September 24, 2021
Responsibility shared for Māori health
The co-chairs of the new interim Māori Health Authority says it’s a chance for generational change across the whole sector.
Sharon Shea, who currently chairs the Bay of Plenty District Health Board, and Tipa Manuta, the deputy chair of Counties Manukau Health, says they will be working at pace to develop the Māori health plan and cement relations with the Health Ministry and Health New Zealand, which takes over from the 20 DHBs.
Ms Shea, who will also sit on the Health New Zealand board, says they will have a say over the whole $21 billion in health spending, rather than just what is spent specifically on kaupapa Māori projects.
“People say it’s a big take and it is but it’s not just about the Māori Health Authority. It’s about HNZ, it’s about the Ministry of Health, it’s about the system lifting its game so it’s a really important message for us to get out there. For us to shoulder all this is not appropriate. Everyone in the health system is accountable for Māori health outcomes,” she says. Ms Shea says the board members have extensive experience in the old system, so they are well-positioned to do things differently.