Background and rationale

Canterbury Health service providers Canterbury District Health Board (CDHB), Primary Health Organisations (PHOs) and Non-Government Organisations (NGOs) aspire to achieving equitable health outcomes for Māori and support Māori families to flourish and achieve their maximum health and wellbeing[3]. In addition, the CDHB and PHOs are required to have plans for Māori health.

Although each organisation is striving to contribute to these aspirations, there have been barriers to achieving their goals. One of these is that while we are on the same boat, there has not been a strong sense that we are all paddling in the same direction. To date plans have not been coordinated and there has been limited collective effort to achieve shared outcomes.

Following a series of discussions between the CDHB and PHOs, a strong commitment has developed between these parties to have an overarching framework that identifies shared outcomes and priority areas, acts as a basis for organisation work plans and encourages collective efforts that make a difference for Māori whānau.

Purpose

The purpose of the Canterbury Māori Health Framework is to establish shared outcomes, shared priority areas, shared language and common understanding so that we can better achieve our goal of health equity for Māori by paddling the waka in the same direction and in unison.

Governance of the framework

Te Kāhui o Papaki Ka Tai and Manawhenua ki Waitaha.

Partners in the framework

In the first instance the partners in this framework are those that are required by legislation to have a Māori health plan: the CDHB and divisions of the CDHB (Community and Public Health) and Primary Care Organisations (Rural Canterbury, Christchurch PHO and Pegasus Health). The intention is to be fully inclusive and to widen this partnership to include other partners such as Non Government Organisations.

The framework

The framework is an outcomes framework. That is, the framework identifies the various layers of activities and strategies that contribute to our shared outcomes of equitable health outcomes and improved quality of life for Māori. The framework also identifies indicators that we can use to measure progress towards and achievement of the shared outcomes (see Appendix 2: Māori Health Framework with indicators to see details of indicators).

Priority areas

There are many areas of focus that our collective actions could contribute to. It was decided that in the first instance that the areas of focus would be those where there were differentials in access or outcomes for Māori, where indicators existed that were readily measureable in order to determine progress and a particular focus would be placed on vulnerable child and youth:

• HPV immunisation coverage
• B4 School Check coverage
• cervical screening rates
• child/youth oral health

How this framework will work

Partners in this framework will:

• Develop organisational work plans that are based on the framework and priority areas
• Work together to achieve the improvement in shared priority areas
• Be open to new ways of working to achieve outcomes
• Undertake to have good communication and regularly report on progress

Review the framework annually late (October/November) in the year so it may be linked to the plans of the partners for the following year.