Hauora Māori: Aspirations of Māori Health Practitioners for a Culturally Relevant Health System
Date
Authors
Kidd, Jacquie
Tipa, Zoe
Arnet, Hayley
Rēnata, Haidee
Supervisor
Item type
Journal Article
Degree name
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Auckland University of Technology (AUT) Library
Abstract
Health care in Aotearoa New Zealand privileges the Western worldview. Consequently, institutional racism is a health system attribute demonstrated by prolonged health inequities, including life expectancy, between Māori and non-Māori. The Crown has breached Te Tiriti o Waitangi, an enduring agreement between Māori and the Crown, by failing to design and deliver health services adequately for Māori, and failing to provide opportunities for Māori sovereignty. Māori experts have articulated the need to surpass equity and achieve Māori aspirations. This qualitative kaupapa Māori research explored Indigenous aspirations for health system transformation, specifically in an environment free of racism. Three online wānanga with Māori health practitioners highlighted the difficulty of describing aspirations when mamae (hurt) continues to be felt in the existing system. By capturing these experiences, we mapped differences between the current system and Māori aspirations for Hauora Māori - a construct where whānau health care and support for wellbeing is indistinguishable from everyday life. The biggest barriers identified in moving towards this approach are Crown resistance to prioritising Māori aspirations for hauora, and the expectation that aspirations should fit within current structures. To achieve hauora Māori, we need changes to funding allocations, prioritising hapū-based commissioning, and improved monitoring and accountability.Description
Keywords
4203 Health Services and Systems, 42 Health Sciences, Health Services, Minority Health, Behavioral and Social Science, Health Disparities and Racial or Ethnic Minority Health Research, Health Disparities, Clinical Research, Generic health relevance, 3 Good Health and Well Being, primary health, whānau, oranga, Tiriti o Waitangi, racism, rangatiratanga, wairua, oranga hauora
Source
Ethnographic Edge, 8(1), pp. 57-76. ISSN: 2537-7426 (Print); 2537-7426 (Online), Auckland University of Technology (AUT) Library. doi: 10.24135/ee.v8i1.294
Publisher's version
Rights statement
Copyright (c) 2025 Jacquie Kidd, Zoe Tipa, Hayley Arnet, Haidee Rēnata. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.