A new treaty was signed at Waitangi on Friday - this one a partnership between Māori groups looking for better healthcare.
The idea is to make healthcare more easily available to vulnerable communities.
It's the first of its kind, an agreement where telephone health services are provided by Māori for Māori.
"We had our Māori talking to Māori, we were three times more likely see that whānau would book and turn up for their vaccinations appointment and so what we are really interested now in how we can bring in other clinical specialties in our iwi contact centres," said NZ Telehealth Services CEO Andrew Slater.
And for one of those providers - Te Hau Ora o Ngāpuhi - it's been beneficial in more ways than one. They're now one of the biggest employers in Kaikohe.
"A hundred FTE into the regions, a hundred FTE's isn't just a hundred individuals, it's lifting a hundred households," said Te Hau Ora o Ngāpuhi CEO Tia Ashby.
Throughout the COVID pandemic, Whakarongorau NZ Telehealth Services worked with iwi-affiliates and Māori partners, establishing call centres in Hastings, Rotorua and Kaikohe.
But today they formalised that venture.
"Without our partnership here we wouldn't have been able to deliver to New Zealanders nor to Māori like we have throughout COVID as part of our health response. So this kaupapa is absolutely critical and I am so excited to see today to knit it together to live far beyond COVID," Slater said.
And it's got the full support of the Māori Health Authority.
"See from the work that's been done so far gives us confidence that this is a good way of moving forward," said Māori Health Authority Chief Medical Officer Rawiri Jensen.
It's the first co-governance model for NZ Telehealth Services using the Limited Partner Act enabling four chief executive officers to collaborate and drive equitable health outcomes for vulnerable whanau.
It's hoped in the future the services will go beyond non-clinical services and offer clinical medics on-site.
