Te Aka Whai Ora welcomes formal recognition of first 11 iwi-Māori partnership boards 

Te Aka Whai Ora welcomes formal recognition of first 11 iwi-Māori partnership boards

Tuiā te rangi e tū nei, tuiā te papa e takoto nei, tuiā te here tangata ka rongo te po ka rongo te Ao. Tihei mauri ora.

Kei ngā iwi o te motu hinei a kupu whakamiha e rere atu ana ki ngā iwi i tutuki i ngā whakataunga poari i roto i ngā rangi kua taha ake.

The establishment and formal recognition of the first 11 iwi-Māori partnership boards who will represent the perspectives of whānau in the design and delivery of healthcare is a significant step toward a new era in Māori health.

Te Aka Whai Ora acknowledges all those who have worked tirelessly to support and advance this crucial kaupapa.

Te Aka Whai Ora Chair Tipa Mahuta (Waikato, Maniapoto, Ngāpuhi) says the iwi-Māori partnership boards are central to embedding Te Tiriti in the new health system, lifting the voice of whānau and communities and supporting them to have tino rangatiratanga and mana motuhake over their health and wellbeing.

“The iwi-Māori partnership boards are critical to navigating to a future where whānau experience healthcare that looks like, feels like and reflects te ao Māori,” Tipa Mahuta says.

“The boards will strengthen the work of Te Aka Whai Ora and our partner Te Whatu Ora by representing local Māori perspectives on hauora and contributing Māori knowledge to our work,”

“Importantly, they will provide feedback on how the health sector is performing to meet the needs of whānau in their area.

Eleven iwi-Māori partnership boards have been formally recognised under the Pae Ora (Healthy Futures) Act 2022:

• Te Taumata Hauora Te Kahu o Taonui IMPB, Tai Tokerau & Tāmaki
• Te Moana a Toi IMPB, Mataatua
• Tairāwhiti Toitū Te Ora IMPB, Tairāwhiti
• Te Taura Ora ō Waiariki IMPB, Te Arawa
• Tūwharetoa IMPB, Tūwharetoa
• Te Puanga Ora IMPB, Taranaki
• Te Mātuku IMPB, Whanganui
• Tihei Tākitimu IMPB, Takitimu Hawkes Bay
• Te Pae Oranga o Ruahine o Tararua IMPB, Manawatū
• Te Karu o te Ika Poari Hauora IMPB, Wairarapa
• Āti Awa Toa IMPB, Greater Wellington/Hutt

Further iwi-Māori partnership boards are working their way through the formal recognition process.

Iwi-Māori partnership boards are a central part of the health reforms that established Te Aka Whai Ora as an equal partner at the heart of our new health system, alongside Te Whatu Ora - Health New Zealand and Manatū Hauora - Ministry of Health.

“Through the iwi-Māori partnership boards, Māori communities and future generations will become key decision makers in their health and wellbeing,” Tipa Mahuta says.

“We have seen many times, most recently in the Māori Response to Covid-19, what happens when the aspirations and ideas for healthcare solutions come from whānau and local health leaders.

“This kaupapa leads to better access to health services and improved health outcomes – for Māori and for everyone in Aotearoa.

“We acknowledge and celebrate the knowledge and dedication of all those appointed to the iwi-Māori partnership boards formally recognised today, as well as all those involved in other emerging iwi-Māori partnership boards that are working through the formal recognition process.”

Ngā whakamānawa nui mō te tou hou e kainamu ana.
Ma te waahi ngaro koutou e tiaki, e manaaki hāere te wa.