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Addressing racism
The Ministry of Health – Manatū Hauora is committed to addressing racism and discrimination in all their forms.
Addressing racism is an outcome in:
- Whakamaua: Māori Health Action Plan 2020–2025
- Ola Manuia: Pacific Health and Wellbeing Plan 2020–2025
- New Zealand Cancer Action Plan 2019–2029
- Kia Manawanui Aotearoa – Long Term Pathway to Mental Wellbeing
Eliminating all forms of racism is critical to achieving health equity and the vision of pae ora (healthy futures) for all New Zealanders. It is consistent with upholding obligations to Māori under Te Tiriti o Waitangi.
About Ao Mai te Rā
Ao Mai te Rā means ‘the dawn has come’. It refers to Pūao te Atatū, which means ‘a new dawn’. This was the government’s first report to call out racism in the public service.
Ao Mai te Rā continues the work of Pūao te Atatū. It builds on these foundations and tailors them to today’s health system.
Much like the dawn, this kaupapa ushers in a ‘new day’ for health. It shines light on the dark parts of our system that we aren’t so proud of, those that allow racism and discrimination to flourish.
By illuminating these negative features, we have the opportunity to change them. This is what Ao Mai te Rā is about: understanding, uncovering and actively opposing racism in the system and strategising for change.
Why Ao Mai te Rā is needed
All New Zealanders deserve to achieve their full health potential. However, not everyone has fair access to the factors that contribute to good health and wellbeing.
Racism as a determinant of health
Racism is increasingly recognised as a key determinant of health. It results in avoidable and unfair disparities in health outcomes across racial or ethnic groupings.
Within Aotearoa New Zealand, the presence of racism in the health system and its impact on health outcomes has been well evidenced and researched.
Our role as kaitiaki
As kaitiaki of the health system, the Ministry of Health has an important role in creating an environment where all people can access the health care they need without fear of racial discrimination.
This requires courageous leadership, a long-term commitment to change and a shift in the cultural and social norms of the health system. It includes identifying and shifting the conditions that hold unfair and unjust health outcomes in place.
Ao Mai te Rā helps us deliver effective and appropriate stewardship of the system. It enables all people, regardless of their ethnicity, to live, thrive and flourish according to their own philosophies and ways of being.
Putting Ao Mai te Rā into action
Ao Mai te Rā uses design thinking underpinned by a kaupapa Māori approach. Its 2 phases are being put into action over the lifespan of Whakamaua: Māori Health Action Plan 2020–2025.
Phase one: discovery
Phase one focused on understanding the problem of racism and practical anti-racism action in health settings.
Key objectives were:
- building collective responsibility for addressing racism at all levels of the system
- building a shared understanding and language for what racism is and what effective anti-racism action looks like
- building an evidence-based anti-racism maturity model that supports individuals and institutions to take pragmatic steps towards anti-racism practice.
Phase two: design and delivery
Phase two is design and delivery phase focused on supporting individuals and institutions in health settings to take action against racism in the health system.
The way we frame and understand the problem of racism and the practical application of anti-racism in phase one influences how we embed the anti-racism maturity model and the types of anti-racism solutions we develop in phase two.
Contact us
For enquiries about Ao Mai te Rā contact the Māori Health Directorate at the Ministry of Health.
Email: [email protected]
