Ngā Manukura o Āpōpō Launches Upgraded Nursing EPortfolio

1 August 2014

Ngā Manukura o Āpōpō Launches Upgraded Nursing EPortfolio

National Māori Nursing and Midwifery workforce development programme Ngā Manukura o Āpōpō has launched its upgraded and new look Nursing ePortfolio.

The Nursing ePortfolio is an essential tool designed for all registered nurses to store evidence as they complete their ongoing training and development. It is useful for assessors and is compliant with the Nursing Council of New Zealand audit requirements.

'The Ngā Manukura o Āpōpō Nursing ePortfolio took home the Gold award for Best Social Learning Platform at the Learn X Impact Awards 2013. Thus, the redevelopment is part of an ongoing improvement process to make the ePortfolio more user friendly for the nursing workforce. Following feedback from different user groups, we are excited that this next phase of development will allow individual institutions to customise and utilise the tool for their own registered nurses.' says Sonia Rapana, Project Lead, Ngā Manukura o Āpōpō.

Portfolios and more recently Professional Development and Recognition Programmes (PDRP) have been a feature of nursing in New Zealand for over 20 years. The Nursing ePortfolio is an innovative solution that can reduce barriers of portfolio engagement for registered nurses.

In April 2008 the Ministry of Health announced a significant investment aimed at strengthening the Māori health and disability workforce. This investment included a commitment to fostering clinical leadership and supporting the professional development of Māori nurses and midwives. As a result, Ngā Manukura o Āpōpō, a National Māori Nursing and Midwifery Workforce Development Programme, was developed in partnership with the District Health Boards New Zealand (DHBNZ) and Māori Workforce Champions (a cross-sector reference group of workforce leaders from within District Health Boards, non-government organisations, health professional organisations, tertiary institutes and the Ministry of Health).

Ngā Manukura o Āpōpō ePortfolio Project
The Nursing ePortfolio project was established in late 2011, as a Maori-led innovation for portfolio requirements customised for nursing competencies and storing evidence. A successful pilot programme ran from July 2012 to Dec 2012 and attracted 44 Māori Registered Nurses who could undertake a competent portfolio. After further testing and refinement, the Nursing ePortfolio is now available for all relevant institutions and individuals to manage their respective nursing portfolios.

The Registered Nurse ePortfolio was developed in partnership with Catalyst and Kineo Pacific the developers of Mahara an open source ePortfolio system with the ability to display learning evidence in a number of different ways, depending on the needs of the learner or practitioner.

New improvements include;
• an upgrade to Mahara Version 1.9
• a more user friendly experience for all users with better functionality
• a responsive site for all devices
• a re-skin in line with the Ngā Manukura o Āpōpō brand
• the ability for institutions to manage their own page and registered nurses

About Ngā Manukura o Āpōpō
In April 2008 the Ministry of Health announced a significant investment aimed at strengthening the Māori health and disability workforce. This investment included a commitment to fostering clinical leadership and supporting the professional development of Māori nurses and midwives. As a result, Ngā Manukura o Āpōpō, a National Māori Nursing and Midwifery Workforce Development Programme, was developed in partnership with the District Health Boards New Zealand (DHBNZ) and Māori Workforce Champions (a cross-sector reference group of workforce leaders from within District Health Boards, non-government organisations, health professional organisations, tertiary institutes and the Ministry of Health).

The Ministry appointed the Auckland District Health Board as the first host District Health Board to set up and implement the programme. In October 2012 the programme transferred to the Northland District Health Board as the host until programme completion. As models of health care delivery change, programmes to support both clinical leadership and professional development for Māori nurses and midwives will continue to be a necessity.

ENDS

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