Te Pou Tautoko
Te Pou Tautoko is the Māori advisory group that provides cultural leadership and guidance to Mary Potter Hospice.
The group works alongside the Hospice to support the development and implementation of Te Taikākā, the Māori Service Plan, and to help ensure hospice care reflects Māori values, perspectives, and tikanga in both service design and day-to-day practice.
Te Pou Tautoko supports culturally safe, responsive care for Māori patients and their whānau by:
- Providing advice on kaupapa Māori approaches and tikanga
- Supporting service development and organisational practice
- Offering guidance to staff working on projects where Māori perspectives are important
- Contributing to education, research, and sector initiatives related to palliative care
Mary Potter Hospice Kaumātua
Matua Peter Jackson
Te Āti Awa, Taranaki iwi and Te Arawa
Matua Peter Jackson is our kaumātua and was formally welcomed in November 2025.
Peter affiliates to Te Āti Awa, Taranaki iwi and Te Arawa, and brings significant experience in kaumātua roles across the health and community sectors, including with Wellington Hospital, the Nursing Council and a range of charitable organisations. He supports the organisation in upholding the principles of Te Tiriti o Waitangi and in delivering culturally safe and competent care. Peter provides guidance on tikanga, supports formal welcomes, and offers a trusted sounding board for kaimahi Māori. His mana, wisdom and steady presence strengthen our foundation and help guide our work in the right way.
Te Pou Tautoko Members
Vanessa Eldridge, Chair
Kahungunu, Rongomaiwahine and Rongowhakaata
Vanessa is Director of Pō Pīata Limited an agency specialising in Palliative Care and end of life care for Māori, including cultural supervision, facilitation and boutique programme development. Vanessa links with Primary Care through governance roles at PHO and Māori Primary Care spaces. She maintains national links through the Te Whatu Ora Palliative Care Steering Group and Te Roopū Taki Māori with Hospice NZ.
Pō Pīata’s strengths lie in innovation, working with community and the development of strong networks for influence. Vanessa is strategic in her approach and has developed a range of programmes, frameworks and educational experiences that have been implemented locally and shared internationally. These have informed national research and policy.
Vanessa is past Director Health Equity of Mary Potter Hospice where she served for over 13 years. She has robust and longstanding connections with various iwi, mana whenua and local Pasifika communities of Te Whanganui-ā-Tara.
Hori Waaka
Ngāti Toa Rangatira, Ngāti Koata, Ngāti Kuia, Te Ati Awa me Ngai Tahu
Hori John Waaka is a board member at Mary Potter Hospice and brings more than 15 years’ experience working in healthcare across both frontline and management roles. This breadth of experience has given him a strong understanding of the challenges and opportunities involved in supporting whānau wellbeing. One of the most significant projects he has contributed to is Hei Oranga Ake, a nurse-led health and wellbeing initiative developed in response to community needs following COVID-19.
Hori brings expertise in project management, service design and stakeholder engagement, grounded in a strong commitment to kaupapa Māori values including whanaungatanga (relationships), manaakitanga (care and respect) and kaitiakitanga (guardianship). These principles guide his approach to leadership and ensure decisions remain centred on uplifting and supporting whānau.
Being part of the Hospice whānau is important to Hori, reflecting his belief that everyone deserves dignity, respect and aroha at the end of life. As a board member, his goal is to support Mary Potter Hospice to continue delivering care that is compassionate, culturally safe and responsive to the needs of Māori and all communities.
Diane Tatana
Diane Tatana stepped into the role of Tumuaki at Hora Te Pai in March 2021, bringing with her a wealth of leadership experience from 15 years at Cigna Insurance. Specialising in medical and financial underwriting for Life, Disability, and Trauma insurance, she built a strong foundation in strategic decision-making and people management.
Driven by a yearning to kaupapa Māori, Diane transitioned from the corporate sector to serve her community, answering the call of home. She is a passionate advocate for Māori health and well-being, holding key roles as the Māori voice for the Kāpiti Community Health Network, and Te Kupenga Māori Hauora Komiti. She continues to champion initiatives that uplift whānau and strengthen community resilience and tino rangatiratanga.
Beyond her professional commitments, Diane finds balance on the water, paddling competitively with her Master Women’s crew for Ōtaki Waka Hoe. She is also a steadfast supporter of her husband, Piripi, in their whānau business, 318 Fitness in Paraparaumu. A proud mother, Diane celebrates the achievements of her two teenage children, recent graduates of Manukura and Hato Pāora College. Her daughter, Koanga Taonga, now shares her passion for Māori education as Kaikokiri at Te Wānanga o Raukawa, while her son serves as a lifeguard for the Kāpiti Coast District Council.
At the end of a full day, Diane finds her moments of calm with a good book and the affectionate company of her fur pēpi, Haututu.
Justine Te Moananui-Makirere
Ngāti Marutūahu, Ngāti Kahungunu
Justine Te Moananui-Makirere (PGDip Bicultural Professional Supervision – Kaitiakitanga) is the Indigenous Development Programme Manager at Tū Ora (Compass Health). She affiliates to Ngāti Marutūahu, with hapū connections to Ngāti Tamaterā and Ngāti Pāoa, and to Ngāti Kahungunu, with hapū connections to Ngāi Kohatu and Ngāti Peehi.
Justine has worked in the health and social services sector for many years across both government and not-for-profit organisations, with a strong focus on education within these settings. In 2019, she developed her practice model, Ko Wai Au 2.0, as a Kaitiaki while completing her Postgraduate Diploma in Professional Bicultural Supervision (Kaitiakitanga) through Te Whare Wānanga o Aotearoa.
Her work is grounded in a deep commitment to understanding Aotearoa New Zealand’s history, beginning with He Whakaputanga o Te Rangatiratanga o Nu Tireni and Te Tiriti o Waitangi. Justine actively promotes kōrero on equity and cultural safety, encouraging health professionals to clearly articulate their practice kawa and tikanga when working with others, as a foundational step towards understanding how we show up in the lives of others.
Te Taikākā – Māori Service Plan
Te Taikākā is Mary Potter Hospice’s Māori Service Plan. It guides how the Hospice works to improve health equity outcomes for Māori and to deliver culturally appropriate care for Māori patients and their whānau.
Te Taikākā supports staff to:
- Understand what culturally safe care looks like in practice
- Respond respectfully to tikanga, values, and whānau needs
- Deliver care that upholds dignity, connection, and choice at the end of life
Te Taikākā reflects an ongoing commitment to partnership, learning, and improving outcomes for Māori.