Minister to launch Pacific Health Research Plan

21 February 2006

Minister to launch HRC’s new Strategic Plan for Pacific Health Research

The Minister of Health, Pete Hodgson, will launch the Health Research Council of New Zealand’s new Strategic Plan for Pacific Health Research at the Ministry of Health’s Pacific Health Provider Fono at Waipuna Hotel, Mt Wellington, Auckland on Thursday 22 February 2006.

The Strategic Plan developed by the HRC to guide activities which will contribute to a vision of “optimal health for Pacific peoples” outlines Pacific health research goals, objectives and performance measures for the next five years. The plan provides direction for Pacific health research and capacity building initiatives at the HRC, which will contribute to health outcomes for Pacific peoples in New Zealand 2006 – 2010.

The Plan has been written over the past year by the HRC’s Pacific Health Research Committee and members of the HRC’s Pacific team in consultation with Pacific communities.

The Strategic Plan describes the challenges that face Pacific peoples and the Pacific research community and outlines how the HRC plans to face these challenges and carve a path for the future,” says Mr Kiki Maoate, Chair of the HRC Pacific Health Research Committee.

“Each of the six goals in the HRC’s Strategic Plan has the potential to contribute to better health outcomes for Pacific peoples. It will do this by engaging with communities, by building a Pacific health research workforce and by investment in high quality health research.”

“The Strategic Plan is designed not just for Pacific academics and researchers, but for non-Pacific academics and researchers, and for Pacific communities alike who must benefit from the outcomes of HRC initiatives to make the investment worthwhile,” says Mr Maoate.

The HRC is the only government research purchase agent that specifically invests in health research which meets the needs of Pacific peoples.

Over the next few months the HRC will be working with the Pacific team at the Ministry of Health to identify the ways in which research-based activities could inform the Ministry’s Health and Disability Action Plan for Pacific Health.

ENDS

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