Dr Rachel Mackie And Dr Jason Tuhoe To Lead Nationwide Doctor’s Group

Dr Rachel Mackie (Ngati Wai, Ngati Hine, Ngati Whatua) has been named as the new Chair of Te Akoranga a Māui, The Royal New Zealand College of General Practitioners Māori representative group. Tokoroa GP Dr Jason Tuhoe (Hauraki, Ngā Puhi, Ngāti Pikiao) has been named deputy chair.

Te Akorangi a Māui is the College’s Māori representative group made up of Māori GPs registrars and Fellows. Drs Mackie and Tuhoe plan to continue the equity focus that the College has and build on that so that tikanga is valued, and incorporated into general practices around Aotearoa New Zealand to create meaningful change and ensure that people can visit their doctor in a way that is culturally safe.

Most recently the College has developed an Equity module, which Dr Mackie advised on, as part of its quality standards for GP practices. The Equity module demonstrates how practices can work to improve health outcomes for Māori and other underrepresented populations by being more targeted to individual and cultural needs that can make significant differences to patient’s care.

Ensuring medical educators are embodying tikanga, cultural competency, and cultural safety is another important focus for the group that Drs Mackie and Tuhoe will lead.

Dr Mackie, who is a clinical project lead working at Waitemata DHB, says, "my goal is to build on the work of the people who’ve gone before us.

"In order for significant change to be made, we need to keep working on equity issues and providing leadership for how that can work in all New Zealand general practices."

Drs Mackie and Tuhoe wish to tautoko the work of Dr Melanie Wi Repa, Dr Lily Fraser, and Dr Sue Crengle in supporting them to their new positions.

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