Taitokerau Rautaki Hauora / Northland Health Strategy 2040

The dreams and aspirations of our communities and whānau are central to this strategy. Through extensive engagement across Tai Tokerau, we have listened to communities, Whānau, Hapū, Iwi, Ngāi Māori and health workers. 

The engagement not only identified the issues that need addressing, it also made it clear that navigating the changing health landscape needs to involve everyone. To ensure our Strategy focuses on wellbeing, we have placed Oranga at the heart. Our actions pivot towards a strength-based approach, providing an environment for aspirations of all people to be nurtured and to grow. 

       “Entrench a Te Tiriti focus into
         our decision-making and our
        environment (equity, resource,
        rangatiratanga), as we are the
       region who are the kaitiaki of
                Te Tiriti o Waitangi.”

 Our Vision   

Our vision for Te Tai Tokerau is:

• people live longer in good health
• have improved quality of life
• and there is equity between all groups.

This vision aligns with the direction of the nation’s new health system that will achieve pae ora / healthy futures for all.

Achievement of this will be measured by the ability of tamariki born today to access and achieve equitable health outcomes as adults in 2040. 2040 is significant as it also represents the two hundredth anniversary of Te Tiriti o Waitangi.

Click image for a readable version.

 Waka Hourua 

To ensure kaupapa Māori informs and guides the Strategy and
reflects the uniqueness of Te Tai Tokerau, we have used the Waka
Hourua metaphor, which reflects the voyage of
Kupe and the many waka that reached Te Tai Tokerau.

It implies keeping traditional Māori stories relatable to today’s
context, celebrating intergenerational wisdom, and emphasising
holistic wellbeing that is of high importance to indigenous wellbeing
and cultural identity. All the while, we need to keep our aspirations
in focus, constantly self-review and monitor progress.

 Guiding Principles 

Prior to the signing of Te Tiriti o Waitangi, He Whakaputanga o te Rangatira o Nu Tireni was drawn up. Alongside Te Tiriti o Waitangi, Whakaputanga is a constitutional document of special significance to the people of Te Tai Tokerau and should be remembered, acknowledged, contemplated and considered. 

Te Tiriti o Waitangi is our primary method of assessment for Strategy alignment. To ensure the goals and associated actions are aligned with Te Tiriti, we assessed alignment based on: 

• The three written Tiriti articles and the fourth oral article, wairuatanga. 
• Whakamaua, the Ministry of Health’s Māori Health Action Plan. 

Te Tiriti applies to everyone in Aotearoa. “It is a bill of rights for Pākehā too … the Treaty that gives Pākehā the right to be here … The Pākehā are Tangata Tiriti, those who belong to the land by right of that Treaty.” In a strategic sense, it provides an all-encompassing framework for addressing all health-related issues. (Sir Eddie Durie, Waitangi Day 1989). 

 Research and Intelligence

The Compelling Case for Change describes high-level data relevant to Northland that identifies key equity, social, economic and health factors that explain and justify the need for change.

An overview of the Northland Population Health Status covering demographic composition, life expectancy at birth, most common causes of mortality, smoking prevalence, diabetes and what each day in Northland looks like.

• Compelling Case for Change 

 What you told us

Before the Strategy was written there was extensive engagement across 8 community and 5 clinical hui, as well as a leadership hui that brought together leaders from across the health and social sectors.  The map shows where and when the hui took place, and the Insights document summarises what the community and health workers said.  

The Māori Health Priorities report preceded the Strategy and was compiled by Te Poutokomanawa, Northland DHB’s Māori Health Directorate, as a result of extensive engagement with Māori across Te Tai Tokerau. Its content mirrors what we were told during the Strategy process. 

• Stakeholder Engagement Map
• Northland Health Strategy Insights
• Te Taitokerau Māori Health Priorities, A Summary Report

 Frameworks and the Future State

During the engagement process participants developed the Future State 2040, a statement of what the health system will look like by that date, as a vision to work towards.  The Future State guided us when we were developing the nine themes and actions that form the core of the Strategy.

To make sure the Future State was relevant and comprehensive, we checked it against several key frameworks that guide work in the health sector:

• Future State
• Frameworks
• Enablers Cross-check
  
  

 Some useful links

• Northland Health Strategy Infographic
• National Health & Disability Review – Interim Report
• Deprivation in the Northland Region
• Health Quality and Safety Commission’s Atlas of Healthcare Variation
• The population of Northland (Ministry of Health)
• NZ Health and Disability Review
• Whānau Ora, Te Puni Kokiri’s approach to improving whānau wellbeing that puts whānau at the centre of decision making.
• Whakamaua, the Māori Health Action Plan
• Treasury Wellbeing Framework

 Contact Us