Te Iti Me Te Rahi: The Māori Health Workforce Counts

5 February 2019 - Midday

A collaboration between Te Rau Matatini and National Institute of Demographic and Economic Analyses (NIDEA), Waikato University has produced an evidence base about Māori health workers which will shape the future of Māori Health.

A Māori health workforce survey conducted by Te Rau Matatini in 2018 resulted in over 2000 Māori health workers highlighting essential elements for a successful health workforce. Such as feeling valued as a Māori Health Workforce; the importance of having a professional development plan and cultural supervision in the workplace; for employer support to learn te reo me ona tikanga and engagement with marae, hapū, iwi and for remuneration conditions to be reflective of their contributions to the wellbeing of others.

Other key findings demonstrated 99% of the participants were connected to their Iwi; 96% held formal qualifications with 65% holding an under graduate degree and one in nine holding a Masters or Doctorate degree. The participants also had higher confidence in speaking te reo Māori than the Māori population more generally.

Given the need for qualifications and knowledge of Te Ao Māori in health, for many roles across the health sector, the Māori Health workforce is substantially more qualified and more confident with te reo me ona tikanga than the Māori population.

A direct impact was also noted by the positive investment through Māori scholarships that over the years had focused on building Māori health workforce capacity and capability.

This information is now available publically and will aid health services with recruitment and retention priorities to ensure that progress continues to contribute to building capacity and capability of the Māori Health Workforce to reduce Māori health inequities.

For more information go to: http://teraumatatini.com/publications-and-resources

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