15 July 2002

Health information will be delivered in person to Mangere families, with the launch of a pilot home visiting service, Associate Health Minister Tariana Turia said today.

Community health professionals will visit households to provide information, community support, and help to access other local health and social services.

"For example, someone with diabetes will get information on the disorder, advice about the relevant services, and help to access those services," said Mrs Turia.

"By visiting people at home, health professionals get to meet the whole whanau, and involve and empower them in caring for each other. Everyone gets to learn about the support services that are available close at hand. Everyone learns about prevention and management of illness, and how to promote good health.”

The Mangere home visiting service will be offered by The Hawaiki Programme, a joint venture between South Seas Health Mangere and Turuki Health Care
Hawaiki. These two providers are already offering health and social services to the community.

Tariana Turia said the partnership of Maori and Pacific Island providers helped to restore relationships based on whakapapa, and overcome the attitudes and values that lead to competition between tangata whenua and Maori from Hawaiki.

“When we cannot acknowledge our relationships as Maori, we have lost our proper place in the world. That is the time to remind ourselves that Tama Nui te Ra, the Polynesian sun, is strong enough keep us all warm,” she said.

Tariana Turia also said the home visiting service integrated government health and community services, and represented community development in action.

“While the service is funded from the health budget, the approach recognises that good health or ‘wellness’ depends on many factors,” she said. “A person’s health can be affected by a lack of information or knowledge, poor housing, difficult family circumstances, language differences, unemployment, and so on.

“One key way the home visiting service can improve health of individuals, is to improve co-ordination among agencies. This will benefit the whole community, not just current clients.

“It really is a cause for celebration. We all benefit, community and government, if the services we provide deliver the results we all want,” she said.

ENDS

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