Since it became an incorporated society in 1985 and gained charitable status a decade later, Te Taiwhenua o Heretaunga (TToH) has come a long and successful way, and picking up the Hawke's Bay District Health Board's Commitment to Reducing Inequalities award firmly underlined that.
"It is very satisfying," TToH general manager of medical and dental (Hauroa Heretaunga) Julia Ebbett said of the accolade.
It is all about creating a healthy and vibrant whanau who have access to choice, who can live in healthy and safe environments, feel a strong sense of identity and community and who are in control of their lives.
Te Taiwhenua o Heretaunga has built up a strong programme of services, education, scholarships, sponsorships and koha and has 15 mandated representatives from local marae, hapu and maata waka on the Te Haaro Board of Trustees.
The pursuit of providing medical access and quality has been innovative, in terms of creating programmes like 'Low Fees for High Needs' which allows TToH to offer free GP visits for enrolled Maori/Pacifika under 25 and a charge of just $16 for those over 25.
And earlier this year they set up a walk-in clinic to improve access to medical services.
"Improving access, reducing barriers and designing services that better meet the needs of patients, their family and whanau is at the centre of what we do," Ms Ebbett said.
"Hauora Heretaunga provides access to a very low cost practice meeting the needs of 5266 people, of whom 89% are Māori, Pasifika and high-needs - this is 61 percent above the Hawke's Bay average."
She said the practice attempted to do things differently, challenging the mainstream approach while working creatively to keep fees affordable for those most in need.
"Our goal is to make a difference to this population, ensuring access to screening, monitoring and disease prevention, using a kaupapa Māori approach," she said.
And at the very heart of it all..."keep our fees as low as possible".
They also work alongside whanau and hapu to identify their needs and to encourage them to set and achieve realistic goals, and importantly, to enable them to recognise their potential.