Building confidence and capability for community‑led HPV self‑testing
The Challenge
To equip kaiāwhina, in partnership with clinical staff, with the knowledge and skills to offer HPV self‑testing to women.
Our Partnership
Health NZ/Te Whatu Ora recognised that to reach as many people as possible with HPV screening, the workforce needed to reflect and connect with the communities it served. As kaiāwhina already held strong, trusted relationships within their communities, Health NZ/Te Whatu Ora sought to enable kaiāwhina to offer HPV self‑testing to women and people with a cervix, while working in partnership with clinical staff. This approach would support meaningful community engagement while maintaining safe and high‑quality practice.
The training that we developed for Health NZ/Te Whatu Ora wasn’t just about skills; it was also about fostering confidence between kaiāwhina and clinical staff. We wanted kaiāwhina to feel prepared and clinical staff to feel confident in the process. The key to building the functional relationship was using real voices, from real people. We conducted extensive interviews with both groups, which allowed us to develop an accessible training experience that addressed their unique needs.
The training we developed was customised and easy to follow, giving clinical staff and kaiāwhina real clarity and confidence. It helped everyone feel prepared and supported, and set the scene for a sustainable, community‑led approach to cervical screening.
The Impact
As at May 1 2026, there are 35 registered professional partnerships between clinicians and kaiāwhina in the programme.
“Our motivation for this piece of work was to enable wāhine and whānau with a more acceptable test provided by a more acceptable workforce. The training provided by Synapsys has helped us move toward meeting this goal.”
Jane Grant, National Cervical Screening Programme Manager, Health NZ/Te Whatu Ora