Position Statement – 12-Month Prescriptions
Te Tirātū Iwi Māori Partnership Board believes that extending prescriptions to 12 months, without strong safeguards, risks deepening medicines-related inequities for Māori. While longer prescriptions may benefit a small number of clinically stable patients, Māori already face under-diagnosis, reduced monitoring, fragmented care, and culturally unsafe prescribing. Prescription duration alone cannot address barriers such as cost, transport, limited continuity of care, and systemic bias, and may increase under-care, delayed treatment, and medicine-related harm.
Te Tirātū calls on the Crown to implement 12-month prescriptions only within a Te Tiriti-aligned, equity-led framework. This must include mandatory monitoring of access and clinical safety, Māori-led evaluation, culturally safe practice, clear standards for review and prescribing, and formal recognition of rongoā Māori. Without these measures, long-duration prescriptions risk entrenching inequities rather than improving the safety, mana, and wellbeing of whānau Māori.
References:
[1] Te Karu, L. (2021). Restoration of the health system must not neglect medicines – but who has the power of reform? Journal of Primary Health Care, 13(2), 96–101.
[2] Te Karu, L , Bryant, L., Harwood, M., & Arroll, B. (2018). Achieving health equity in Aotearoa New Zealand: The contribution of medicines optimisation. Journal of Primary Health Care, 10(1), 11–15.
[3] Horsburgh, S., & Norris, P. (2013). Ethnicity and access to prescription medicines. The New Zealand Medical Journal, 126(1384), 7–11.
[4] Metcalfe, S., Beyene, K., Urlich, J., Jones, R., Proffitt, C., Harrison, J., & Andrews, Ā. (2018). Te Wero tonu-the challenge continues: Māori access to medicines 2006/072012/13 update. The New Zealand Medical Journal, 131(1485), 27–47.
[5] Waitangi Tribunal. (2019). Hauora. Report on Stage One of the Health Services and Outcomes Kaupapa Inquiry. WAI 2575. Waitangi Tribunal Report 2019. Waitangi Tribunal. https://www.waitangitribunal.govt.nz/news/report-on-stage-one-of-healthservices-and-outcomes-released/
Policy changes to prescription medicines must not place Māori at higher risk of harm or delayed care.
How this change to prescription medicine impacts our whānau from Tainui waka rohe.
Te Tiratū IMPB quarterly monitoring report on Te Whatu Ora | Q4
Te Tiratū Iwi Māori Partnership Board has released its latest Quarterly Monitoring Report, the second this year reviewing health system performance across the Tainui waka rohe in Waikato.
It builds on its inaugural report from June 2025 representing the interests of 121,000 whānau. While cervical screening rates have improved by 10%, ongoing inequities continue to affect whānau across the rohe.
Te Tiratū Iwi Māori Partnership Board quarterly report
Click the button to download a PDF version.
Position Statement – Diabetes & Podiatry
Te Tiratū Iwi Māori Partnership Board believes Diabetes-related foot disease is costing Māori their limbs, independence, and lives and driving millions in avoidable hospital costs. In the Waikato and wider Te Tiratū rohe, Māori are losing limbs at rates far higher than non-Māori.
Te Tiratū Iwi Māori Partnership Board calls for urgent action: expanding access to podiatry as both a Te Tiriti obligation and a smart investment that prevents amputations, restores mobility, and strengthens mana motuhake for whānau Māori.
Limiting high-risk patients to four funded podiatry visits per year falls short of international best practice and directly contributes to inequitable outcomes. Te Tiratū proposes funding up to eight annual visits, embedding kaupapa Māori delivery, and piloting a local pathway to demonstrate improved health and economic outcomes.
References:
• Ihaka, B., Rome, K., & Came, H. (2022). Diabetes podiatry services for Māori in Aotearoa: A step in the right direction? Journal of Foot & Ankle Research, 15(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s13047-022-00564-1
• NICE. (2015). Diabetic foot problems: Prevention and management (NG19). https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng19
• International Working Group on the Diabetic Foot (IWGDF). (2023). Guidelines on the prevention and management of diabetic foot disease. https://iwgdfguidelines.org
• Waitangi Tribunal. (2019). Hauora: Report on Stage One of the Health Services and Outcomes Kaupapa Inquiry (WAI 2575).
• University of Otago & PwC. (2016). The economic and social cost of type 2 diabetes.
• Taupua Waiora. (2010). Feet for Life: An intervention trial for Māori at risk of diabetes-related lower limb pathology. AUT University.
• Patel, S., et al. (2022). The economic value of podiatry service in limb salvage alliance. Journal of Vascular Surgery, 75(4).
• CDC. (2023). Foot care for people with diabetes.
• StatPearls. (2023). Diabetic foot examination and management.
• PwC. (2020). The social and economic impact of improved oral health.
Position Statement - Rangatahi Māori Mental Health
Te Tiratū Iwi Māori Partnership Board has issued a strong warning that rangatahi Māori in rural Waikato are facing a mental health crisis. Whānau in Te Kūiti, Taumarunui, and Ōtorohanga describe rising distress, suicide risk, addictions, and growing pressures on takatāpui youth. Poverty, meth use, and intergenerational trauma are adding to the burden, while services remain under-resourced and stretched beyond their limits. Too often, schools and local providers are left to call Police or St John to manage crises, highlighting the urgent gaps in care.
The Board’s position is clear: rangatahi Māori mental health is in crisis and solutions must be local, kaupapa Māori, and whānau-led. Rangatahi thrive when connected to whakapapa, whenua, and culture, yet rural isolation and systemic inequities make this harder to achieve. Whānau are calling for urgent investment in early intervention, more rural specialists, continued maternity services, stronger emergency cover, food security initiatives, safe housing, and diverse recreation options that build belonging and resilience.
With nearly half the Māori population under 25, Te Tiratū warns that without urgent action Aotearoa risks deeper social and health crises for generations to come. The Board is urging government to meet its Te Tiriti obligations, increase rural funding, and back community-led solutions that reflect rangatahi strengths and aspirations. Protecting the wellbeing of Māori youth is no longer optional — it is a matter of urgency for whānau and the future of our rohe.
Hauora Māori Advisory Committee - Population priorities for Māori health
The Hauora Māori Advisory Committee consists of 8 members and the Kaiwhakahaere/Chair is Tā Mark Solomon (Ngāi Tahu, Ngāti Kurī). They were appointed by the Minister of Health after consultation with the Minister for Māori Development.
Te Tiratū Iwi Māori Partnership Board as part of the national IMPB collective advocates to this rōpū on behalf of whānau.
The Hauora Māori Advisory Committee has identified 9 population priorities for Māori health that it will use as the focus of its monitoring.
The 9 population priorities are:
- Priority one – Māori are protected from communicable diseases across the life-course
- Priority two – māmā and pēpi receive consistent, quality care during pregnancy and into the early years
- Priority three – early prevention of long-term illnesses for tamariki and rangatahi
- Priority four – rangatahi experience stronger mental health and resilience
- Priority five – rangatahi are engaging in healthy behaviours and are surrounded by protective social factors
- Priority six – identification and treatment pathways for cancers are faster, timely, comprehensive and effective
- Priority seven – pakeke are accessing primary and community healthcare early, with positive outcomes and experiences relating to diabetes and cardiovascular disease
- Priority eight – kaumātua are supported to live well through managing complex co-morbidities
- Priority nine – iwi-Māori partnership boards are well supported to deliver on their roles and respond to hapori and whānau wellbeing needs.
Protecting Māori from communicable diseases across the life-course.
Māmā and pēpi receiving consistent, quality care from pregnancy to infancy.
The key determinants of health that impact the likelihood of long-term illness for tamariki and rangatahi.
How rangatahi with mental health and addictions interact with the system.
Protecting Māori from communicable diseases across the life-course.
Cancer screening uptake, new cancer registrations and timeliness of cancer treatment.
Pakeke accessing primary and community care relating to Diabetes and Cardiovascular disease.
Kaumātua earlier detection and effective management of health conditions so they are supported to live well.
Te Tiratū IMPB quarterly monitoring report on Te Whatu Ora | Q3
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 IMPB 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.
Te Tiratū IMPB health profile volume 2 additional indicators
TE TIRATŪ MĀORI HEALTH PROFILE VOLUME TWO
We are pleased to present Volume Two of the Iwi-Māori Partnership Board Health Profiles. Together with Volume One, completed in late 2023, these two reports represent the most up-to-date snapshot of Māori health for the health sector.
We acknowledge the legacy of work associated with Māori-led health data reporting to date, from the seminal Hauora series to Tatau Kahukura and the 2015 District Health Board Māori Health Profiles, this volume continues the commitment to excellence that Māori communities and whānau both need and deserve.
Volume One includes key demographic information, mauri ora (overall health status), whānau ora (healthy families) and wai ora (healthy environments) indicators specific to each Iwi-Māori Partnership Board.
Volume Two presents additional indicators focused on Te Aka Whai Ora-identified health priority areas including kahu taurima (early years), māuiuitanga taumaha (long-term conditions), mate pukupuku (cancer), oranga hinengaro (mental health and addictions) and ko ētahi atu tohu pūnaha (other system indicators) specific to each Iwi-Māori Partnership Board.
The data presented within these profiles are a dimension of ‘whānau voice’. They represent Māori stories and Māori lived experience and should be valued as a taonga for the health system to use and respond to as part of the broader commitment to Te Tiriti o Waitangi and equity.
The data presented in these profiles also require contextualisation – they are a starting point for Iwi-Māori Partnership Boards to interpret, together with other sources of information, and decide how best to respond to the needs (and rights) of the whānau within their rohe.
As the health sector transforms itself, Iwi-Māori Partnership Boards will play a pivotal role in understanding how the health sector is performing to meet the needs and aspirations of whānau in their area. This profile completes a commitment from Te Aka Whai Ora and Health New Zealand – Te Whatu Ora to provide Iwi-Māori Partnership Boards with data analysed from a Kaupapa Māori epidemiology positioning.
As Te Aka Whai Ora as an entity is disestablished, the commitment from Health New Zealand – Te Whatu Ora to continue this important work remains.