Abstract
Te Rau Matatini is a Māori workforce development organization, established in 2002 to develop, coordinate, and deliver a range of national programs that contribute to health, Māori mental health, addiction, primary health, and public health workforce priorities in Aotearoa, New Zealand. Te Rau Matatini workforce programs aim to increase responsiveness to Māori health needs; expand the workforce size, capability, and capacity; extend training opportunities and career pathways of practitioners; and enhance efficient health service delivery through collaborative working relationships. This paper provides an overview of the challenges and successful outcomes associated with a national indigenous workforce development organization.
While health gains have been made over the last two decades, the need
to effectively address Māori health continues to be an important priority
in Aotearoa. Māori health disparities have persisted for over 40 years. Since
the mid-1980s disparities between Māori and non-Māori have increased
significantly in some areas, including life expectancy, cancer mortality, and
cardiovascular rates. This is compounded by evidence of underutilization
of services by Māori and the predicted increase in demand due to Māori
population growth.
There is growing recognition in Aotearoa that clinical competence cannot be separated from culture, as culture influences how behaviours and symptoms are perceived, understood, and responded to, by both whānau (families seeking health services) and health workers. Capable and competent Māori health workers are pivotal to providing effective care to Māori and their whānau, and in providing mainstream organizations with indigenously responsive models of care for Māori and their whānau.
With these imperatives in mind, Te Rau Matatini was established in 2002 as an indigenous workforce development organization. The goal of Te Rau Matatini is to develop, coordinate, and deliver a range of national programs that contribute to health, Māori mental health, addiction, primary health, and public health workforce priorities in Aotearoa. Te Rau Matatini workforce programs aim to increase responsiveness to Māori health needs; expand the workforce size, capability, and capacity; extend training opportunities and career pathways of practitioners, and enhance efficient health service delivery through collaborative working relationships. Improving Indigenous Health in Aotearoa
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