Kōrero with Aroha Dorset the General Manager of Te Taura Ora o Waiariki - Te Arawa IMPB
Aroha Dorset, General Manager of Te Taura Ora o Waiariki – Te Arawa IMPB, recently joined the kōrero to discuss the newly launched Whānau Voice Grant. She shared valuable insights into how this kaupapa will empower whānau-led projects, uplift local voices, and enhance hauora throughout our Te Arawa communities.
Applications are now open — click here to learn more. Applications close November 27.
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
Social Return on Investment (SROI)
According to Social Value International, social value is about understanding the importance that people place on changes to their wellbeing and using the insights gained to make better decisions. Social value takes into account both financial and non-financial measures to assess the impacts that a set of activities has on people and community. By accounting for a broader sense of value beyond financial returns alone, entities can make better decisions for people and the planet.
In April of this year our General Manager and Executive Officer attended a 2 day training with Social Value Aotearoa to better understand the principles of social return on investment (SROI) and gain international knowledge of best practices of social value measurement and management.
In our role as Iwi-Māori Partnership Boards (IMPBs) we have legislated responsibilities that include monitoring the health system and then influencing the commissioning cycle locally to ensure service delivery within our rohe is fit for purpose. SROI training supports this function of IMPB’s by giving us a broader lens by which we can view service provision and enables us to calculate the wider social impacts these services and service providers have for our people and our community.
