Pacific providers gather in Auckland for the inaugural Te Whatu
Ora Pacific Health Provider Fono
Last week, Markerita Poutasi National Director Pacific Health had the honour of hosting the first ever Te Whatu Ora National Pacific Health Provider Fono, at Ko Awatea, Middlemore Hospital.
The Fono was a wonderful opportunity for face-to-face information sharing, talanoa and relationship building between key partners in the development and delivery of health and wellbeing services, for Pacific communities in Aotearoa.
Over the course of two days, representatives from 42 providers joined the Pacific Health Group, engaging in provider-led talanoa and contributing invaluable insight and feedback on key programmes of work across Pacific health priorities. The programme consisted of updates from Pacific providers, Te Whatu Ora updates on the stages of transformation and partner agencies, including a Manatū Hauora Pacific Health Strategy update and discussion. Talanoa on day one included the journey to date for Le Afio’aga O Aotearoa (Otara/Papatoetoe locality); an update from the Pacific Health Senate and workforce taskforce priorities. Day two included a review of criteria for the Pacific Provider Development fund; integrated contracts update; commissioning talanoa for outreach teams; RSE and migration overview from Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment and a public health update. We were privileged that Hawke’s Bay provider King’s Force Charitable Trust attended and contributed to the emergency response workshop.
Hon Minister Barbara Edmonds, Minister for Pacific Peoples and Associate Minister of Health (Pacific Peoples) along with Hon Aupito William Sio and other VIP guests joined Te Whatu Ora Chief Executive Fepulea’i Margie Apa, Markerita Poutasi and other members of the Te Whatu Ora Executive Leadership Team; Mahaki Albert Maiaka Whakaruruhau Tikanga | Chief of Tikanga and Abbe Anderson National Director Commissioning, for a group dinner on Thursday evening. The dinner was an opportunity to acknowledge and celebrate the critical role Pacific providers play in caring for their communities, as well as their outstanding commitment over the course of the pandemic and more recently, severe weather events such as Cyclone Gabrielle.
A huge thank you to all Te Whatu Ora staff who were involved with the planning, support and execution of this special event.