Indigenous communities in Aotearoa (New Zealand) and Hawaiʻi share similar healthcare challenges, including rural care access and physician shortages. A partnership between the University of Hawaiʻi at M膩noa and the University of Auckland aims to strengthen Indigenous nursing research and improve care across the Pacific.

During a five-month visit in 2027, recipient Ebony Komene (Ng膩puhi, Te Arawa, Tainui), a PhD candidate at the University of Auckland, will collaborate with Associate Professor Donna-Marie Palakiko, a , in the (SONDH) to explore how Indigenous nurse practitioners provide care and relationships that improve health outcomes.

The partnership aligns with Palakiko and SONDH nursing faculty鈥檚 research into how Native Hawaiian nurses practice differently from nurses trained outside Hawaiʻi. By comparing these findings with M膩ori nursing approaches, the researchers aim to identify shared approaches while building lasting Pacific research partnerships.

“This partnership creates an opportunity to strengthen Indigenous nursing knowledge across the Pacific,” said Palakiko, who noted that Native Hawaiian nurses often incorporate culture, family relationships and community connections into patient care alongside clinical treatment.

“Nursing has always been an Indigenous practice,” Komene said. “I鈥檓 looking forward to seeing how our ideas about care and wellbeing align across the Pacific.”

Applying cultural values to healthcare

Both M膩ori and Native Hawaiian communities rely on nurse practitioners to meet healthcare needs in rural and underserved areas. Komene said she is eager to learn from Hawaiʻi鈥檚 more established nurse practitioner workforce while sharing insights from Aotearoa.

Opportunities for Indigenous nurses to connect are rare.
—Ebony Komene

Her research uses a Kaupapa M膩ori framework, an Indigenous approach that centers M膩ori values and strengths. She said her work is guided by the M膩ori values of whakawhanaungatanga, building relationships, and manaakitanga, caring for others through generosity, reciprocity and respect.

“Opportunities for Indigenous nurses to connect are rare,” Komene said. “I want to give back by sharing what we learn through writing and guest lectures.”

As part of her Fulbright exchange, Komene will also conduct research at Washington State University.