Tararua community health may get needed shot in arm from major hui

Oriana Paewai, chief executive of Rangitāne o Tamaki nui ā Rua, is bringing people together for a key health hui in Dannevirke. Photo / Christine McKay

The MidCentral District Health Board recently completed a report for a health and wellbeing plan for Tararua through to 2023, which identifies where specific health and social services aren't working for our community.

For local iwi, Rangitāne o Tamaki nui ā Rua, the spiralling negative trends meant it was no longer enough to have kind and inspiring words in documents, chief executive Oriana Paewai said.

Working on practical steps to address the issues, Tararua District mayor Tracey Collis and Kathryn Cook, the chief executive of the MidCentral District Health Board, will join representatives from a wide range of organisations at a one-day, Our Health, Our Plan, community relationships hui to seek solutions.

Rangitāne want to create a space where kōrero or discussions can be had, where relationships can be built and solutions considered - a space whereby Māori values such as Manaakitanga (hospitality, reciprocity and caring for each other), Whanaungatanga (relationship values and practices), Kotahitanga (unity and collectivity) will ensure best process and outcome.

Our region reflects inequity and disparity across many of the identified markers and Māori feature disproportionately high in inequitable access to services, with the result poor health outcomes. But Māori are not the only ones, a low socio-economic and rural population creates a reality of poor outcomes for many of our community.

"These issues are not new or unknown. Solutions will require an across sector, all services, multi-organisation and stakeholder commitment of renewed vigour and new thinking," Oriana said.

"Creating the forum will help our community pull together to seek innovative solutions which can positively move Tararua forward.

"Leadership, tenacity and resilience will be essential in converting information to action and we implore people to take this journey with us.

"It's time to bring in some thought leaders to broaden our quest for local solutions and let's co-design solutions we know will work."

The plan is to facilitate a community-lead kōrero for improved health and wellbeing, with key stakeholders, Māori, health and social services, Tararua REAP, education providers, local, regional and central Government, major contributors to employment, police and justice representatives, community business leaders and influencers and representatives of MidCentral and Pae Ora Māori Health Directorate to speak to their reports.

Guest speakers will share some of the innovative solutions already out there, including Jodi Mitchell, chief executive of Imoko, on how technology is the not-so-new tool in child health, Ranjna Patel on social enterprise and family violence, Henare O'Keefe, Mark Wills of Omni (Tararua Health Group) and an expert on mental health.

It was time to collectively brainstorm possible solutions and identify the barriers and understand some of the innovative solutions already out there, Oriana said.

Be part of new wave of possible solutions:
• Friday, August 3, at the Dannevirke Sports Club High St.
&• bull; 9am to 3.30pm.
• RSVP as soon as possible to aroha.petera@rangitane.co.nz
• Any queries, contact Oriana.Paewai@rangitane.co.nz or ph 0272441424
• E-copies of the reports can be found on the MidCentralDHB website. The Tararua Health and Wellbeing Plan is under "Publications" then "All Publications". Search "Health Equity" and the other two documents will come up as a PDF Board Agenda item pp223-370.
The report shows:
• Health and social services in Tararua are not keeping up with the needs of our community.
• The data confirms that in Tararua some trends are getting progressively worse.
• 42 per cent of our people are identified as being amongst the "most deprived" in New Zealand.
• We have higher mortality rates.
• Higher rates of disease.
• Increased crime, family violence and disengagement from education and risk-taking behaviours.
• 23 per cent of Tararua families are single parent, with 55 per cent earning less than $30,000 a year.