E Tipu E Rea Whānau Services echoes the calls of Māori health leaders and researchers this week for a more cross
sectoral approach to healthcare for best outcomes for Māori.
E Tipu e Rea celebrated the announcement of health reforms six months ago with high hopes for The Maori Health
Authority, now named Te Aka Whai Ora. As an organisation we still remain very supportive of the move; however, due to
the nature of our mahi, where we work both in the health and the social service sectors, and with the whanau who
navigate these systems, we don’t believe the changes in the health sector are the full and complete answer to reducing
inequalities.
This month alone we have seen the young whānau we work with struggle more than usual with access to GP services,
childhood immunisations and midwifery services but alongside this they have also struggled with access to housing, food
and other living costs which has had a direct affect on their health. The way that health services and social services
go hand in hand means that one affects the other and vice versa. So without wider systemic change across sectors we are
going to continue to see negative health outcomes for whānau Māori.
"A cross-sector response that does not just lay in the responsibility of Health needs to occur, our whānau do not
operate in silos, they are across sectors, and each sector can either open doors to hauora or close them. Support
systems in health and social services need to communicate daily, and operate closely to be an ecosystem that works to
reduce inequalities" says CEO Zoe Hawke.