The Whanganui District Health Board remains committed to the principles of the Treaty of Waitangi as defined within the New Zealand Public Health and Disability Act 2000, and has a responsibility to recognise and respect the principles of the Treaty of Waitangi in accordance with the legislative framework as agents of the Crown. In doing so, the Whanganui District Health Board acknowledges the special relationship it has with iwi under the Treaty of Waitangi crown principles of partnership, participation and protection. This acknowledgement has been formalised in a Memorandum of Understanding with iwi through their representative group – Hauora a Iwi.

Together with Hauora a Iwi, the Whanganui District Health Board is committed to ensuring the achievement of Whanau Ora, maintaining and further developing effective relationships with whanau, hapu and iwi of the Whanganui region and working with “mainstream” health service providers to advance the improvement in Maori health.

The Whanganui District Health Board views participation of Maori across all levels of the organisation and health sector as a key capacity target. The participation level of Maori within the Whanganui District Health Board is:

  • Maori representation on its Board
  • Maori representation on the board advisory committees
  • Maori staff within the management team, and Funding and Planning Division
  • Maori staff within its provider division, Good Health Wanganui.
Partnership with Maori is complimentary to Maori participation when interface occurs at both a governance and operational level, as follows:
  • Partnership with Treaty partners (Hauora a Iwi) at a governance level
  • Partnership with the Maori Development Organisation at a management/funder level
  • Partnership with Maori providers at an operation and provider/consumer level.
Both partnership and participation are important to enable Maori to participate and contribute to strategies for Maori health improvement and to foster the development of Maori capacity to participate in the health and disability sector.
  • The third principle of active protection is to provide equity and equality for whanau, hapu, iwi with in the region.