Ngā Kaihāpai
Ngā pou oranga: Our Māori Responsiveness Strategy 2020-2023
Habit Health is committed to partnering with Māori so that together we can achieve better health outcomes for Māori.
The Habit Health team acknowledges the health inequities experienced by Māori relative to non-Māori, and we also recognise that those inequities are a result of a health system which has (and continues to) marginalise Māori.
Habit Health is in a unique position to support people in our communities who may be struggling to get help with injuries, returning to work, managing pain or regaining independence. However, we acknowledge that we have largely failed in our previous efforts to effectively support Māori communities. In order to rectify this, we must first reflect on our shortcomings, and then undertake a journey alongside Māori to better equip ourselves to become better partners to Māori under Te Tiriti.
Our Māori Responsiveness Strategy was co-developed in 2020 through internal and external interviews, literature reviews, and wānanga. These voices have informed the MRS strategy, our 2020-2023 organisational commitments, and recommendations post-2024.
The name for our Māori Responsiveness Strategy – Ngā Pou Oranga – was gifted to Habit Health by Te Aorere Pewhairangi in 2022. Te Aorere Pewhairangi is a product of kōhanga reo, kura kaupapa and whare kura, and holds a Masters degree in Tikanga Māori and Te Reo Māori from Waikato University.
We will work with our Māori partners to review the implementation of our Māori Responsiveness Strategy, make refinements where required and co-develop the way forward to ensure ongoing delivery of our strategic objectives.
Our vision is to improve health equity and access for Māori, by being recognised as a fully integrated and culturally progressive health provider - the ‘go to’ organisation for patients and staff.
Three pou: our strategic pillars
This pou describes grounding people in a fundamental understanding of Māori in Aotearoa, including both the historical context and tikanga Māori in practice. Our people confidently use and adapt our skills to address health inequities.
We must address the inequities caused by a health system underpinned by systemic racism, through continuous learning and tailored service delivery. Māori feel listened to and safe with us. We will ask why, how, and what we can do to help.
To be successful in solving the problems confronting us, we must work in partnership. We are committed to growing authentic, high-trust relationships with iwi / Māori, and Māori health providers to share the load moving forward.
Ngā Kaihāpai – Māori Health Team
Habit Health is committed to improving equity in healthcare. As a provider of holistic health, we know that people are different – and those differences can come from a million different places. In New Zealand, we recognise the value to our clients in adapting a service to them. We do this for clients every day. Ngā Kaihāpai is our Māori for Māori Health Team, established to provide altogether better health for Māori.
Our commitment
Habit Health acknowledges that Māori have been (and continue to be) poorly served by the health system. In this context, we also recognise that our role and ability to enhance the support for Māori must be defined by Māori. Whilst our efforts to achieve this have fallen short in the past, we are committed to remedying this over the long-term by upholding the kōrero shared with us by Māori during our engagement and in future partnerships.
In order to be successful in delivering on our objectives, we must uplift our internal cultural capability, adapt our practices to better meet Māori needs and authentically partner with Māori in the communities in which we operate. Not only will delivery on our objectives enable us to better meet the needs of our Māori clients, it will allow us to become a more responsive (and therefore more attractive) employer of Māori.
Our full Māori Responsiveness Strategy document outlines our mahi so far, and our intended journey in the coming years. We will be guided by our pou, objectives and stated commitments. This document also lays the foundation for future steps (2024 and beyond), to be further developed by Habit Health in partnership with Māori.
