Mihi
Kororia tonu ki te runga rawa!
Kia tau tonu ana manaakitanga maha ki runga i a Kiingi Teheitia me te Kahui Ariki nui tonu!
Ki runga, hoki, i a Te Tumu, o te Whare Ariki o Tuwharetoa!
Ka huri, ana, nga whakaaro ki nga mate o te wa - takoto mai koutou, moe mai, haere, haere, haere!
Kaati! Ratou ki a ratou, tatou ki a tatou!
Tuia i runga, tuia i raro! Tuia i roto, tuia i waho!
Tuia tatou - nga mana, nga reo, nga karangatanga maha, mai i te rohe o Taranaki, whiti atu ki te rohe o te waka o Te Arawa, peke atu ki te rohe o te waka o Mataatua ki Te Moana-a-Toi, huri atu ki Te Tairawhiti, peke atu ki rohe o Tauranga Moana, tae noa ki te rohe o te waka o Tainui!
Tena ra koutou katoa! Koutou nga kaimahi Maori o te Hauora-a-iwi-Maori whanui!
Ko tenei te toronga atu i te ringa whakawhanaungatanga ki a koutou katoa, i runga i te tumanako ka whakataungia te kaupapa "Te Mahere Rautaki Hauora - a - Iwi Maori" me ana whai mahi. Ka pa tenei kaupapa ki te iwi huri noa, huri noa, i tenei wahanga o te motu, hei oranga ake ma tatou, nga Kaimahi Maori, me te iwi whanui!
Ko te tumanako - ka whai whakatutukingia te kaupapa - kia ea ai ana, te korero e kiia ana:
Ko te pae tawhiti, whaia kia tata! Ko te pae tata, whakamaua kia tina!
Tina!
Haumi e! Hui e!
Taiki e!
Midland Region Maori Health Plan 2008 - 2011
The Midland DHB group comprises of Tairawhiti, Lakes, Bay of Plenty, Waikato and Taranaki DHBs, which collectively operate within the central North Island, the geographic locality which many view as the powerhouse of Maoridom.
Health wasn’t even in the picture when Phyllis Tangitu began plotting her course through life – she had the law in mind. Instead she became a school teacher, graduating from the Waikato College of Education in the early 1980s.
Now, how a would-be lawyer turned school teacher ends up as the general manager of Maori Health for the Lakes District Health Board is testament to Phyllis’ skill and versatility.
It all began when Phyllis she became active in Iwi development in Te Arawa, in particular for rangatahi. That role primed her for a new position in Wellington in 1989 as National Co-ordinator of Affirmative Action Programmes for Maori in the health sector. From there, there was no holding her back.
A year later Phyllis returned home to an appointment as operations manager for Te Runanganui o Te Arawa. This opportunity saw her contribute to the establishment of Te Mana Hauora o Te Arawa (Te Arawa health authority).
Phyllis, of Ngati Pikiao, Ngati Awa ki te Rangitaiki, and Ngati Ranginui descent, believes the foundation for much of the current work in Maori health at the Lakes DHB level, lies in groundbreaking developments in mental health at Rotorua Hospital. She credits Tutanekai Kinita, John Vercoe and Hapi Winiata who guided Po Te Atatu (the Maori mental health team) in the beginning as being instrumental in the organisation’s success.
“When I started in mental health, the mental health service comprised of a 16-bed acute inpatient unit and a few nurses working in the community. Maori were high users of the inpatient unit and you frequently experienced 80 - 90 per cent Maori.”
From Mental Health, Phyllis led the establishment of Te Whakaruruhau, the Maori health team in Lakeland Health. Phyllis was selected to lead Te Whakaruruhau in the late 90s. Te Whakaruruhau was established in 1996 and provided a strategic focus on workforce development, planning, and mainstream responsiveness. Maori Health required a whole systems approach. When the Lakes District Health Board was set up early in 2001, Phyllis was appointed to her present position. The results of a Health Needs Assessment of the Lakes’ population identified Maori health as a top priority for the new DHB.
“The challenge is for Maori health to effect change that shows real improvement in health gain for Maori, while the statistics of recent decades show no gains have been made so far.
"This is a daunting task for the Maori health division of the DHB, the board and my fellow colleagues. The issues for Maori health status in this region are quite significant and complex. We have to be real about what we can attain in the next two to three years,” says Phyllis.
Phyllis continues to lead Maori Health development in Lakes DHB and acknowledges the many people that have supported her as she has grown with the organisation. Phyllis is also, a ministerial appointment to the Mental Health Review Tribunal, a former director of Te Rau Matatini (National Maori workforce board), Co-Chair of Nga Purei Whakataa Ruamano, a community member on Te Kaunihera Maori of the Royal Australia and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists. And acknowledges her biggest achievement to her whanau, partner to Wi and mother of Te Kahu o Te Rangi, Tahangawari, and Tamihana, and Kuia to Moanaroa.
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Ditre Tamatea - Waikato DHB Maaka Tibble - Tairawhiti DHB
Ngawai Henare - Taranaki DHB Janet McLean - Bay of Plenty DHB