Lakes High School, and acknowledges his uncompromising Graphics teacher and basketball coach, Roger Morgan, for being a firm but fair man. Jamaine is very grateful for his guidance as this is what the rangatahi Jamaine needed.

The world of science and academia were foreign concepts to the young Jamaine.

That view was soon changed by his uncle, Hinga Marsh, from Ngati Moko. Jamaine learnt that his uncle Hinga holds a master's in food science and technology. This was inspirational for Jamaine.

His uncle was also equally at home at the pa, in a singlet and gumboots putting down a hangi. And then there was another uncle, John Kendal, who is the principal of Marlborough Boys College.

"I find my whānau inspirational. When applying for this role I acknowledged my upbringing and spoke about my nan and koro and what they taught me and how I can apply these learnings in this role."

Jamaine, aged 35, believes everyone could benefit from such positive, inspirational role models.

Jamaine is also aware that the new health reforms, which will see the disestablishment of district health boards and the implementation of Health NZ and the Māori Health Authority, will create some challenges but equally some positive opportunities.

He studied for three years at the University of Otago Wellington campus to qualify as a radiation therapist and spent six years working at Auckland and Waikato Hospitals. Prior to taking up those studies Jamaine was an award-winning Industrial Designer.

Jamaine has whakapapa ties to Ngati Rangiwewehi, Ngati Moko, and Wahiao among others.

With that whakapapa, his upbringing and relationships built within the health sector as a radiation therapist Jamaine already has extensive ready-made networks.