Te Tiriti o Waitangi
Read this policy together with your practice's Māori Health Equity policy because they are interconnected. We refer to te Tiriti o Waitangi rather than the Treaty of Waitangi to align with the Pae Ora (Healthy Futures) Act. |
Policy
Test Medical Centre Foundation recognises/honours our responsibility to give effect to te Tiriti o Waitangi as a founding document of Aotearoa New Zealand.
We affirm that a purpose of the Pae Ora (Healthy Futures) Act is to create a health sector that gives effect to te Tiriti o Waitangi and achieves equity in health outcomes. We honour our responsibility as a health entity in Aotearoa New Zealand, to:
- ensure Māori have equitable access to health care
- engage with Māori to develop, deliver, and monitor services and programmes designed to improve hauora Māori outcomes
- provide services that are culturally safe and culturally responsive to people's needs.
Source: Pae Ora (Healthy Futures) Act 2022 s7
Our commitment
We commit to giving effect to te Tiriti o Waitangi principles for the health sector, as articulated by the 
Courts and the Waitangi Tribunal:
- Tino rangatiratanga | Self-determination: the guarantee of Māori self-determination and mana motuhake in the design, delivery, and monitoring of health care.
- Whanaungatanga | Partnership: the requirement for health services for Māori to be designed and delivered in partnership with Māori.
- Kaitiakitanga | Active protection: the requirement to work to the fullest extent possible to achieve equitable health outcomes for Māori, including being informed about Māori health outcomes and efforts to achieve health equity. Part of active protection is ensuring health services are culturally safe and respect tikanga Māori.
- Mana Taurite | Equity: the commitment to achieving equitable health outcomes for Māori.
- Kōwhiringa | Options: the requirement to provide health services in a culturally appropriate way that recognises and supports hauora Māori models of care.
Source: Ministry of Health: Te Tiriti o Waitangi Framework
Our strategies for giving effect to te Tiriti o Waitangi are documented in our Māori Health Plan. See Māori Health Equity.
Embedding te Tiriti o Waitangi
Test Medical Centre Foundation ensures each team member understands the importance of te Tiriti o Waitangi in health care, and knows how to apply the principles to their area of work.
In support of this commitment, all team members undertake learning and development to strengthen their understanding of te Tiriti o Waitangi in healthcare practice, and their cultural capabilities.
We wish to acknowledge Janelle Riki-Waaka (Tainui Awhiro, Ngāti Hauiti), Kaihautū of Riki Consultancy Ltd, who has supported the GPDocs team through the process of reviewing and updating this policy, as well as providing expert advice on the content it contains. He mihi ka tika ki a Janelle mō tōna mahi āwhina ki a mātou. |