Ngāti Hine Health Trust in Te Tai Tokerau has received funding from Te Aka Whai Ora to develop locally tailored, whānau centred services to meet their community needs.

The funding is provided as part of Kahu Taurima, the joint approach between Te Aka Whai Ora and Te Whatu Ora on maternity and early years – pre-conception to five years old, or the first 2,000 days of life – for all whānau in Aotearoa.

Ngāti Hine Health Trust’s Director of Partnerships and Collaborations, Aorangi Stokes, says: “We are working with local providers to streamline services, reduce duplications, and create a more cohesive way of doing mahi in the early years and maternity space in our rohe.”

“We want to ensure that whānau are receiving joined-up maternity and early years care across Te Tai Tokerau, which means that whānau can easily move between providers and services as required, at whatever stage of their journey they are at.”

He adds: “The aim is to start future proofing our local workforce and delivering services that are culturally safe and appropriate, to meet the needs of our communities.

“We want whānau to get that feeling of manaakitanga from the moment they first engage with the system, regardless of which service they are using.”

Ngāti Hine is one of 34 hauora Māori partners across the motu with agreements in place to deliver local solutions for their communities.

Te Aka Whai Ora Maiaka Hapori Deputy Chief Executive, Public and Population Health, Selah Hart, says: “Kahu Taurima is about ensuring our maternity and early years services are flexible, responsive, and accessible for everyone, no matter where you live or who you are.   

“This is important to eliminate inequities and ensure that standards of care are reliable.”

She adds: “We also know that collaboration and communication between different healthcare providers within the early years and maternity space – for example midwives, maternal health specialists, and wahakura weavers – significantly improves patient outcomes and quality of care.

“This is because whānau can be easily referred between providers and have more knowledge about what support is available to them.”