China’s Leading Medical Device Company Building Trade Relationship WithNational Urban Māori Authority Members

A delegation from China’s leading medical device company Mindray stepped off the plane yesterday to head straight to the Waikato to meet various members and an affiliate of the National Urban Māori Authority.

The party met at Taakiri Tuu Wellness & Diagnostic Centre, named by the late Kiingi Tūheitia and operated by Te Kōhao Health in Enderley Kirikiriroa, Hamilton.

Last June representatives from Te Whānau o Waipareira and Whānau Ora Commissioning Agency travelled to China for the purpose of setting up commercial ties for Māori providers.

They met with technology companies specialising in manufacturing high quality digital imaging technology and equipment to manage diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and heart checks.

As part of that conversation, an invitation was extended to Mindray to visit Aotearoa New Zealand to identify how Chinese technological companies could work more closely with Māori providers across the motu.

"It's incredibly exciting that, through the Whānau Ora Commissioning Agency's dedicated two-year partnership with Mindray, we’ve now been introduced to this leading innovator as part of the Urban Māori Authority collective,” said Lady Tureiti Moxon, Chair of the National Urban Māori Authority.

“This strategic connection opens new doors for trade and collaboration, creating opportunities that will benefit our communities in powerful ways in the future.”

Given the prevalence of morbidity and substantial disparities given the Māori health data for cancer and diabetes, the aim of the trade talks is to leapfrog the current technological and diagnostic accessibility barriers.

Currently the cardiovascular disease mortality rate for Māori is twice as high compared to non-Māori, diabetes prevalence is almost double, so strengthening the preventative care availability in community is of critical focus.

“This is really an opportunity to identify what our future needs are, in terms of reducing inequities and wait times, and supporting a health system that has been under enormous pressures for a long time now,” Lady Tureiti said.

“At the same time, we must build the capacity of Māori to be able to do it for ourselves, to have rangatiratanga over what we're doing and how we do it, who we treat and who we engage with and have relationships with.”

“Critical factors that the Chinese people completely understand. They know what it means to have strong relationships, and it is certainly something that we as Maori are very, very familiar with.”

“Having our own technological solution, that’s more preventative and primary care focused in our Maori communities, not in the hospitals is far more effective stemming the tide of.”

Mindray produces equipment in digitalisation, critical care, peri operative care, emergency care, anesthesia, diagnostics, medical imaging and orthopedics.

This year the company paid a record USD927 million in an acquisition deal to purchase a smaller counterpart, APT Medical. It was reported to be the largest in the domestic medical device industry to date.

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