NZNO cautiously welcomes Whānau Ora report

NZNO cautiously welcomes Whānau Ora report

The New Zealand Nurses Organisation (NZNO) welcomes the holistic approach to community health proposed in the Whānau Ora report, but expresses concern about possible impacts on existing services when funding is shifted.

“Public health, primary health, child health and mental health services are already under some stress. We would welcome clarification about where the funding for Whānau Ora is going to come from.” says NZNO Te Runanga kaiwhakahaere Kerri Nuku.

“We applaud the Whānau Ora taskforce for its work to create a whānau centred approach to community well-being, and towards reducing currently fragmented services, but we are aware that one of the biggest barriers to health outcomes in Māori communities is inequity within the Māori and iwi health workforce itself.”

Health professionals currently working in Māori and iwi primary health care services are paid, on average, 25 percent less than their colleagues in District Health Boards. Te Rau Kōkiri is the joint campaign between NZNO and 60 Māori and iwi primary health care employers aiming to address the pay inequities. Additional funding is needed to achieve this.

“NZNO hopes that Whānau Ora will address these pay equity issues; otherwise our highly prized and overworked “Māori for Māori” primary health care workforce will continue to be a limited resource, and new initiatives will continue to struggle. Inequalities in the health sector are a barrier to reducing inequalities for whānau, hapu and iwi.” says Kerri Nuku.

NZNO is pleased to see that the concepts of wellness, health and resilience underlie the Whānau ora programme and hopes also to see stable and transparent implementation and ongoing evaluation.

ENDS

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