In October 2026, the 56th Annual Conference of Te Pūao Mātai Pukupuku New Zealand Society for Oncology was held at the Tākina Centre in Wellington. The conference brought together world-class clinicians, researchers, nurses, students, allied health professionals, and industry leaders to share insights, spark new ideas, and strengthen collaboration across the cancer care community. The event was jointly hosted by the New Zealand Society for Oncology and the Cancer Nurses College. This year’s theme was Advocacy in Action: Shaping Cancer Care Together.
Gill and Lucia’s presentation, Whānau Voice – a conduit to Co-designing Māori Primary Care Pathways for Earlier Cancer Diagnosis, was the final dissemination output from the He Waka Eke Noa – co-creating primary care that works for whānau Māori research project.
Gill presented the research findings, while Lu outlined how the Te Korowai Aroha ki te Tangata Change Model was implemented and shared some of the successes that arose from it. The presentation highlighted the importance of meaningful relationships, trust, and connection to health systems that work for us as Indigenous people. It also reinforced the vital role of whānau voice in designing these health systems.
During the conference, Gill caught up with Virginia Signal, a member of the Te Taupuhipuhi Collective of Cancer Researchers and a senior research fellow with the Cancer and Chronic Conditions (C3) Research Group at the University of Otago in Pōneke. Virginia had previously worked with Whakauae to facilitate Te Taupuhipuhi gatherings during the He Waka Eke Noa project.
