Launching Te Toi Ahorangi
– our new Māori Health Strategy
“As we look to the future, our Māori
population in Te Moana ā Toi is set to grow –
shifting from 25% of the current population to
almost 30% of the total population by 2036.
We know that the wellbeing of the 56,490
Māori who live here in Te Moana ā Toi right
now is integral to the prosperity of our entire
region. As a DHB, we want to see improved
health and wellbeing outcomes for mana
whenua, including all Māori peoples, together
with improvements to the natural and built
environments within Te Moana ā Toi,” says
Tricia Keelan.
Chairperson Pouroto Ngaropo is overwhelmed
by the support received from mana whenua
who are committed to bringing to life an
authentic Tiriti partnership between iwi and
the crown in Te Moana ā Toi. Te Rūnanga
Hauora o Te Moana ā Toi presented Te Toi
Ahorangi 2030 to the Bay of Plenty District
Health Board governance members at a recent
combined meeting.
BOPDHB General Manager Māori Health
Gains and Development, Tricia Keelan and
her team has been working closely with Te
Rūnanga Hauora o Te Moana ā Toi over the
last twelve months towards transforming
our health system towards Toi Ora.
Extensive engagement with over 500
whānau, hapū, iwi, providers, community
members and Bay of Plenty District Health
Board staff has taken place in order to
capture the voice, needs and aspirations
of tangata whenua living in Te Moana ā
Toi. These insights have contributed to the
development of a new Toi Ora Strategy that
will lead the direction of Māori Health over
the next decade.
Coined as the fi rst Kaupapa Māori, tangata
whenua driven Māori Health Strategy in
Aotearoa - Te Toi Ahorangi sets a precedent
for the future of our health system. Inspired,
driven and led by tangata whenua, Te Toi
Ahorangi articulates a vision of Toi Ora –
fl ourishing descendants of Toi that aims to
catalyse a whole of systems approach to
improve Māori Health.
“It is very exciting to now share with our
whānau, hapū, iwi and wider community
that Te Toi Ahorangi has been adopted
and fully endorsed by our DHB – this is a
groundbreaking moment in our history”
says Pouroto.
“Te Toi Ahorangi 2030 sets a clear direction
for tangata whenua and BOPDHB to
achieve Toi Ora, together. As Te Tiriti o
Waitangi partners, strengthening an authentic
partnership that supports tangata whenua
to defi ne, decide and determine their own
wellness pathways, according to their own
worldview is an important step towards
realising Toi Ora and making a real diff erence
in the lives of our whānau Māori,” says
Tricia Keelan.
Preparations are underway to offi cially
launch the Strategy in September. We would
love for you to join with us as we collectively
voyage to Toi Ora. Details for the launch will
be publicly advertised. If you would like to
be added to our Toi Ora email network to be
kept informed, please forward your contact
details to [email protected]
Biophilic Summit explores
health for people and nature
Biophilic design, biophilic cities, re-
wilding cities, urban ecological restoration,
nurturing nature, nature-based solutions,
biomimicry, sustainable food and
transport, transforming school outdoor
spaces, mātauranga Māori and public
health - these were all topics of discussion
at the fi rst Bay of Plenty and Lakes
Biophilic Summit held in Tauranga last
month.
Organised and hosted by Toi Te Ora Public
Health, the theme of this one-day event was
‘connecting people with nature’ and it brought
together leaders, experts and representatives
from across the community (such as from
local government, education, academia,
health, tourism, community groups and Iwi)
to discuss and develop our understanding of
biophilic thinking and about how adopting
For more
information
visit...
More fl u vaccine to protect
against deadly fl u
biophilic approaches in the Bay of Plenty and
Lakes can provide benefi ts for people, nature
and the planet.
“In the 21st century ‘health for all’ has to
be about not just the health of people but
also about the the health of other species
and ecosystems, especially because for
humans to thrive and be healthy we need
the natural world around us to be fl ourishing
and healthy,” says Dr Neil de Wet, Medical
Offi cer of Health. “Biophilic thinking is about
love, awe and respect for nature, and is giving
us new ideas, insights and examples from
around the country and around world that give
real hope about how our cities and the places
where we live, learn, work and play can be
re-imagined and re-designed to be places that
care for the health and wellbeing of people as
well as other species and ecosystems.”
• www.toiteora.govt.nz/biophilic_summit
• www.biophiliccities.org
• www.toiteora.govt.nz/biophilic_public_health
70% of BOPDHB staff had fl u shots this year,
helping to reduce the spread of infl uenza to
vulnerable patients and the wider community.
More doses of infl uenza vaccine
have arrived in the country off ering
protection for what’s shaping up to be
a horror fl u season.
Flu surveillance shows there’s a higher
proportion of fl u viruses than is usual for
this time of the year. In the Bay of Plenty
both Tauranga and Whakatāne hospitals
have reported high levels of patients coming
to ED with winter-type illnesses. Not only
are the winter type illnesses circulating in
the community having an impact on patient
numbers, many hospital staff have also been
off work sick.
Across the Tasman there’s been much focus
on fl u with reports of 231 deaths and media
describing it as a killer fl u season.
Dr Nikki Turner, the Immunisation Advisory
Centre director says “It only takes someone
who has the fl u virus to jump on a plane from
Australia and it could spread quite easily
around New Zealand.”
She and other health professionals are urging
people to get the fl u vaccination to maximise
their chances of avoiding the fl u virus.
The uptake of fl u immunisation across New
Zealand has reached near record levels already
this year with around 1.3 million doses
distributed. That’s close to last year’s all-time
record of 1.326 million doses for the entire
season. Earlier this month the Ministry of
Health and Pharmac ordered an extra 55,000
vaccines. That will take the total stock of
infl uenza vaccines to a record 1.38 million, the
highest number ever made available in New
Zealand in a single year.
Dr Turner says, “Immunisation is our best
protection. The fl u viruses we’re seeing here
and across the Tasman are a good match to the
2019 infl uenza vaccine.
“The vaccine is not live and you cannot ‘catch’
the fl u from being immunised. It takes about
two weeks to start providing protection. People
should get their fl u shot now. Our fl u season
usually peaks around August.”
INFLUENZA VACCINATION IS FREE FOR:
• pregnant women
• children aged 4 and under with
serious respiratory illnesses
• people with severe asthma, heart
disease, diabetes and other serious
health conditions that make them
more susceptible to infl uenza
• those aged 65 and over.
As well as vaccination, it’s also important to
remember the other ways to help keep healthy
during fl u season. Washing hands, safe
sneezing, and staying home if you’re unwell
are other ways we can reduce the spread of
winter illnesses including fl u.
Biophilic Summit:Dr Neil de Wet presents ‘Biophilic Public Health: re-imaging health for people and planet’.