Source: New Zealand Government
Māori primary and community care providers will be supported to lift their capability, capacity, and service sustainability through a $30 million investment from Budget 2022, Associate Minister of Health Peeni Henare announced today while visiting Mahitahi Hauora in Whangārei.
“Māori providers play a critical role in our response to COVID-19, and will ensure we can implement new models of care through our reformed health system,” Peeni Henare said.
“Budget 2022 invests in resetting our health system which will help to provide economic security for frontline providers in good times and in bad. It is important that our health system is grounded in our communities and that new models of care are developed by those on our frontline.
“Mahitahi Hauora, like our many Māori providers across Aotearoa, takes a broader approach to address the wider determinants of wellbeing, including social, economic, and environmental factors. To do this, they collaborate with whānau, iwi, community, and health and social service providers, to identify and design the services and resources for each community.
“This is the model that best represents the future of a health system that meets the needs of our iwi, hapū and whānau, and is why Budget 2022 is investing an additional $30 million into supporting the development of Māori Providers nationwide,” Peeni Henare said.
This funding provides the biggest uplift to the Māori Provider Development Scheme since it was established in 1997.
“This $30 million investment is one of a number of initiatives from Budget 2022 that will be administered by the Māori Health Authority. The funding will provide back-office support to providers and sustain capital infrastructure. It will support the hiring and retention of a qualified and trained workforce and develop new service delivery methods specifically for Māori,” Peeni Henare said.
“We know to get better health outcomes for Māori we must listen to those who are on the frontline pursuing that goal every day. I applaud the work Mahitahi Hauora and all Māori providers have undertaken during the COVID-19 pandemic, but now it is time for us to come together to reform our health system to meet the needs of our communities.
“I look forward to working with our Māori Providers to develop new models of care that truly meet the needs of our people,” Peeni Henare said.
