Best health outcomes for Maori - Medical Council of New Zealand

Summary
Working towards a healthy Mäori future is part of
New Zealand’s commitment to the Treaty of Waitangi.
Health promotion has been defined as the process of
enabling people to increase control over and improve
their health, not by changing their beliefs or values, but
by assisting people to assert control over their health and
encouraging them to determine their own good health and
well-being. 51 For Mäori, promotion of good health involves
assisting whänau to make the choices necessary to regain
and maintain their health. 51 However, the involvement of
Mäori as active participants in the drive to improve their own
health can only occur if the necessary resources – including
the practitioners themselves – are accessible, available,
acceptable, and culturally appropriate to Mäori. 51
Just like people of other cultures, Mäori place great
emphasis on establishing a trusting relationship with their
healthcare providers. Client satisfaction and acceptability
of treatment reflect the ability of providers to show they
understand their patients and are understood by their
patients. Improving providers’ knowledge of Mäori
traditions will increase their cultural competence, thus
helping them to communicate more effectively with their
Mäori patients. This, in turn, will reduce patients’ delays in
seeking care, improve the collection of clinical information,
increase the understanding of Mäori clients, and enhance
communications between Mäori clients and providers.
Together these can lead to improved patient/family/whänau
satisfaction and greater compliance with individual
care plans.
“Health [is] not something that can be prescribed by the
doctor, but something which should arise from within
communities; and the leaders of health [are] not doctors or
nurses, but community leaders who can use their influence
and wisdom to alter lifestyles and living conditions.”
– Dr Durie 58
Best health outcomes for Mäori: Practice implications