Extraordinary Gift to Local Iwi Will Improve Māori Access to Health “Reforms in Action”

This Sunday at Pounamanui (Houmaitawhiti) Marae hundreds will gather with Ngāti Pikiao as it officially receives an extraordinary gift, the Ōwhata Medical Centre from mainstream not-for-profit primary health organisation, Pinnacle.

“This is the first time a GP practice has ever been gifted in Te Arawa and a PHO is visibly seen to apply kotahitanga with iwi,” said Mapihi Raharuhi, Chair of Te Rūnanga O Ngāti Pikiao Trust.

“We wish to acknowledge Pinnacle for having the foresight and marvellous generosity to demonstrate what true Treaty partnership looks like both in word and deed.”

The sum of the parts will be greater than the individual components as Ngāti Pikiao brings together two practices – Ngāti Pikiao Health Services and Ōwhata Medical Centre.

“Through our relationship with Ngāti Pikiao we have been having ongoing dialogue around how we can better serve the community, and over time that kōrero led us to the decision to gift the practice to Ngāti Pikiao who also have their own GP service, to create a single scaled health response,” said Justin Butcher, CE of Pinnacle.

The Te Arawa Iwi Māori Partnership Board, Te Taura Ora O Waiariki, wholeheartedly supports more mana motuhake initiatives happening in the region.

“This arrangement empowers iwi and enables the health sector to boost accessibility to quality services for Māori and address historic inequities,” said Dr Grace Malcolm, Chair of the Te Arawa Iwi Māori Partnership Board and GP for Ngāti Pikiao Health Services under the umbrella of Te Rūnanga O Ngāti Pikiao.

The Board view the change as a win-win for iwi, Māori, and the general population within Te Arawa.

“This is momentous. It’s a real-life working example of an Iwi driven solution to ensure that our whānau have access to comprehensive high quality healthcare services,” she said.

Negotiations crafting the MOU underpinning the deal took nine months. Parties explored how to achieve the best health outcomes for whānau alongside maintaining tino rangatiratanga.

The Rūnanga now takes over the operation of the clinic which included migrating to different IT systems and a significant HR component boosting the Māori health workforce on-site.

“It’s no coincidence we’re having our pōwhiri at Houmaitawhiti, named after the father of the Captain of the Te Arawa waka,” said Pare Merito, General Manager of Te Rūnanga O Ngāti Pikiao Trust.

Invited guests to the celebration include Dr John Armstrong, the former owner of Owhata Medical Centre who is well known to the people of Ngāti Pikiao and whom Merito considers a “generational doctor”.

The pōwhiri will be from 10am to 11.30am at 68-74 Whangamoa Drive, Okere Falls Rotorua.

Ahead of the general election on 14 October Te Arawa Iwi Māori Partnership Board plan to hold an online debate inviting all political candidates in the region to share whakaaro on how they’ll address health and wellbeing issues and accessibility for Māori.

Background:

Pinnacle through PHCL, its practice management arm, has owned the practice now for more than five years.

It’s no secret that over the past couple of years it has struggled to maintain a permanent presence at the centre as the workforce crisis has continued to make recruitment of all health professionals incredibly difficult.

Through PHCL relationship with Ngāti Pikiao it has been having ongoing dialogue around how it can better serve the community, and over time that kōrero led the PHCL to the decision to gift the practice to Ngāti Pikiao who also has itsrown GP service, to create a single scaled health response.

This will further enable Ngāti Pikiao and Te Arawa to support their own hauora aspirations around their own people.

It doesn’t mean Pinnacle is walking away, it’s still their PHO, it’ll continue working and supporting them alongside this process for the journey ahead.

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