Whanau Oranga Hinengaro: Northern Region Maori ... - Network North

for both men and women. In this respect the Māori
population is not ageing at the same rate as the
non-Māori population, although in the same direction
suggesting an increased need for mental health services
that are responsive to the needs of older Māori.
• The population is mobile (both nationally and
internationally). The trends towards a growing and
ageing Māori population will be similarly matched by an
increasingly mobile population. Around 25 percent
of Māori live in the greater Auckland area with a higher
percentage residing in Northland. This amplifies the
need for a Māori and non-Māori workforce equipped to
meet the mental health needs of Māori.
The demographic transitions described above will inevitably impact
on regional mental health service provision for Māori and require
adaptations to meet changing needs. The dynamic nature of
Māori society will need to be accommodated in mental health service
provision.
Structuring the Plan: The 4-Rs Framework for
Achieving Whanau Oranga Hinengaro
The 4-Rs Framework is an approach to mental health and addiction
services delivered across the continuum of care, agreed to by the
Sponsors of this Plan refresh.
The core of the 4-Rs framework is the selection of practices within
mental health settings that ensure that the right response to the
needs of tangata whaiora is applied in the right way at the right place
at the right time leading to recovery for tangata whaiora. Recovery is
defined as “…happening when people can live well in the presence
or absence of their mental illness” (Blueprint, 1999, p1). This implies
a role for both service providers and service users. The 4R’s Whanau
Oranga Hinengaro framework helps to link science and matauranga
Māori to practice and communicate it to stakeholders.. The 4 R’s, as
described, are based on clinical evidence and applied research, and
underpinned by culturally appropriate approaches. They also reflect
the government’s aim of better, sooner, more convenient health care.
This plan recognises that even when mental health services deliver
the right response to the needs of tangata whaiora in the right way, at
the right time and in the right place, outcomes for tangata whaiora are
also influenced by the wider determinants of health. The framework
and actions in this plan fall within the larger contexts of overall health
and therefore comprise an interlinked subset of the overall health
of tangata whaiora. This includes physical, emotional, spiritual and
whanau health. In addition the 4-R framework actions are situated
within the wider context of the society in which tangata whaiora live.
The 4-Rs therefore, are not independent of the wider social systems
or sectors which influence wellness.
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