Te Tiratū IMPB monitoring report
Holding a mirror to the health system
Imagine your kuia waiting months for surgery that never comes. Your mokopuna needing a vaccination but there’s no transport to the clinic. Or your cousin being turned away from help because no one knows how to awhi them in a way that’s pono.
These are not isolated experiences. They are the everyday reality for many whānau Māori across the motu. And that’s why Te Tiratū Iwi Māori Partnership Board created its very first Monitoring Report— to hold up a mirror to the health system and ask: Is it working for us? Is it honouring Te Tiriti?
The 46-page report looks at three key areas:
- Our priorities
- The Government’s national health targets
- The legal obligations of Te Whatu Ora Health New Zealand under the Pae Ora legislation
It uses data and stories to help us track how the health system is doing – and whether it’s truly honouring Te Tiriti o Waitangi.
What We Found
While there are some signs of improvement – especially in mental health – we are still far from a health system that serves our people equitably. Some of the findings are deeply concerning.
- Inequity is still everywhere. Whānau Māori face ongoing barriers like cost, travel, long wait times, and unsafe or culturally inappropriate services.
- Low screening and poor access. Screening rates for cancer are far too low, and many Māori are missing out on basic primary care.
- Gaps in the data. Key areas like immunisation, oral health, and mental health aren’t being properly measured – making it hard to hold the system to account.
- Treaty promises not upheld. We see little authentic iwi partnership in decision-making and governance – a key part of the Pae Ora legislation.
- Our Hauora Māori providers are doing the mahi – but they’re held back by inequitable funding, siloed systems, and contracting processes that don’t reflect partnership.
- On the upside – mental health and addiction services have improved for Māori in our region which shows what’s possible when whānau needs are properly listened to and resourced.
Where to Next?
Te Tiratū has shared the findings with Te Whatu Ora Health New Zealand and the Hauora Māori Advisory Committee.
We’ve invited them to consider how there can be better resourcing and use this report to inform their advice to Minister Brown on policy development, investment, and governance decisions going forward for Māori.
With the health system in flux – including the disestablishment of Te Aka Whai Ora Māori Health Authority and changes proposed to the Pae Ora legislation – we know this is a crucial time. Our commitment remains firm and unwavering: to uplift Whānau Voice, uphold Te Tiriti, shape the system so it’s fair, accessible and equitable so our whānau receive the care they deserve.
Te Tiratū hauora Māori priorities summary report
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Public and Population Health
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Primary and Community Care
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Hospital and Specialist Services.
Te Tiratū IMPB community health plan
Te Tiratū will utilise this Community Health Plan to focus on a collaborative approach with Te Whatu Ora | Health NZ both nationally and regionally to improve current mainstream and Hauora Māori services to plan for a renewed focus on our priority areas identified by Te Tiratū whānau. The reason that we have organised themes from the data and whānau voice this way is that this aligns generally with how the health system is organised for instance:
- Public and population health services and programmes are overseen, funded, partially delivered and commissioned by the NZ Public Health Service (NZPHS) so it is important we engage closely with NZPHS leaders to advocate for the interests of whānau in our rohe. Their mandate includes cancer screening, health promotion, prevention and wellness, and social determinants of health
- Primary and community care is managed and commissioned (and partly delivered) by the Regional Commissioner for Te Whatu Ora | Health NZ, so it is vital that we have a strong working relationship with this leader, to ensure they and their team understand the issues facing our whānau and reflect this in their budgeting, service planning and procurement practices.
- We also need to have a strong relationship with leadership for hospital and specialist services in the district, to influence the quality of care for Māori, as well as equity of access, utilization and outcome. For instance, a key area for discussion with both the hospital leadership and PHOs will be to undertake a ‘deep dive’ into emergency department presentations and to determine how much of this is impacted by lack of access to primary care.
- Enablers such as workforce development and quality data / information have dedicated leaders and teams at both national and regional levels, and it will be important that we use the information that we have gathered and documented, to influence their planning and resourcing.