Welcome to Whanganui

The team from the UC CIRI Restorative Health project were given a very warm welcome when they visited Whanganui in New Zealand, in September 2017. The team were presented with a hand carved paddle - a gift from the Whanganui District Health Board (Te Hau Ranga Ora) and the people of Whanganui to the Ngunnawal people and the University of Canberra's new public hospital.

"Kaua e rangiruatia te hapai o te hoe, e kore to taou waka e u ki uta"
(Do not lift your paddle out of unison or your canoe will never reach the shore)

The Whanganui District Health Board has accelerated a narrowing of the gap in Maori health inequality by using Restorative Practices, which they define as "a philosophy, in action, that places respectful relationships at the heart of every interaction. This relational approach is grounded in beliefs about the equality,dignity and potential of all people and about the just structures and systems that enable people to thrive and succeed together" (2014). Eleven outputs from this project will provide the justification for, implementation of and evaluation plan for 'Restorative Healing Practice'.

The team were deeply honoured to be presented with gifts from the people of Whanganui that speak to the relationship we are building between the Whanganui Hospital and the University of Canberra and which in turn, we hope leads to a strong bond between Whanganui Hospital and the new University of Canberra public hospital.