Northland Maori Commissioning Collective emerges

20 November 2019

Northland Maori Commissioning Collective emerges from Ngati Hine Stakeholder Meeting

Ngati Hine Health Trust held its Stakeholder Meeting with a full house at Tau Henare Marae in Pipiwai earlier this week. The meeting followed on from the trust’s AGM, giving an opportunity to connect with communities in the north and make some key announcements. Several exciting community relationships announced where Ngati Hine Health Trust will support included; The Miria Marae rebuild in Waiomio and the Moerewa United Kawakawa Rugby Football Club. Local aspiring doctor Nopera Piri Tohu received scholarship support from the trust and the Taitimu Taipari Collective officially launched.

The inaugural collective of four entities, Ngati Hine Health Trust, Te Uri o Hau, Te Hau Awhiowhio o Otangarei Trust and He Iwi Kotahi Tatou Trust make up the Taitimu Taipari Collective-Hononga This leads up to engaging with Oranga Tamariki under section 7aa of the Oranga Tamariki Act that came into force in July earlier this year.

“We want to be solution focused, practical to outworking the aspirations of Maori which have already been expressed in reports like Pu Ao Te Atatu from the 1980s; the needs are the same since then. A by Maori, for Maori, with Maori approach is needed. That is what the Taitimu Taipari Collective is”, said Geoff Milner, CEO of Ngati Hine Health Trust.

The collective is a unique combination of urban, hapu and iwi Maori, putting aside differences and placing the needs of whanau front and centre. Taitimu Taipari Collective is starting with Oranga Tamariki but welcome other like-minded Maori entities, like other hapu, iwi, runanga and Maori Providers to join the collective.

For Maori, by Maori, with Maori approach in Northland, Te Tai Tokerau comes after several health reports that give scathing reviews on the inequities evident with a lack of access to services and discrimination against Maori. Where Maori health and wellbeing statistics are disturbing and continue to put pressure on Maori providers like Ngati Hine Health Trust and the others in the Taitimu Taipari Collective. The collective will focus on whanau needs and wants to move away from competing with each other for funding and evolve into a Northland Tai Tokerau local commissioning agency on the ground.

During the Ngati Hine Health Trust Stakeholder meeting, the new Whanau Centered strategic plan and Whanau Ora approach was outlined. Ngati Hine Health Trust’s, Jen Rutene-Smith, Chief Operating Officer discussed the “One Whanau- One Plan-One Place” concept, with whanau at the very heart of everything the trust does in service delivery. Breaking down service silos both within the trust and outside.

New trustees announced were Moe Milne, Sally Webb and Keri Milne-Ihimaera. Gwen Tepania-Palmer also returns to the board and retiring trustees Atarangi Norman, John Vujcich and Dr Erana Cooper end their terms as trustees. Following the passing of Te Kopa Tipene, Kevin Prime accepted the role as the trust’s new patron. Pane Cooper, the first employee of Ngati Hine Health Trust conferred life membership and she joins Pauline Paraha as the trust’s two life members. The new executive leadership team introduced at the Stakeholder meeting were; Chief Operating Officer, Jen Rutene-Smith; Chief Financial Officer, Jensen Webber and Tikanga, People & Practice Leader, Amadonna Jakeman.

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