Proactive release of Ministerial decision-making documents.
The Therapeutic Products Act received royal assent on 26 July 2023. Its purpose is to better protect, promote and improve the health of New Zealanders by providing assurances about the safety and quality of therapeutic products.
The careful shaping of this legislation over time, including responding to the expectations of Māori, means the Act also confirms that management of rongoā (traditional Māori medicine) and mātauranga Māori (knowledge) remains in the hands of Māori. Tāngata whenua will keep using and making rongoā just as they have for generations.
Throughout the development of the Act, Manatū Hauora has been committed to working closely with the sector, communities, and experts. This kaupapa, especially the rongoā component, is one that many people are interested in. Matters like this take time to get right. That’s why it’s important we cast our net far and wide to understand the needs, wants, and aspirations of New Zealanders for the Act, and to ensure these are reflected in the legislation. We believe we’ve achieved that and have released a suite of documents to give visibility to the advice and feedback we received.
We’ve also released documents that cover advice given from the rongoā workstream to Ministers during development of the Act. The standalone workstream was set up to explore the interface of the Therapeutic Products Act and rongoā. It was one of the key mechanisms through which Māori could share their thoughts and concerns.
The documents convey advice regarding how to reflect Te Tiriti o Waitangi including rongoā in the Act, the establishment of the rongoā workstream, engagement with Māori to inform the workstream and other related matters. You can read them by clicking the links at the bottom of this page.
Manatū Hauora, as an agent of the Crown, has an obligation to actively protect rongoā Māori. It’s a legal requirement as well as the right thing to do. The Crown knows it is not the expert or holder of mātauranga Māori, so it works with its partner, tāngata whenua, to create a system that upholds the mana of rongoā Māori and provides all New Zealanders with health products and services that are safe, high-quality, and effective.
The Therapeutic Products Act 2023 replaces two pieces of legislation that were over 30 years old, neither of which referred to Te Tiriti o Waitangi. Work on updating the legislation began in 2003. The Therapeutic Products Bill was introduced to the House in November 2022.
Proactively released documents
- Briefing – Establishing a rongoā workstream alongside the Therapeutic Products Bill, including Appendix – Communications material
- Briefing – Update on the rongoā workstream
- Briefing – Recognising rongoā and Te Tiriti o Waitangi in the Therapeutic Products Bill, including appendices:
- Scope of rongoā workstream
- Overview of Government work programmes
- Summary of key areas and options
- An analysis of rongoā
- Key areas of the current version of the Bill that interfaces with rongoā
- Te Tiriti analysis