The Government has signalled the start of New Zealand's health reforms, with the first allocation of funding given to the Māori Health Authority to enable it to begin funding services that include traditional Māori practices.
The bold move will also officially end decades of district health boards with the creation of Health New Zealand.
The Māori Health Authority will co-commission alongside the Crown's new organisation Health New Zealand, but some of the details still have to be ironed out before they're both launched.
"We're working together on activities, a lot of that will become clearer on July 1 and decisions we take both in this Budget and following Budgets," says Health Minister Andrew Little.
Budget 2021 allocated $242.8 million for the Māori health sector. Health New Zealand has an operating budget of $20 billion but it has to bring together the country's 20 district health boards.
The Government's allocation of $22 million on Tuesday directly to Māori health providers includes $3 million for mātauranga Māori initiatives, $5 million to support kaupapa Māori to population health, and $2 million to expand existing rongoā services.
"The Government is finally ready to commit to providing rongoā Māori and mātauranga Māori health services in the way that Māori have been asking for," says Dr Erena Wikaire, kaupapa Māori researcher.
Rongoā Māori is a holistic approach that includes spiritual healing, physical therapy such as traditional massage, and herbal remedies.
"This is a global phenomenon here in our country which is a great thing about nation-building … and heading towards a better Aotearoa," says John Tamihere, CEO of Te Whānau o Waipareira and Whānau Ora.
Tamihere says the kaupapa Māori system has worked for the whole community during the pandemic, pointing out 80 percent of their clients are non-Māori.
"The respect that has been built between the communities just over the pandemic for the Māori contribution, to the war effort so to speak, bit like the 28th Māori battalion, means a lot to the community," he says.
Rob Campbell, the chairperson of Health New Zealand, is looking forward to Māori treating themselves.
"We don't intend that the health service be pākehā centric, that the services become increasingly whānau centric," he says.
The finer details are due out in July.
