Cultural Awareness and Safety

Dean Cowles, Head of Hauora Māori & Cultural Safety at Southern Cross Healthcare, presents an in-depth discussion on cultural awareness, cultural competency, and cultural safety.

Learning Outcomes:

• Understand the differences between cultural awareness, cultural competency, and cultural safety
• Recognise the benefits of cultural safety and how it applies to various communities and settings
• Applies the concept of Kawa Whakaruruhau to practice when working with Māori communities
• Understand various reflective frameworks and how these contribute to cultural safety
• Comprehend deep reflexivity in instances of cultural complexity at a professional and organisational level
• Explore potential organisational change processes to enhance cultural safety

This session is presented by Dean Cowles in conjunction with Mobile Health. Registration information will be shared between Mahitahi Hauora PHE and the Mobile Health Group.

Dean is a Māori nurse leader, educator, researcher, and consultant with experience across perioperative nursing, clinical education, kaupapa Māori research, Hauora Māori, and cultural safety. His background includes operating theatres, PACU, public health, clinical liaison, healthcare policy and education design. Dean is currently a Hauora Māori Nurse Consultant, Lecturer at Auckland University of Technology, and PhD student at Te Herenga Waka | Victoria University of Wellington.

He has published peer-reviewed work on Hauora Māori & Indigenous health in International Journals. His leadership was recognised through completion of the New Zealand Leadership Programme in 2025, and selection as a finalist for the Leader Māori HR Award at the 2025 HRNZ Awards.

This webinar has been endorsed by The Royal New Zealand College of General Practitioners (RNZCGP) and approved for up to 2 CME credits for Continuing Professional Development (CPD) purposes. Credits are uploaded on behalf of RNZCGP Fellows.