Lay summary
Health disparities between colonised indigenous populations and non-indigenous
populations continue to widen. Like other health areas, global studies and statistics of
palliative care for indigenous peoples indicate poorer outcomes on indicators such as
access and utilisation of palliative services, in comparison to Western counterparts.
Palliative care is an expanding specialised health area in New Zealand, and the cultural
responsive of palliative services to Maori needs consideration. The proposed research will
be conducted as a literature review. Academic-oriented literature will be analysed to
determine whether the disparities in access and utilisation of palliative services that are
apparent for other indigenous populations around the globe, are also apparent for Maori.
The literature review will also critically evaluate current Palliative care models and services
and how these may or may not be appropriate for Maori.