All 15 Iwi Māori Partnership Boards pushing back
Waatea News Radio Interview
All 15 Iwi Māori Partnership Boards are meeting in Taranaki today to push back against the government’s proposed changes to the Healthy Futures (Pae Ora) Amendment Bill.
Original Source: https://waateanews.com/2025/08/07/mitchell-ritai-te-punanga-ora-impb/
IMPBs uniting against Pae Ora amendments in bid to protect Māori voice
Leaders from all 15 iwi Māori partnership boards are in New Plymouth to present a united front against the Government’s proposed changes to the Pae Ora (Healthy Futures) Act 2022.
Speaking to media attending the hui this morning, Tūwharetoa IMPB chair Louisa Wall says the Government’s actions are “appalling”.
“We had a stunning relationship with our first minister, Peeni Henare, and then a stunning relationship with our second minister, Dr Shane Reti,” Ms Wall says.
“This minister hasn’t even met with us, so it’s appalling behaviour for our partners in the system who say they put patients first.”
But, given boards are now incorporated societies or charitable entities, she says they will continue pushing for system changes within their role regardless of any new legislation: “None of that will change, but it’s easier if we have a formal relationship.”
“This move silences our voices and severs a critical connection”
Proposed changes to act
The amendment bill, which will also change the act’s name to Healthy Futures (Pae Ora), takes away current board functions relating to business planning, service design and service monitoring, and replaces them with the single task of collecting the “whānau voice” on healthcare priorities.
This feedback will then be passed to the Hauora Māori Advisory Committee which will inform the new board of Health New Zealand Te Whatu Ora.
The amendments are also likely to include the creation of new IMPBs for Tūhoe and the Chatham Islands.
Critical connection severed
In a media release, Hiria Te Paki, chair of hosting Taranaki IMPB, Te Punanga Ora, says the amendments reduce boards from active partners to passive recipients and undermine long-standing partnerships: “Telling us after the fact is not consistent with Te Tiriti o Waitangi.
“This move silences our voices and severs a critical connection between Māori communities and the health system,” says Mr Te Paki.
“Māori are still dying, on average, seven years younger than non-Māori. Diluting our leadership and input will only deepen these inequities.”
Ms Wall, a former Labour Party MP, says the dilution of the IMPB role undermines the health system and shows achieving equity is no longer a priority: “(The Government), I guess, will put (the health system) back to first come, first serve. Whoever knows the system is going to be able to access the services…”
Parliamentary debate kicks off
The amendment bill was presented to Parliament for its first reading by health minister Simeon Brown on 22 July.
In the Hansard report of the debate Mr Brown, when presenting the bill, says the changes bring “greater focus” to the role of IMPBs, while HMAC, which is made up of members appointed by the minister who work part-time and meet monthly, will have “a clear statutory function”.
In response, Labour Party health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall says the changes are ideological and will cause “a terrible loss of Māori voice, and our health system will be worse for it”.
Te Pāti Māori co-leader Debbie Ngarewa-Packer stood “in fierce opposition to this ridiculous bill” which she says goes against the advice of healthcare experts.
“I can’t wait to get the opportunity in government in 2026 to repeal this bill fast as we can.”
National MPs defend bill
After National Party MP and health select committee chair Sam Uffindell called Ms Ngarewa-Packer’s speech “the worst I’ve ever heard in the House” his colleague, specialist GP Vanessa Weenink, attacked the previous Labour Government’s reforms as an “omnishambles” that disrupted decision-making and communication: “No one has had either the authority, or, frankly, temerity to make any decisions, and the responsibility for the consequences of that have been opaque as well.”
The bill has been sent to Parliament’s health committee for public submissions and is scheduled to be reported back to the house by 24 November.
The National Iwi Māori Partnership Board Hui Tahi is being held in New Plymouth’s Devon Hotel from 7 –8 August.
Article by: Alan Perrott
Original Source: https://www.nzdoctor.co.nz/article/news/impbs-uniting-against-pae-ora-amendments-bid-protect-maori-voice?check_logged_in=1
Iwi leaders unified in opposition against Pae Ora (Healthy Futures) Bill changes
Māori leaders have come together in Taranaki to oppose proposed changes to the Pae Ora (Healthy Futures) Bill, which they say will undermine their role in the health system and threaten hard-won gains in Māori health equity. Lineni Tuitupou was there.
Original Source: https://www.facebook.com/watch/?mibextid=wwXIfr&v=1926571778183675&rdid=5UCyfaiXo9YTCpqD
Te Taura Ora Defends Māori Voice in Health Reforms
Te Taura Ora o Waiariki joined all 15 Iwi Māori Partnership Boards (IMPBs) this week at a historic hui hosted by Te Punanga Ora in New Plymouth, Taranaki. The gathering brought together representatives of around 914,400 Māori across Aotearoa to respond to proposed reforms under the Pae Ora (Healthy Futures) Act, which would significantly reduce the statutory role of IMPBs in the health system.
The proposed changes would remove the boards’ monitoring powers, a critical function that ensures health services are accountable to Māori communities and responsive to local needs. Te Taura Ora o Waiariki Chair, Hingatu Thompson, emphasised the importance of iwi-led engagement and local influence.
“The opportunity of the IMPB is to make a difference in hauora, and that will be minimised by the Crown if they stop opportunities to engage. We want to work locally because that is where we can make a difference for our people, for Te Arawa, and for Māori within our rohe,” he said.
Hingatu also warned against how the government is reducing Māori engagement. “Streamlining, I believe, is a convenient word to reduce engagement in Māori. The government says the changes won’t have much impact on Māori outcomes, but the system is only now starting to show results. We’re starting to engage locally, starting to work more with Health NZ leadership, and that is where we can make a real difference.”
Fellow Board member, Lauren James facilitated a panel kōrero, opening with a vision for the future.
“As Māori, we’ve been talking about the devolution of health services for decades. It’s time we got serious and started demanding it now. We don’t just want services delivered to our communities because we can deliver them better ourselves, with better outcomes for our people. Devolution has to be a priority, across public, private, and philanthropic sectors,” she said.
Reflecting on the role of Te Arawa and the wider iwi network, Hingatu said: “As we analyse and monitor what the sector is doing for Māori, it’s clear it hasn’t been performing well, something we’ve known for years. But the mana has returned to Te Arawa, allowing us to form our own views, interpret the data ourselves, and gather our own information.”
He opposed the Pae Ora Bill, saying, “The changes the government is proposing would actually remove iwi from having a say in how hauora is shaped. Locally and regionally, it’s essential that iwi have the space to provide our own input.”
The two-day hui included a pōwhiri, keynote addresses from a representative of the Hauora Iwi Leaders Group from the National Iwi Chairs, workshops, panel discussions, and strategy sessions. The collective affirmed their commitment to upholding tino rangatiratanga as guaranteed under Article Two of Te Tiriti o Waitangi.
Te Taura Ora o Waiariki, alongside fellow IMPBs, remain steadfast in protecting Māori leadership and accountability in the health system, advocating for local voices to be at the centre of decisions that affect Māori whānau and communities.
Media Liaison: Sarah Sparks Email: Sarah.sparks@sparksconsulting.co.nz Mobile: 021318813
Te Pākira Hauora Clinic
In early 2025, Te Pākira hosted its very first hauora clinic, supported by Te Rūnanga o Ngāti Pikiao, and the response from whānau was incredible.
Māori health front and centre from cancers to overall hauora
Waatea News Radio Interview
Rawiri Bhana is a strategic leader with Te Taura Ora o Waiariki, bringing deep expertise in Māori governance, tikanga, and land development to advance iwi aspirations across the Te Arawa rohe. As Aotearoa faces deepening health inequalities and the ongoing fallout from the disestablishment of the Māori Health Authority (Te Aka Whai Ora), Māori-led health solutions are proving to be not just necessary-but transformative. Grounded in whakapapa, wairua, and whānau-centred care, iwi, hapū, and Māori providers across the motu are building a parallel system of care designed by Māori, for Māori.
Despite decades of health reform, Māori continue to experience:
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A 7-year life expectancy gap compared to non-Māori
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Higher rates of preventable diseases, including diabetes, cancer, and heart disease
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Barriers to accessing care, including institutional racism, cost, and cultural disconnection
These disparities have led to a rising demand for Māori-led responses that prioritise mana motuhake-self-determination-and reflect a holistic view of health grounded in te ao Māori.
Original Article Source: https://waateanews.com/2025/07/08/ata-tu-rawiri-bhana/
Waiariki Iwi Māori Partnership Board calls for action on low cancer screening rates
Just under 60% of Māori women in Waiariki are up to date on breast and cervical cancer screenings. Photo / Getty Images
Waiariki whānau will be “dying needlessly” if breast and cervical cancer screening rates do not improve, the local Iwi Māori Partnership Board (IMPB) says.
Te Taura Ora o Waiariki is concerned about the “very low” screening rates, with data showing less than 60% of Māori wāhine in the Te Whatu Ora Lakes region were up to date last year.
The IMPB has issued the first of its quarterly monitoring reports on the performance of Te Whatu Ora Health New Zealand.
Under the Pae Ora Act 2022, IMPBs are tasked with monitoring the performance of the health sector within their rohe.
The report showed 58% of Māori wāhine were up to date with cervical screens and 55.9% with breast screens for the quarter ending in September 2024.
For the following quarter, the figures increased to 59.9% and 56.8% respectively.
Te Taura Ora o Waiariki chairman Hingatu Thompson called on more investment in hauora providers to raise awareness and “help people get there”.
“Providers proved they can reach our whānau during Covid with the high rates of testing and vaccination. Given the resource, they can make a massive impact on cancer screening rates.”
Thompson said the board’s focus was improving cancer screening and child immunisation rates, “as those two services save lives”.
“We will do whatever it takes to encourage Health NZ to use our local experienced providers to help close those gaps.
“That will make a huge difference to our community.”
Te Taura Ora o Waiariki member Rutu Maxwell-Swinton said the “real worry” of the report was “very low” cancer screening rates.
Waiariki IMPB members (from left) Rutu Maxwell-Swinton, John Porima, Deputy Chair Jenny Kaka-Scott, Rāwiri Bhana, Te Rau Aroha Morgan, Chairman Hingatu Thompson, and Lauren James.
“Unless we can get potential cancers detected earlier, we are going to have whānau dying needlessly from undetected cancers,” she said.
Maxwell-Swinton also highlighted low child immunisation rates in the Lakes region, with only 55.9% of eligible Māori children aged 24 months having received their childhood immunisations at the end of December.
This compared with 76.1% of European children.
“This is another area where Māori providers, hapū and iwi can have an impact if given the resourcing to bridge the equity gaps, as clearly the mainstream system isn’t working well.”
Te Arawa Whānau Ora Kaiaukaha-ā-Matariki Oro Tuawhenua co-ordinator Yvonne Rogers said the screening data was “disappointing because we know screening saves lives”.
Her work involved increasing participation in screening through promotion, prevention, and ensuring accessibility to screening programmes and services if people were diagnosed, she said.
“We know that a lot of our wāhine and tāne present too late.”
Rogers said distrust within the health system and “fear of knowing” were among reasons for lower screening rates for wāhine Māori.
“For me and for our organisation, it’s about demystifying those myths … people don’t have to die from diseases like that if they’re caught early enough.”
She encouraged wāhine to screen early and to seek medical support if they noticed changes within their bodies.
Health NZ director of prevention, Alana Ewe-Snow, said its new national breast-screening system, Te Puna, would increase coverage for all population groups over time.
The rollout of Te Puna was completed last month and women were now automatically identified when they became eligible and invited to book a mammogram, changing “from an opt-in to an opt-out model”.
Ewe-Snow said a review of BreastScreen Aotearoa made 26 recommendations, focused on improving access, support and experiences for wāhine Māori and Pacific women, and disabled women.
Initiatives to improve screening coverage were under way in partnership with Hauora Māori partners, communities and whānau, she said.
This included the National Telehealth Service Whakarongorau Aotearoa trialling of their whakawhanaungatanga (relationship building) approach, supporting a breast screening provider.
This involved follow-up calls to wāhine Māori and Pacific women who had not replied to screening invitations or who had missed a mammogram appointment.
BreastScreen Aotearoa was delivering a national campaign to promote the importance of getting two-yearly mammograms. It aimed to increase breast screening rates for wāhine Māori and targeting regions where screening was lowest.
Ewe-Snow said the national cervical screening programme continued to prioritise improvement in screening levels for Māori and other priority groups by expanding the human papillomavirus (HPV) primary screening workforce to include non-clinical staff.
She said this would support screening capacity and enable more community health providers to offer screening. This helped to reduce access barriers for those who may not be enrolled in general practices.
It also continued to fund screening support services to support wāhine Māori who experienced accessibility barriers. The services were focused on areas with lower cervical screening coverage.
Ewe-Snow said a self-test HPV option was implemented in September 2023. Evidence suggested this was a “more culturally acceptable test” for wāhine Māori, enabling them to better participate in the programme.
Article by Megan Wilson (Rotorua Daily Post)
Original Article Source: https://www.nzherald.co.nz/rotorua-daily-post/news/waiariki-iwi-maori-partnership-board-calls-for-action-on-low-cancer-screening-rates/EKAKBG3YQFDKXN52ZEDMNDRYNE/
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
Our Submission to the Draft Rotorua Local Alcohol Policy 2025
We recently submitted feedback to the Rotorua Lakes Council on the Draft Local Alcohol Policy 2025. Our submission, reflects our ongoing commitment to whānau wellbeing and harm reduction. We support evidence-based measures that prioritise community safety, limit alcohol-related harm, and uphold the mana of our people and places. See our submission below: