A landmark partnership between iwi and Māori health providers Te Hau Ora o Ngāpuhi, Te Taiwhenua o Heretaunga, Te Arawa
Lakes Trust and Whakarongorau Aotearoa // New Zealand Telehealth Services marks the next stage of designing and
delivering equitable health outcomes for priority communities.
The joint venture, called Taki-o-Autahi, will be signed by the chiefs of each organisation at a ceremony held at the
Waitangi Treaty Grounds at 9.30am on Friday 12 August. Parliamentary representatives, regional and sector leaders and
kaimahi from each organisation will be in attendance.
Taki-o-Autahi builds on the success of the relationships established by the four organisations over 2021 which has seen
the creation of ˜300 jobs, improved health outcomes for Māori and an injection of more than $15 Million into underserved
regional economies.
Importantly, for the 12 months ending 31 July 2022, the connection with Māori through dedicated service lines saw
kaimahi Māori from the four organisations answer ˜46,000 contacts and make ˜274,000 outbound calls to tangata whaiora
who had questions or vaccine hesitancy, which resulted in vaccine bookings 53% of the time.
The inauguration of the joint venture, using the Limited Partner Act, acknowledges the full and equal partnership
between the four organisations in their common vision of improving health outcomes for priority populations.
Te Hau Ora o Ngāpuhi CEO Tia Ashby says her organisation’s decision to formalise the partnership came down to the
success shown to date in this by Māori for Māori approach, delivered with a health partner that is fully committed to
addressing equity issues through the provision of equitable telehealth services.
“Our partnership can be described through the whakatauki He ao ka tui, he ao ka whatu, ka renarena A world is weaved, a
world is sowed, and both are fastened as one.
“Tui and whatu mean 'to weave/sew' and ao translates to 'world'. Renarena is to tighten or fasten a piece of thread. In
essence, this whakatauki speaks about the partnership between the iwi-affiliate and Māori providers and Whakarongorau
that were formed in a time of need and required high trust to be successful. The willingness of all parties to come
together and collaborate with one goal in mind, supporting the hauora of Māori, communities and Aotearoa as a whole
speaks to its strength.
“A pandemic sewed this partnership together but it has shown many social, health and material benefits. This is a
tremendous opportunity and the economic outcomes we need for underserved communities like Kaikohe,” says Ms Ashby.
Te Hau Ora o Ngāpuhi has 115 kaimahi and is now one of the biggest employers in Kaikohe, with 90% of its new recruits
never having been in employment before.
Te Taiwhenua o Heretaunga CEO Waylyn Tahuri-Whaipakanga says the decision to formalise the partnership was made due to
the trust and confidence built between all four entities who share common goals and values.
“Taki-o-Autahi shares our organisational values of kaitiakitanga, whakamana, kotahitanga and whanaungatanga. These
underpin the mahi we have been doing with our people for the last 35 years.
“Te Taiwhenua o Heretaunga already has a successful suite of social and health services, but we see the value in coming
together with likeminded organisations – each with different skills and knowledge to share – enabling us to extend our
mahi.
“We all have the same goal of improving health outcomes for tangata whaiora. So far, the work has created 67 jobs in our
organisation. This has had an exponential impact on the financial, spiritual, mental and physical wellbeing for the
individuals employed, and their whānau.
“I’ve seen kaimahi grow in self-belief. They’re able to take their increased hauora knowledge back to their whānau. Some
of our kaimahi report that they are now saving for their first home, and others have elected to enrol in further
education as a result of their work.
“At a macro level, the future social and economic benefits of the partnership can extend from kaimahi, iwi and the
partnership, to benefit social health determinants for Aotearoa,” says Ms Tahuri-Whaipakanga.
“‘He manu korokī, he manu whakaokorau’ is a statement that demonstrates we are here listening to the needs of our
people, including those we are employing,” says Te Arawa Lakes Trust CEO Karen Vercoe MNZM. E whakaaturia ana e He manu
korokī, he manu whakaokorau” i te kōrero nui kei te whakarongo kau mātou i ngā hiahia o a mātou uri, ka mutu, te hunga
mahi nei,” te kōrero a Vercoe.
Ms Vercoe continues that flexible hours and being able to work from home are a good fit for her staff. Hei tā te Tumu
Whakarae o Te Arawa Rotomoana, tā Karen Vercoe MNZM, nā te pīngore o ngā haora mahi me te mahi mai i te kāinga tētahi
mea whakaratarata i ōna uri.
“We set up the Waea Mai Call Centre in the midst of a lockdown. We employed a team of 80 kaimahi that is 100% Māori.
This is a by Māori for Māori initiative, and it’s a success. I whakatūria a Waea Mai i waenga tonu i tētahi o ngā
rāhui-nui. I hoatu mahi ki tētahi 80 hungamahi, ā, he Māori te katoa. I konei te toa nui, nātemea anō, nā te Māori, mā
te Māori tēnei kaupapa.
“We pay the advisors at least a living wage, and this means they can look ahead and start to plan for the future. The
flexible work means kaimahi can fit the mahi around their tamariki, mokopuna and whānau commitments. Ka utua rawatia ngā
pou-ārahi ki te utu ora, nā konā te whakarite mai mō ngā rā kei tua. Kei ngā haora pīngore te ahunga kia whai waahi atu
ngā hungamahi kia tutuki ai ā rātou kaupapa mō te whānau me ngā tamariki mokopuna.
“Being able to have a friendly person on the other end of the phone to support our people and being able to work for an
organisation that values their contribution is both beneficial for the advisor and for the person calling. The
improvement in the hauora of our kaimahi and the effect it has on whānau and the wider community cannot be
underestimated. He hua nui ki ngā hunga e rua te mahi kōrerorero ki tētahi reo manaaki, arā anō te tautoko tētahi ki
tētahi, me te mahi mā tētahi ratonga e rārata ana ki tēnei mahi, meinga rā, ki te pou-ārahi me te tangata e waea ana. Nā
te pikinga o te hauora ki o mātou hungamahi, te pānga nui ki ngā whānau me te hapori – me kaua kē e kaupare noa.
“We’re pleased to be part of Taki-o-Autahi, an exemplary equity-based partnership to serve our people and develop our
staff,” says Ms Vercoe. E tū whakahī nei i te piringa ki a Taki o Autahi, ka mutu, te tauira nui o te mahi tahi hei
oranga tātou me te whanake mai o ngā hungamahi,” te kōrero a Vercoe.
Whakarongoaru Aotearoa // New Zealand Telehealth Services CEO Andrew Slater says Taki-o-Autahi is of fundamental
importance to the organisation’s remit e whakawhiwhi ana ki te katoa I Aoteararoa te huarahi kia ora to give everyone in
Aotearoa the opportunity for wellness.
“We have been on a journey with Te Hau Ora O Ngāpuhi, Te Taiwhenua o Heretaunga and Te Arawa Lakes Trust to reach some
of Aotearoa’s most underserved communities. I can only describe this work as transformative.
“It has shown that when our respective skills and resources are truly, equitably and fairly shared, the health and
wellbeing of individuals and whole communities benefit.
“To have the trust of these three iwi and Māori-led organisations is a privilege and we will continue to strive to earn
it.
“I also acknowledge the courage of our funders, who have worked with us and supported us in creating this response and
enabling us to work alongside iwi and Maori-led providers to deliver this mahi.
“I asked three of our kaimahi Māori what this mahi means to them. They said: ‘Whakarongorau allows or embraces iwi Māori
as the paramount core of hauora and understands Māori work better with and alongside Māori; ‘It has created new
opportunities and skills opening for others in the whānau’; ‘Whakarongorau effectively developing Māori for Māori with
the whakatau leading each whare, living under Te Tiriti o Waitangi ka pai.’
“We are pleased to formalise the relationship with this Taki-o-Autahi and look forward to working alongside our partners
as we continue to build work capability and an environment that normalises positive hauora, education and career growth
for tangata whaiora throughout Aotearoa.
“There is a real opportunity here to scale up; to work pokohiwi ki pokohiwi, supporting the capability of other
organisations to deliver broader health outcomes and social benefits. We hope that over time more iwi will consider
joining this venture,” says Mr Slater.