Ikimoke Tamaki-Takarei has been appointed as the first Kaitohu Matamua Māori/Director Māori for the Office of the Health and Disability Commissioner, and started in the role on 2 May 2022.

Morag McDowell, Health and Disability Commissioner (HDC) says, "This is a strategic leadership role that will enable HDC to develop kaupapa Māori solutions to help resolve inequities in the health and disability sector."

"We welcome Ikimoke to the HDC whānau as we continue on our journey to honour Te Tiriti o Waitangi and our work to enable the resolution of inequities in the health and disability sector, while supporting the promotion and protection of the rights of everyone using health and disability services in Aotearoa New Zealand.

"The role of Kaitohu Matamua Māori is a significant one, and Ikimoke will be a key member of HDC’s executive leadership team. He will have specific responsibilities to help HDC honour Te Tiriti o Waitangi, and ensure our processes are accessible and meet the needs of Māori," says Morag.

Ikimoke has extensive experience working across government agencies and has worked with Department of Corrections, Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Education and more recently Ministry of Health. He comes to HDC from the Waikato District Health Board as the Director of Tikanga within the Māori Equity and Health Improvement Directorate.

Ikimoke is the Deputy Chair of Te Whakaitenga o Waikato, the iwi governance group that manages iwi strategies and aspirations. He is a passionate and valued community member where he advocates for iwi well-being, health strategies, aspirations and opportunities.

Ikimoke says, "I’m looking forward to supporting HDC to implement Te Tiriti o Waitangi principles within our organisation to ensure HDC processes are accessible and meet the needs of Māori which will also support all ethnic and minority groups.

"It’s vital that people who experience poor outcomes in the health and disability system understand their consumer rights and their right to request feedback through the HDC complaints process.

"All consumers of health services need to be aware of their rights and providers need to be aware of their duties. If we work together to better understand these rights and responsibilities, we will be able to improve whānau/consumer experiences within the health sector.

"We must close the gap in systemic disparities and inequity. We can only achieve this by working together," says Ikimoke.

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