Te Aka Whai Ora announces $71.6 million funding package to support Māori providers, invest in te ao Māori solutions Māori

• $29.3 million for priority areas within Te Pae Tata Interim New Zealand Health Plan that offer the greatest opportunities to improve pae ora
• A $13.0 million boost for Māori primary and community providers to address historic underfunding and build a sustainable foundation
• $17.6 million for te ao Māori solutions, mātauranga Māori, and population health initiatives that are central to whānau wellbeing
• $11.7 million to support innovation, workforce development, and whānau voice so Māori are part of the design, delivery, and evaluation of health services.

The Board of Te Aka Whai Ora Māori Health Authority has announced $71.6 million in new commissioning investments to expand te ao Māori solutions and support the organisations and kaimahi that deliver them.

The funding was allocated to Te Aka Whai Ora as part of Budget 2022.

Tipa Mahuta (Waikato, Maniapoto, Ngāpuhi), Te Aka Whai Ora Chair says the funding decisions are a response to immediate need as well as and an investment in the future health of whānau, and the sustainability of the Māori health sector.

“This is the single biggest investment our Board has made to date and is the largest ever funding package for Māori providers” Ms Mahuta says.

“Our decisions reflect the unique role of Te Aka Whai Ora in commissioning for hauora Māori outcomes and our committment to making change that ensures e kore tēnei whakaoranga e huri ki tua o aku mokopuna – my mokopuna shall inherit a better place than I inherited.

“The historical underfunding of Māori providers who are on the frontline caring for whānau is a major finding of the Health & Disability System Review and a key objective for the health reforms.

“We are addressing this through $13 million in contract increases for Māori primary and community providers. There is also funding for provider innovation and development, and Māori workforce initiatives.

More than 150 Māori providers will receive an increase to their contracts with Te Aka Whai Ora, to provide certainty for the organisations and their workforce.

“We are also acting quickly to implement some of the key priorities outlined in Te Pae Tata Interim New Zealand Health Plan,” Ms Mahuta says.

Te Aka Whai Ora and Te Whatu Ora have jointly identified key health gain priority areas for the next two years:

• Kahu Taurima - Maternity and early years
• Mate pukupuku - People with cancer
• Māuiuitanga taumaha - People living with chronic health conditions
• Oranga hinengaro - People living with mental distress

“These are areas where Māori have significantly poorer health outcomes, and are also where there is the potential for great positive change for whānau and communities.

“These investments complement the work we are doing in partnership with Te Whatu Ora to improve equity in these areas.

“It will mean more te ao Māori solutions are available to whānau Māori across vital areas like maternity and the early years of our tamariki, with Kahu Taurima receiving the largest piece of the Te Pae Tata investments.

“Our investment to support oranga hinengaro (people living with mental distress) complements the investment Te Whatu Ora has made in specialist Māori solutions and includes a focus on Maori suicide prevention.”

The investments also includes $17.6 million to expand mātauranga Māori services, te ao Māori solutions, and population health, and workforce developments.

“In the future, whānau will experience healthcare that looks like, feels like and reflects te ao Māori,” Ms Mahuta says.

“We will have more Māori providers funded to deliver health services that support holistic health, including spiritual health, and services that are firmly rooted in Māori knowledge.

“Te Aka Whai Ora will continue to build on the foundations set by those who have come before as we carry this mahi into the future.”

Budget 2022 Commissioning Investments by Te Aka Whai Ora