Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei, an Auckland-based Māori hapū, and health insurer nib are celebrating the first year of its Toi Ora programme, which sees enrolled hapū members receive free comprehensive healthcare through their partnership.
Its first year saw just under 3,000 of the roughly 5,000 hapū members sign up for the service.
The Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei Health Insurance Cover is offered to all registered Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei hapū members and nib said it is the first free universal private health insurance offered by an iwi grouping for its members.
The aim is to target better health outcomes for whānau and tackle existing barriers Māori experience when accessing healthcare through the public health system, such as cost, choice, waiting times and accessibility.
Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei Whai Rawa, Project Manager, Anahera Rawiri, who was responsible for the delivery of this project, says the health and wellbeing of Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei individuals and whānau is of the utmost importance.
“Our goal is to engage with our whānau and ensure we’re reaching as many members as we can to make sure they know that this is available to them,” Rawiri said.
“We want our people to be well and stay well, and empower our whānau to take control of their health and well-being.”
“At least thirty-three percent of our enrolled members have completed ‘Wellness’ assessments, which will provide us with population health data we can use to analyse trends and develop preventative programmes,” she added.
“This is a milestone investment by Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei into the direct health of our whānau. We will continue to track the progress of this initiative in the coming years and use this platform to promote discourse about health and wellbeing with our whānau so that we are all utilising this opportunity to further our health prospects.” Rawiri said.
nib New Zealand CEO, Rob Hennin, said they are proud to deliver the programme which allows iwi members to take a more holistic approach to managing their own healthcare.
“Not only are we giving members peace of mind that they are covered in their time of need, but we are also providing access to culturally-appropriate, co-designed health services that help them achieve better health outcomes,” Hennin said.
“It’s been great to see this innovative program come to life to help members of the hapū overcome existing barriers to health, wellness and social care,” he added.