Indigenous Eye Health
Our Commitment to Māori Eye Health
Mā te kimi ka kite, Mā te kite ka mōhio, Mā te mōhio ka mārama
Seek and discover. Discover and know. Know and become enlightened.
Our Artwork
Artwork
by Graham Tipene (Ngāti Whātua, Ngāti Kahu, Ngāti Hine, Ngāti Haua, Ngāti Manu)
Te Wheke Moko Design Studio
The karu o te kanohi (pupil of the eye) represents the work that OCANZ and optometrists undertake by looking deep into people’s eyes. This artwork is made up of five layers that have been intentionally designed and woven together to showcase Māori symbology, strength and story.
The central element of the artwork is the karu/whatu o te kanohi (eye /pupil) which is made up of three intricate layers (karu |centre, wē | middle and rāwaho | outer). Each line and curve is powerfully symbolic and representative of Māori design. Behind the karu o te kanohi is the fourth layer, the kowhaiwhai design which represents Te Ao Hurihuri, the ever-changing world. The fifth layer is the background colours and the blending red into blue. Red symbolises nobility in the Māori world. The blue has been used to symbolise the colour of OCANZ. It can also represent the water (sea) that flows between Australia and Aotearoa, where the two cultures (Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and Māori) meet.
About the Artist
Graham Tipene (Ngāti Whātua, Ngāti Kahu, Ngāti Hine, Ngāti Haua, Ngāti Manu) Kaiurungi / Lead Designer Te Wheke Moko Design Studio. Graham designed this piece using Māori design thinking and motifs that ground the work in Kaupapa Māori principles (by Māori, with Māori, for Māori).
Supporting Culturally Safe Optometry Education
Optometry Māori Health Curriculum Framework and Implementation Guide
The OCANZ Optometry Māori Health Curriculum Framework was developed to ensure Māori knowledges; principles and core values are embedded across all levels of optometry education.
The Framework aims to enhance the cultural safety and responsiveness of optometry education in Aotearoa and Australia and contribute to a more culturally responsive optometry workforce.
The Optometry Māori Health Curriculum Framework is accompanied by an Implementation Guide to assist optometry educators embed the Optometry Māori Health Curriculum Framework into the curriculum. The Implementation Guide articulates OCANZs expectations for implementation in Aotearoa and Australia and provides recommendations to guide successful implementation of the learning outcomes, including key statements on Indigenous Data Sovereignty and the use of generative Artificial Intelligence in teaching and assessing cultural safety learning.
Position Statement: Implementation of the OCANZ Optometry Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Curriculum Framework and Optometry Māori Health Curriculum Framework
Education Module
Te Tiriti o Waitangi: Foundations for Practice
As a Trans-Tasman organisation, OCANZ recognise Te Tiriti o Waitangi as a living, guiding document that remains central to the relationship between Māori and tangata Tiriti, the People of the Treaty, or non-Māori.
The OCANZ Education Module Te Tiriti o Waitangi: Foundations for Practice was developed for OCANZ by The Mathers Solution and based on their Te Kahikatea, Cultural Development Wānanga.
This education module provides participants with an introduction to Te Tiriti o Waitangi to support optometry students and overseas trained optometrists in Australia and Aotearoa develop a deeper understanding of Māori history, the impacts of colonisation on Māori Peoples, and the continuing significance of Te Tiriti o Waitangi today.
This understanding is essential for health professionals learning to care for the health and wellbeing of Māori Peoples.