Health Promotion

The paper discusses health promotion approaches in New Zealand, targeting the Maori and Pacific peoples to address health disparities. The Ottawa Charter and TePaeMahutonga model have been significant influences in the development of health promotion strategies in New Zealand. Challenges and opportunities in the healthcare sector in New Zealand are also discussed.

Running Head: HEALTH PROMOTION
Health Promotion
Name
Institution

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Health Promotion
Table of Contents
Introduction......................................................................................................................................3
Ottawa Charter.................................................................................................................................3
TePaeMahutonga Model..................................................................................................................5
Health Inequity/Disparity................................................................................................................6
Socio-ecological Considerations.....................................................................................................7
The Social Determinants of Health..................................................................................................8
Opportunities and Challenges for Health Promotion in New Zealand............................................9
Challenges....................................................................................................................................9
Opportunities..............................................................................................................................10
Conclusions....................................................................................................................................10
References......................................................................................................................................12

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Introduction
Health promotion among different communities in Aotearoa New Zealand has become an
important approach addressing the health inequalities in different communities. Health
promotion entails the empowerment of individuals to manage their lives in methods that are
adaptive, dependable, fulfilling, as well as rewarding. Maori (the indigenous populace) have the
poorest health outcomes, as well as the shortest life expectancy of all ethnicities in New Zealand.
The promotion of health in Aotearoa New Zealand recognizes the rights along with the wants of
Maori. Pacific people have an exceptional association with the state where this exceptional
affiliation results in an ethical responsibility on the component of the state to progress the
welfare and needs of Pacific peoples (Cumming, Mays & Gribben, 2008). Specifically, the
government addresses their socio-economic requirements plus the requirement to uphold their
own cultures. This means that the Pacific peoples’ perspectives, as well as needs, must be
reflected in each aspect of health promotion practice. The paper will argue that the
accomplishment of healthy communities plus healthy lifestyles via health promotion is an
attainable objective in Aotearoa New Zealand.
Ottawa Charter
The historical importance of the Ottawa Charter for Health Promotion starts with the
primary meeting. The Ottawa Charter simplifies the organization that it is designed to
characterize; however, it does demonstrate that all-inclusive health promotion in the community
should undertake more than personal risk factors. Thus, the charter advocates for more dynamic
contribution from the users along with the stakeholders. This kind of contribution is important

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towards the planning along with the implementation stages of health promotion research.
According to Dooris 2009), the charter has been greatly significant in influencing the “new”
public health. The charter focuses on helpful settings, pioneered in the Sundsvall Statement,
established on stress in the “old” public health on guaranteeing clean, as well as secure settings
(Dooris, 2009).
The health promotion crusade, as mirrored in the charter adequately acknowledges the
significance of ecosystems along with sustainable resources towards improving the health of the
communities. The charter was significant in encouraging a shift towards a further holistic
strategy to wellbeing, using entire systems thinking, as well as stressing the incorporation of an
assurance to wellbeing into the structure of culture, social structures, procedures, plus custom life
in human societies, especially among the Maori in New Zealand. The model is consistent of
socio-ecological approach that concentrates more on social, organizational, as well as cultural
elements of the environment. The Ottawa Charter acknowledges the fact that the human health is
a multifaceted due to a complex along with an active set of interactions amid social, people plus
economic conditions, culture, as well as the natural setting (Poland, Dooris & Haluza-Delay,
2011).
The charter offered much of the impetus for the change towards the use of a socio-
ecological strategy for health promotion along with health education in Aotearoa New Zealand.
The Ottawa Charter acknowledged that primary health attainments were connected not to so
much to developments in medical know-how as to increases in wages along with the living
standards and to public health programs initiated by policy changes at community and
government levels. The Ottawa Charter recognizes nine extensive prerequisites for promoting

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health among the population. These prerequisites include education, peace, stable ecosystem,
income, sustainable resources, food, shelter, equity, and social justice. The Ottawa Charter
champions a socio-ecological strategy towards enhancing wellbeing where people besides their
environments are considered to be inextricably connected. In line with health promotion, the
Ottawa Charter ascertained that five key approaches were required to improve health in New
Zealand towards attaining healthy communities. The five key strategies are: the creation of
supportive environments; reinforcing of community accomplishment, reorientation of health and
wellbeing services; improvement of personal skills; and building healthy public policies (Durie,
2011).
TePaeMahutonga Model
To assemble the aspects of contemporary health promotion in a unified way, it is
important to investigate TePaeMahutonga (constellation of starts popularly called the Southern
Cross). The constellation contains four primary stars that are used in New Zealand to represent
four primary activities of health promotion, as well as can be named to reflect the four objectives
of health promotion. These primary activities include Mauriora, Toiora, Waiora, and Te Oranga
(Haluza-DeLay, 2008).
The Mauriora (secure cultural identity) is anchored on the principle on that good health
relies on numerous factors; however, amongst the indigenous individuals globally. Thus, cultural
identity is taken as a significant requirement in health promotion. The objective of health
promotion based on this star is to advance the security of identity that needs the promotion of
Maori entrance into Maori society. The Waiora (environmental protection) is connected to the

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outside world plus the spiritual aspects, which links person’s health with space, terrestrial, as
well as water settings. This implies that it is difficult to attain good health with environmental
pollution. The promotion of health should take into consideration nature along with the
superiority of the contact amid individuals and the environment. On the other hand, Toiora
(healthy lifestyles) underscores the fact that many threats to health emanate from the dangers,
which threaten health along with the security in addition to having the ability to deform human
knowledge. The star emphasizes that the majority of Maori people are ensnared in risk-laden
ways of life and consequently will not realize their full potential in life. Therefore, the shift from
destructive lifestyles to healthy lifestyles needs activities at many levels that underscore the
importance of health promotion (Papaarangi & Bridget, 2006). The Te Oranga that entails the
involvement in society stresses that promotion of health will not be detached from the
socioeconomic situations among the Maori and Pacific peoples. Thus, health is not only
regarding the safe cultural identity or a whole environment, or the evasion of risks. The Te
Oranga stresses the need to promote the involvement in the community in the economy,
schooling, occupation, knowledge society, in addition to decision-making (Ministry of Health,
2005).
Health Inequity/Disparity
Considerable inequalities exist amongst diverse groups in New Zealand. For Instance, the
Maori, Pacific peoples as well as people from all over lower socioeconomic groups have poorer
health, as well as die young as compared to other people in New Zealand. Aotearoa New Zealand
suffers inequities or disparities in health outcomes by race/ethnicity and socioeconomic status.
The health promotion approaches have targeted the Maori in an effort to address the health

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inequalities that have continued to exist to create healthy communities. Responsiveness to reflect
Maori reflects the governments’ perspective that health research carried in New Zealand must
contribute to improving the health of Maori and eliminating health inequities. Therefore,
researchers should consider how their processes may better reflect Maori health priorities along
with needs. Hence, responsiveness to Maori acknowledges the government’s obligations under
the Treaty of Waitangi that flow on to research organizations getting the government financing.
The Crown anticipates these obligations to be made transparent and they are explicit in
administration contracts between the research funders along with providers (Cumming & Mays,
2011). The Treaty of Waitangi has been designed to improve the health outcomes of the Maori
by promoting their voice. The Treaty guarantees that the Crown will act in a manner that Maori
will not be disadvantaged, and if disadvantaged is demonstrated, the Crown will undertake
measures to correct this inequity in the health. The Maori populace is around 16% of the total
New Zealand populace, and few researchers believe about the effect of a numerical minority
voice on policy along with programs that are produced from research, particularly effect on
further inequity along with marginalization (Hancock, 2007).
Socio-ecological Considerations
The socio-ecological promotion of health model that was developed by McLeroy and
equals is founded on environmental systems theory. This underscores the fact that human
advance is influenced by different systems. The framework identifies different, interdependent
influence or evaluative points of policy, society, organizational, interpersonal along with
intrapersonal levels that have become an important instrument for design, assessment and
implementation of health improvement approaches (Dustin, Bricker & Schwab, 2010). The

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socio-ecological model inspires both whole-system approaches, like enhanced by environments
strategy towards the promotion of health, and too the unambiguous knowledge of how more
focused approaches can rely on elements at other levels for their efficiency, suitability or
sustainability to be attained. This approach has been fundamental in improving the wellbeing of
the Maori and Pacific peoples in New Zealand. Thus, schools have been acknowledged as health
promotion environments since the charter was ratified. The health promoting schools operate at
several socio-ecological levels through improving the wellbeing of the personnel, household,
communities, as well as students with them (Buzzelli & Veenstra, 2007).
The Social Determinants of Health
There are social determinants of health that has influenced the health promotion strategies
in New Zealand. Social determinants have caused inequities in New Zealand resulting in health
disparities that need to be addressed. The inequities in the distribution of in addition to access to
material resources that include education, income, employment besides housing are the main
cause of inequities. In New Zealand, the impact of socioeconomic status on wellbeing is
mediated by different material behavioural and psychosocial factors that can offer efficient
intervention points (Ratima, 2010). The housing policies plus community development programs
can assist lower the exposure of small socioeconomic groups to unfavourable living situations.
Furthermore, place of work strategies and health along with protection regulations might assist
decrease exposure to unfavourable physical, as well as psychosocial working conditions in an
effort towards health promotion of the Maori people. The threat of hospitalization for chronic
illnesses in New Zealand is borne excessively by Maori in addition to Pacific individuals and by
those who are underprivileged. The Maori are a well-researched case of the native individuals

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with higher risks plus shoddier wellbeing outcomes that the general populace. For example, the
Maori have greater rates of cigarette smoking plus poverty, as well as the worse educational
achievement than the general populace. Based on health, the Maori have superior unfulfilled
needs in primary care, inferior excellence secondary care, as well as poor outcomes for a wide
array of illnesses; standard life expectancy is less than 8 years as compared to other populace
(Golden & Earp, 2012).
Opportunities and Challenges for Health Promotion in New Zealand
Challenges
 The growing number of older people in New Zealand has strained health resources that
are needed to keep younger citizens healthy. Elderly individuals are more probable to
have the disability as well as to over one health state.
 New Zealanders live for long and annually, more people over than 65 years, which is
good for persons plus their households. Nonetheless, this means that social plus health
services would have to adjust and this challenges the healthcare organization to seek for
means to provide these services (Ratima, 2010).
 Some of the citizens in New Zealand does not benefit from health along with the
disability system. For instance, whilst New Zealanders generally are living for more
years, the Maori, as well as Pacific individuals, still have inferior life expectancies than
the populace as an entire. Furthermore, children and disabled individuals face inferior
health that the rest of the populace as compared to the rest of the population (Smith,
2009).

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 Obesity is becoming a huge challenge in New Zealand and has long-term health, as well
as social effects. Amongst New Zealand kids as an entire, about 10 % are less obese;
nevertheless, the rate is around 30 percent in Pacific kids.
Opportunities
 By concentrating on preventing diseases, with by undertaking healthy choices simple, the
country may help individuals either avoid developing long-standing healthiness situations
or to slow down the growth of chronic conditions.
 In New Zealand, there is a growing and powerful knowledge base, fashioned from
research, regarding what donates to high-quality health that is from beginning to
maturity. The understanding would be a continuing resource, which will carry on guiding
policies that assist kids to start out on avenues for healthy growth along with
development (Samdal, Viig & Wold, 2010).
 The healthcare sector in New Zealand has benefited from advancements in technology
plus connected infrastructure, like broadband. Thus, when everyday tasks are
computerized, expert personnel may concentrate on what to perform most excellent
(Matheson, Dew & Cumming, 2009).
Conclusions
New Zealand has experienced tremendous growth in improving the health of the citizens
through different models that have been implemented. However, there are still many challenges
in the healthcare sector that should be addressed to actually universal healthcare that will
promote the health of the citizens. The Maori and Pacific peoples have historically faced the

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worst health in New Zealand. Nonetheless, the current health promotion strategies and models
have proved effective in improving the health of this population. This has been an important
milestone in promoting health among the New Zealanders and the use of the models and
strategies will continue to advance the health of the Maori and Pacific peoples. The discussion
confirms that the thesis of the paper that the attainment of healthy communities as well as
healthy lifestyles through the promotion of health is an attainable objective in Aotearoa New
Zealand.

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