March 27, 2023
Māori health authority small and nimble
Te Aka Whai Ora chief executive Riana Manuel say the Māori health authority intends to keep itself small and nimble.
Since launching on July 1 last year the organisation has been in set-up mode, establishing its priorities including immunisation and the health of babies and children.
It has also been setting up the 15 iwi-Māori partnership boards which are supposed to ensure the voices of whanāu and iwi come through to influence what is done.
“We’ve got our organisation up and we’ve tried to keep our kaimahi or our number count fairly low. That keeps us nimble. It means we can adapt and be flexible but most importantly use those resources that are already out there in our communities like our providers,” Ms Manuel says.
Te Aka Whai Ora has also been tested by responding to emergencies like flooding and cyclone Gabrielle.