Waiariki Health Realities in Māori Hands Thanks to Dedicated Data Dashboard
Te Taura Ora o Waiariki, the Iwi Māori Partnership Board (IMPB) has taken a major step toward transforming how Māori health data is accessed, understood, and used for decision-making, completing the first stage of training for a new Māori data platform that will empower iwi to see their own health trends clearly for the first time.
The training, held in Taupō alongside governance members and three neighbouring Iwi Māori Partnership Boards, marks the beginning of a significant shift toward Māori data sovereignty, ensuring information about our people is held, interpreted, and used by us, for us.
“This marks a pivotal moment for Māori leadership in health. This data platform allows us to see our people clearly. We can now identify exactly where needs exist, where gaps in the system are impacting whānau, and where opportunities lie to invest in solutions that will create real change,” said Hingatu Thompson, Chair of Te Taura Ora o Waiariki.
Until now, data relating to the Waiariki region was grouped within the wider Lakes District, which meant the true realities of our whānau were hidden within larger population sets. Now for the first time, Te Taura Ora o Waiariki will be able to access a dedicated dashboard populated with data specific to our rohe.
The initial dashboard draws on information currently provided by Te Whatu Ora on the government’s 5+5+5 health targets:
- Faster cancer treatment
- Improved immunisation
- Shorter stays in emergency departments
- Shorter wait times for first specialist assessment
- Shorter wait times for elective treatment
While this first iteration is modest, it represents a breakthrough in visibility and will provide a foundation on which a richer, more comprehensive dataset will be built over time.
Participants in the training explored data through a te ao Māori worldview. Rather than viewing data as numbers alone, kaimahi reflected on data as a living narrative that carries the voice, mana and aspirations of whānau, hapū and iwi. The training is designed to build capability and confidence so that data insights can be used to inform strategic planning, influence policy, and strengthen advocacy on behalf of Māori communities.
Te Taura Ora o Waiariki has also been gathering whānau voice independently through kōrero, surveys and hui. Although this qualitative data is not yet integrated into the dashboard, it remains central to interpreting the numbers and will be used alongside the platform to ensure decisions reflect lived reality, not just statistics.
The platform build and training are being led by Te Tihi o Ruahine, a respected whānau ora collective with deep expertise in Māori data systems and technical development. Seven more training modules will be delivered between now and June 2026, with one of these wānanga set to be hosted in Te Arawa in February 2026. As the platform matures, new data sources will be incorporated to build a more complete picture of community wellbeing.
“This kaupapa is not just about technology,” Thompson said. “It is about restoring mana motuhake, defining success on our own terms, and using evidence grounded in our worldview to uplift the wellbeing of our whānau.”
The training follows the key appointment of Urukahinga Rei (Ngāti Whakaue, Tūhourangi) as Kaitātari, a role that identifies, describes, and maps key datasets relevant to whānau hauora.
In the coming years, Te Taura Ora o Waiariki will share insights and stories emerging from the data platform with iwi partners, Māori providers and communities to support collective action toward improved health outcomes.
Media Liaison: Sarah Sparks Email: Sarah.sparks@sparksconsulting.co.nz Mobile: 021318813
After Health NZ Data & Digital Cuts, Te Arawa IMPB Invests in New Data Platform & Capability
Te Taura Ora o Waiariki, Iwi Māori Partnership Board is pleased to announce the appointment of Urukahinga Rei (Ngāti Whakaue, Tūhourangi) as Kaitātari, a role dedicated to strengthening data capability and ensuring Te Arawa whānau voices are paired with robust evidence to support better health outcomes.
“This appointment of Urukahinga reflects Te Arawa’s commitment to actioning Waitangi Tribunal findings in the historic Hauora Report, which made clear that Māori must lead the design and governance of our own health data to achieve equity,” says Hingatu Thompson, Chair of Te Taura Ora o Waiariki IMPB.
“The skills of Urukahinga in data analysis, research, and iwi engagement, alongside her deep grounding in Te Ao Māori, will ensure our work is driven by evidence that reflects the realities and aspirations of our Te Arawa whānau. Her role strengthens our capacity to deliver monitoring, reporting, and advocacy that is both data-informed and whānau-centred.”
As Kaitātari, Urukahinga will identify, describe, and map key datasets relevant to whānau hauora, while also supporting the team with project administration. Her work will be central to developing a data platform that upholds Māori data sovereignty principles and reflects Te Arawa aspirations for wellbeing.
A Raukuratanga of kōhanga reo and kura kaupapa Māori, Urukahinga brings both cultural depth and technical skill to the role. She has built a strong foundation in Māori data and research through her recent mahi with Te Kāhui Raraunga, where she developed an iwi data framework and profile, and with Te Akatea – Māori Principals Association, where she produced regional data analysis for Māori principals.
Her experience extends to working with the Mātauranga Iwi Leaders Group, Te Arawa Lakes Trust, and the National Hauora Coalition, where she supported Māori health initiatives and contributed to iwi education portfolios and research projects.
Currently completing a Bachelor of Māori Law and Philosophy at Te Wānanga o Raukawa, Urukahinga combines academic study with practical expertise in data analysis, research, and kaupapa Māori approaches.
Urukahinga is deeply motivated by the opportunity to contribute to iwi-led health solutions, weaving together her passion for kaupapa Māori research and data with a steadfast commitment to advancing the wellbeing of Te Arawa whānau. Her appointment signals a step forward in ensuring that evidence is not only rigorous but also reflective of Te Arawa values, realities, and aspirations.
“Guided by the principles of Māori Data Sovereignty championed by Te Mana Raraunga, this role strengthens the capacity of Te Arawa to protect and harness our own information in ways that empower whānau and support equitable health outcomes,” says Hingatu Thompson.
“All at a time when Te Whatu Ora Health New Zealand has disestablished or redeployed more than 1,800 data and digital roles nationally, this investment shows our determination to prioritise Māori-led data solutions and safeguard iwi voices in the health system.”
Media Liaison: Sarah Sparks Email: Sarah.sparks@sparksconsulting.co.nz Mobile: 021318813
Insights From Rawiri Bhana on Te Arawa Hauora Data Stories
Te Hiku Radio Interview
I te ata nei kōrero tahi ai mātou ki a Rawiri Bhana e pā ana ki ngā “Te Arawa hauora data stories”, me ngā hua o tēnei mō te iwi o Te Arawa. Anei āna kōrero.
[This morning we had a conversation with Rawiri Bhana about the “Te Arawa hauora data stories” and the benefits of this for the Te Arawa people. Here is what he said.]
Original Article: https://tehiku.nz/te-hiku-radio/kuaka-marangaranga/53517/insights-from-rawiri-bhana-on-te-arawa-hauora-data-stories
Enabling Te Arawa Hauora Data Stories
The hauora data stories of Iwi-Māori whānau living in Rotorua can soon be told by Te Arawa.
Te Taura Ora o Waiariki – Te Arawa Iwi Māori Partnership Board (IMPB) and PHO, Rotorua Area Primary Health Services (RAPHS), have signed a data sharing agreement supporting Te Arawa whānau access to Māori health data and collection.
Enabling autonomy and transparent analysis of Māori health data can assist IMPBs nationally to selfdetermine priorities and monitor health sector performance for enhancing hauora Māori.
Over several months, RAPHS worked in partnership with Te Taura Ora o Waiariki to unravel technical and health system knots that historically prevented secure and specific data sharing. The relationship between RAPHS and Te Taura Ora o Waiariki is enduring. For RAPHS, the agreement reinforces their values of He Ora Whakapiri (Together, we make it better) and the commitment to improve health system outcomes and equity.
“Health data is a taonga, it is whakapapa, holding the genetic journey and experiences of whānau. For RAPHS, the data sharing agreement respects this taonga and is another step toward tino rangatiratanga by enabling data sovereignty for iwi Māori.” – RAPHS CEO, Kirsten Stone
The arrangement empowers Taura Ora o Waiariki to have confidential access to Māori health data that has been compiled and made anonymous. This means personal information such as a person’s name, date of birth, or address won’t be seen and individuals can’t be identified. Data will be
retrieved, analysed, and monitored to inform hauora Māori strategy and outcomes.
“Having access to accurate and timely local data is a game changer for Te Taura Ora o Waiariki. Our agreement with RAPHS will help us to identify and advocate for key changes to policy, service provision, and the funding mechanisms needed to improve quality and access to healthcare for Māori.
Coupled with what whānau are telling us, we can build a clearer picture of where best to concentrate our efforts – having data means we can work smarter” – Te Taura Ora o Waiariki GM, Aroha Dorset