Assessing He Korowai Oranga: Improving Maori Health in New Zealand

This essay provides an in-depth analysis of He Korowai Oranga, a Maori health strategy in New Zealand designed to improve health outcomes for Maori people. It discusses the strategy's aims, target groups, and rationale, highlighting its role as an overarching framework guiding the government and health sector. The essay examines how He Korowai Oranga aligns with the New Zealand Health Strategy, focusing on key themes such as empowering people, delivering care closer to home, and promoting value and high performance. It also presents national and regional demographics of the Maori population and critically assesses how the implementation of the strategy supports improved health outcomes through community development, participation in decision-making, and culturally appropriate service delivery. The essay emphasizes the importance of partnership, participation, and protection of Maori rights, concluding that He Korowai Oranga is crucial for fostering healthy individuals, families, and environments within the Maori community.

Running head: HEALTH STRATEGY IN NEW ZEALAND
HEALTH STRATEGY IN NEW ZEALAND
Name of the student:
Name of the university:
Author note:

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HEALTH STRATEGY IN NEW ZEALAND
Introduction:
He Korowai Oranga is a Maori health strategy which acts as an overarching framework to
guide the government as well as the health and disability sector. This would help to achieve the
best health outcomes for the Maori people of the nation of New Zealand (Came et al. 2016). The
following assignment will mainly describe the aim of the assignment which would be followed
by how such a strategy would help in developing the health status of the Maori people after
implementation.
Aims, target group and rationale for chosen strategy:
The strategy was mainly proposed as an overarching framework which was published
keeping in mind to overcome different challenges and thereby create suitable environments for
the whanau. This strategy ensured that the environment should not only be liberating but also
enable the whanaus to shape as well as direct their own lives in the best possible ways to achieve
the quality of the life which the Maori are entitled to as tangata whenua in Aotreora. Basically
this strategy mainly aims achievement of whanua ora and healthy families (Jones 2014). This is
mainly done through an approach which reciises and thereby builds on the integral strengths and
assets of te wnahanu helping the development of the wanahusu. It mainly provides the
framework for the public sector so that they can take the responsibility for the part it performs in
supporting the different the health status of the whanau. This strategy therefore includes
inclusion of policies which are helping in the promoting whanau well being, developing the
quality of the education, developing employment opportunities and also for suitable housing
(Came et al. 2016). It also provides safe working conditions as well as improvements in income
and wealth and addressing systemic barriers that include institutional racism. Building on the

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integral strengths and assets of the whanau and encouraging their development is the main aim.
The main rational for choosing this strategy is that this strategy provides an overall guidance to
the healthcare sectors as well as to each and every individuals of the whanau to develop their life
not only physically, but also mentally, psychologically and socially, thereby covering each
aspect of lives of an individual required for healthy living (Came et al. 2017).
Ways by which the strategy supports the aims of the New Zealand health strategy:
The 2016 New Zealand Health Strategy had mainly stated the direction of the health
services so that improvement can be done to the health of the people and the communities of the
nation. This strategy mainly has two parts. One of them is the future direction and the other part
is the roadmap of action 2016. In the former part of the health strategy five important strategic
themes were introduced. This includes empowering people where the individuals of the nation
understand their issues, manage their care, take correct choices and communicate well and
support navigation. The second system consists of setting up of centers near to people’s homes
so that care can be provided to people in their own local areas. The third theme was value and
high performance which includes building a culture of performance and quality improvement in
proving health care by the public a health workforce ultimately helping in improving of services
and systems. The fourth theme was acting as one team while providing care and developing a
sustainable community for living trusting each other and keeping family and whanaus eat the
centre of work (Came et al. 2015). The fist one is the initiation of smart systems which
discovered, developed and shared effective innovations across systems. Therefore it is found that
the themes which are incorporated in New Zealand Health strategy are entirely covered by the
principles of the He Korowai Oranga. The later also has the main aims of supporting the whanu,
hapu an iwi thereby helping in community development in such a way which results in best

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living conditions of the Maori. Just like the fourth theme called one team of the New Zealand
health strategy, He Korowai Oranga was also supporting the Maori participation at each and
every levels of the health and disability sector in ways that would not only help the Maoris to
practice their culture and tradition but at the same time ensure best health care at the same time.
Ensuring effective health service delivery by working across all sectors was also proposed by the
New Zealand health strategy (Waitoki et al., 2015). Rangatiranga which is one of the key threads
in He Korowai Oranga aligns with the first theme of the New Zealand health strategy like people
powered as both are helping in enabling whānau, hapū, iwi and Māori in practicing control over
their own health and well being and also shaping an directing their own institutions, communities
and development. In such ways, one can rightly state that both the strategies are aligning with
each other and are best for the societies.
National and regional demographics of the target group:
The last data collected within the month of June 2017 stated that the total estimation of
the Maori population was 734200. It grew for about up to 1.5 percent from the last estimate of
the previous year. Out of this, there are 358400 males and 375800 Maori females. In this study
only, it was found that the median ages of the Maori males were 22.9 and that of women were
25.9 years. Te Waipounamu population mainly consisted of 80,559 people in 2013 which is
estimated to increase to about 93670 Maoris in 2018 (Waitoki et al., 2015). Waikato-Waiariki
population comprised of about 174510 populations in 2013 which will increase to 189760 in
2018. While the total New Zealand population was consisting of 692300 Maori in 2013, it is
estimated to increase to 762700 in 2018. Therefore, the strategies taken are affecting the
population positively helping them in developing the health status of the individual Maoris
(Goodwin et al. 2015).

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How the implementation of the strategy will support improved outcomes of target group:
The strategy when properly implemented will help in focusing on four important aspects.
This includes firstly the development of whanua, iwi and maori communities in such a way that
they can actively participate in actively contributing to their own communities and long term
health outcomes. This strategy would also ensure that Maoris can actively participate in decision
making also provide service delivery in such a way which will ensure services are appropriate
and effective for Maoris. Development of effective health and disability services are not only
ensured by the implementation of the strategies but also ensured that the strategies work across
sectors (Robson & Ellison-Loschman, 2016). Services are organized according to needs of
Maoris and whanaus rather than needs of the providers. For example, higher educational
attainments and high quality employment can be implemented which will in turn improve health
outcomes of the whanaus (Boulton, Tamena & Brannely, 2013). Treaty of Waitangi principles
formed the basic foundation of the strategies which involve partnership, participation and
protection of the Maoris rights and principles helping in improvement in the quality, safety and
experiences of care. it also ensured improvement of health and equity for all populations. This
strategy also ensured best value for public health system resources. This strategy also enabled
Maoris to entirely exercise entire control over their own health and well being and assured
further development in the future ensuring equity in every approach taken in the nation of New
Zealand (Came 2014). This strategy which would be implemented by the government contained
particularly directing Maori aspirations and contributions ensuring that government are
committed in making the health systems work for all New Zealanders. This strategy successfully
covered all important aspects of health initiatives of the Maori population ensuring healthy
individuals, healthy families and healthy environment for living.

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Conclusion:
He Korowai Oranga is a governmental strategy which is proposed in order to develop the
quality of lives of Maoris in every region of the nation. It has acted as a platform for the Maori to
develop good health and well being by understanding the importance of healthy habits and
aligning to behavioral alteration that ensure positive health outcome. Proper participation,
protection and partnership of the Maori individuals with the governmental initiatives had been
one of the main focuses of this strategy. This ensured Maori participation, effective service
delivery, working across sectors, rangatiranga, equity and many others. For achieving the
mentioned attributes, proper planning and resourcing, leadership, knowledge, quality
improvement and others have been very important. All these are believed to develop health
status of the Maori providing them better quality life and stability.

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