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:
-
A 7-year life expectancy gap compared to non-Māori
-
Higher rates of preventable diseases, including diabetes, cancer, and heart disease
-
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/
Monitoring Report #1
Under Section 30(1) of the Pae Ora Act 2022, Iwi-Māori Partnership Boards (IMPBs) are tasked with monitoring the performance of the health sector within their rohe. These quarterly monitoring reports represent Te Taura Ora o Waiariki’s commitment to that role – ensuring accountability, equity, and tangata whenua perspectives are embedded in the health system.
This first report outlines the foundations of our monitoring approach:
- How we define the health sector in a Waiariki context
- The phased introduction of our monitoring work
- The performance indicators we have selected
- And the results of monitoring for the most recent quarter
These reports are a key tool in our ongoing mahi to strengthen whānau wellbeing, highlight disparities, and guide transformation through a kaupapa Māori lens. As the reporting series continues, we will build on these insights to ensure that the voices of our people are not only heard – but drive real change.
To download the PDF, click on the three dots ⋯ and select “Download PDF File.”
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
Annual Report 2024
This year’s report reflects our dedication to collaborative leadership and our mission to uphold tino rangatiratanga and amplify whānau voices at the decision-making table that has been strengthened through partnerships with Te Whatu Ora – Health New Zealand and through the collective leadership of our Iwi Māori Partnership Boards (IMPBs).
This report captures the progress we have made, milestones achieved the lessons we have learned, and the path forward. This progress strengthens our shared commitment to uplifting the health and wellbeing of Māori in our rohe and ensuring all whānau can access services that reflect their needs and aspirations.
To download the PDF, click on the three dots ⋯ and select “Download PDF File.”
We need a significantly scaled-up Māori health workforce
Lauren James is co-chair of Te Taura Ora o Waiariki IMPB, the legislated Iwi Māori Partnership Board for the Rotorua area.
OPINION: It’s clear that our health system is in crisis, and Māori will feel the impact more than other parts of the population.
Māori experience a stark health disparity, with an average lifespan seven years shorter than non-Māori; face a cardiovascular disease death rate twice as high; see their tamariki suffering a mortality rate one-and-a-half times that of non-Māori children; and are disproportionately diagnosed and die from cancer.
The evidence tells us that high need and Māori sit hand in hand in this country. The current status quo doesn’t work for us; quite the contrary, it kills us!
Iwi Māori Partnership Boards (IMPBs) were stood up as part of the government response to Wai 2575 (Waitangi Tribunal Health Services and Outcomes Inquiry) and the Simpson Report (Health and Disability System Review), to address the glaring disparities that Maori faced in health and wellbeing.
Yet while the intent of the Government for these IMPBs and now disestablished Te Aka Whai Ora (Māori Health Authority) was honourable, the execution was poor. The entities’ efforts have been underfunded, under-resourced, and burdened by unrealistic expectations.
The resourcing for IMPBs felt like little more than tokenism at best, and blatant inequity at worst – yet two years since our establishment, and despite a change in government, we remain standing.
Not only are we still here, but against all odds, IMPBs have created Community Health Plans that reflect our most cherished taonga—the voices of our whānau and locality data.
They are boldly advocating for long-term, evergreen contracts to sustain our backbone of Māori health providers, striving to strike a principled balance between the needs of our people and the demands of government. I believe both can be achieved.
We are flexible, agile, and ready to challenge the system, pushing for bold, innovative solutions that prioritise social value over financial gain.
IMPBs are only a small part of the health system, but like all good things that come in tiny packages, we are dynamic, explosive and already punching well above our weight.
We should be encouraged by what our 15 IMPBs have achieved in record time. Minister Reti set a deadline in July for our plans, and most of them have been delivered. Now we wait for the official response.
Currently our Māori health providers’ contracts have been rolled over to June next year only, experiencing their own budget forecasting uncertainty in the context of a billion-dollar deficit in Te Whatu Ora Health New Zealand.
Advocating for greater investment in Māori health providers is critical, especially when it’s claimed that Māori prefer mainstream providers. How can we speak of choice when only 2% of health funding goes to Māori providers, yet the demand by our people is massive? This minimal investment strips people of genuine choice, leaving them with few alternatives in the care they can access.
Some, like our whaikaha (disabled) whānau, are particularly underserved as seen in the evidence filed in Wai 2575. This is due to the way the system allocates contracts to the huge players who dominate procurement, which perpetuates ongoing inequity.
We need a significantly scaled-up Māori health workforce – our doctors, nurses, midwives, lead maternity carers, allied health professionals, non-clinical staff, and even the cleaners – everyone who serves our communities. We need more of them, and we need them now.
What sets IMPBs apart is our accountability to whānau, hapū, iwi, and communities; we serve them first and foremost. Their voices make it clear: we can’t afford to wait for the system to change, especially when whānau pass away while waiting in emergency departments.
This reality shows us that the system is in crisis. As we’re continually reminded of the health system’s financial struggles, let’s not forget that health should never be about profit; it must be about people and whānau. We recognise that we can’t do this alone, but being comfortable to share safe space together and have honest conversations about what we can all do better is a great place to start.
IMPBs across the country are eager to engage in conversations with all branches of government, from health to housing. We understand that health alone cannot deliver the answers to whānau wellbeing. Let us unite to strengthen whānau, hapū, iwi, and communities together.
Original Article posted on the Sunday StarTimes: https://www.thepost.co.nz/wellbeing/350447368/we-need-significantly-scaled-maori-health-workforce