Lakes District Health Board is hosting two hui this week to talk about the organ donation process.

On Monday July 5, at Te Wananga o Aotearoa, and Wednesday July 7 at the Rotorua Hospital Atrium, doctors, donor families and transplant recipients will be putting organ donation in the spotlight.

The hui have been organised by Rotorua Hospital staff to raise awareness of organ donation.

According to Organ Donation New Zealand there are more than 550 people waiting for an organ or tissue transplant.

'There are a lot of myths around organ donation, right from what the process looks like in a practical sense, to who can donate and to the tikanga Māori of organ donation,” says anaesthetist Dr Arihia Waaka.

'This hui is about demystifying some of those thoughts, answering questions that whānau might have and gathering feedback on the cultural issues and barriers to donation.

'This hui is as much about educating ourselves as it is about providing information to the public.”

Matua Te Ururoa Flavell will be present to give expert insight into the tikanga of organ donation.

The aim of the hui is to gather feedback on the cultural issues, attitudes and barriers about organ donation for Māori.

Transplant patients and donor families will also be present to share their stories.

Hui info:

Monday July 5, Te Wananga o Aotearoa, Depot St, 5.30pm to 6.30pm

Wednesday July 7, Rotorua Hospital Atrium, 11am to 12pm

Refreshments provided, RSVP to ulrike.buehner@lakesdhb.govt.nz