Poster Presentation Asia Pacific Stroke Conference 2024

Improving equitable outcomes for Māori, Pacific and Asian communities is a strategic priority for the Stroke Foundation of New Zealand. These communities experience stroke at a higher rate, around 15 years earlier and with more severity. Having the ‘will’ and the ‘tools’ is not enough. 

To shift the dial we must partner meaningfully with communities, to improve quality of life after stroke and reduce stroke risk.

A Collective Impact approach helps us transcend the border between the “experts” and the community by:

• Building relationships with organisations, groups and individuals in priority communities.
• Listening to their needs, coordinating programmes, and advocacy to support achieving those results.
• Building strong relationships with people on the ground already working within the community.
• Maintaining continuous engagement and communication.
• Being responsive to their needs and their timing.

For the last year across four “prototypes” we have had a consistent presence in four communities with poor stroke outcomes, engaging in community co-design.  The severely deprived community of Te Hiku in the Far North is one of the prototypes, focusing on engaging with Māori stroke survivors and whanau/family groups and iwi Māori providers.

Specifically we are:

- Supporting stroke survivors' and whānau storytelling, using knowledge we gain to improve the services we offer.

- Bringing stroke risk reduction education and knowledge to communities who have not previously received these messages.

- Linking stroke survivors to our Return to Work service.

- Building trusted relationships with communities, and delivering services in ways that are more accessible to their needs.