Māori health in the Lakes DHB, where to from here?

The average life expectancy of Māori in the Lakes District Health Board area is seven to eight years less than non-Māori.

Fifty per cent of patients admitted to the Lakes DHB's hospitals for respiratory conditions, abdominal pain or cellulitis are Māori, despite being only 32 per cent of the area population.

But a new memorandum of understanding and pharmacy strategic plan are just some of the new tools aiming to change those statistics.

This month, the memorandum was signed at Te Papaiouru Marae, between iwi and the Midland district health boards including the Bay of Plenty, Lakes, Hauora Tairāwhiti, Taranaki and Waikato DHBs.

Meanwhile, the draft Lakes DHB Community Pharmacy Strategic Plan 2018-2025 has been developed, with a focus on improving health outcomes for Māori.

New Zealand Māori Council chairman Matthew Tukaki said: "there was never a time when the DHB system worked for Māori," but he supported moves such as the Midlands memorandum.

He said traditionally, Māori considered hospitals as "where you go to die".

"If the memorandum can engage our people with health services and hauora at an early stage, not when they are kicking the bucket, then it has the potential to make a huge difference."

He said DHB's needed to push more funding into Māori health organisations such as Rotorua's Korowai Aroha and Te Rūnanga o Ngāti Pikiao, and into the creation of a "Māori version of Plunket, with Māori midwives and nurses".

He hoped specific Māori health outcomes would be a large focus of next year's Budget.

"In my opinion, last month's Budget was not exactly a 'Wellbeing Budget', it just provided us with the investment that had been needed to date, not necessarily what was needed for tomorrow."

In Midland Region Governance Group chairwoman Pauline Lockett's view, the memorandum "formalised a longstanding partnership" to raise the profile of Māori health and eliminate health inequities.

Te Pora Thompson-Evans, co-chair of the Midland Iwi Relationship Board said it was the first of its kind.

"Now we must push forward for our people."

The DHB is currently seeking feedback on the Draft Lakes DHB Community Pharmacy Strategic Plan.

It says collaboration with Māori health providers and communities will be key to improving Māori health outcomes.

This will involve "Providing community education... Engaging with the community to support particular health and wellness campaigns... Using technology, including online services to support service delivery".

Lakes DHB chief executive Nick Saville-Wood said there was "a lot of work that needs to be done" to improve Māori health outcomes.

He said that no specific changes had been made following the memorandum because it had only just been signed.

"However, there is a collective agreement to meet in the near future to undertake the planning and development of strategies."

A major change in the Lakes DHB's Māori health services was the closure of the hospital-based Hunga Manaaki service in 2017, which was replaced by the Te Aka Matua service.

Saville-Wood said this was "a more Whānau Ora based delivery of service" in the community, using a wrap-around approach so whānau could stay independent and well in their own homes.

In March, the Māori Affairs Select Committee announced it would hold an inquiry into Māori health inequalities.