Mâori health providers celebrate with Awards

Media Release

16 October 2006

Mâori health providers celebrate with Whânau Ora Awards

The passion and professionalism of top Mâori health providers will be on show next month with the Manatû Hauora and Te Matarau 2006 Whânau Ora Awards.

On November 3, 20 Whânau Ora Award finalists showcase their initiatives and celebrate their achievements at Wellington Town Hall, said Mâori Health Directorate Service Development Manager Kathy Grace.

“Manatû Hauora is thrilled to be hosting this event that celebrates Mâori health initiatives and promotes successful whânau ora models of service delivery.”

The displays are open to the public from 11.30am to 3.00pm and everyone is warmly invited.

The inaugural Whânau Ora Awards in 2004 were a huge celebration of excellence and achievement by individuals and organisations in the Mâori health and disability sector.

Anticipation and excitement were now building ahead of this year’s event – the second Whânau Ora Awards, said Ms Grace.

“It has been exciting seeing the ongoing passion and professional development of Mâori health providers over the past ten years, and the Whânau Ora Awards showcase and celebrate this.

“They have come a long way -- with accreditation, staff training and development and quality standards while at the same time maintaining the whânau ora vision.

The awards have attracted interest from small, medium and large Mâori health providers.

The judging panel was very impressed by the high quality of the entries and the wide range of health services delivered by Mâori health providers (mental health, disability, residential, immunisation, healthy eating, GP/PHO service and many more).

The judging criteria for the finalists was based on three guiding principles – innovation, quality and leadership.

The vision for Whânau Ora was firmly established in 2002 in He Korowai Oranga, the Mâori Health Strategy. It reorientated the whole Mâori health sector towards wellness and wholeness.

This led to the sector taking a leadership role across the whole of government and its agencies in their approach to ongoing health and disability service delivery.

The overall aim of He Korowai Oranga is Whânau Ora: Mâori families supported to achieve their maximum health and well being.

Nau mai Haere mai

ENDS

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