April 02, 2024
Iwi health boards need putea to work
The chair of Te Tai Tokerau Iwi Māori Partnership Board says the boards will need a boost in resources if they are to be effective after the demise of Te Aka Whai Ora.
Responsibility for the staff and functions of the Māori Health Authority is being officially handed over to Te Whatu Ora Health New Zealand at a pōwhiri at Pipitea marae in Wellington today.
Tereki Stewart says Health Minister Shane Reti has promised to give the boards commissioning power – but they’re waiting to see how that may work.
“The problem at the moment is there isn’t a lot of detail around this, and there is no funding. There’s particular skill sets that sit alongside that. You can’t just pull in people off the street in ask them to do commissioning. It’s going be very hard for iwi Māori partnership boards to actually perform those roles,” he says.