For Information : Key Messages on Maori Health - Ministry of Health

Key messages from the Ministry of Health Maori Health response for COVID-19 31 March 2020

continued...

Funding 
1. The Ministry of Health, Te Puni Kōkiri and Whānau Ora agencies have received specific COVID-19 funding to respond to the health and wellbeing needs of Māori.
2. The Ministry of Health received $13 million from the COVID-19 Health Response contingency fund for Māori specific COVID-19 initiatives.
3. In addition, the Ministry of Health was directed to dedicate $17m from within the previous allocation of $238.2m to Health (from the first announcement of the COVID-19 Health Response package) towards Māori specific investments. 
4. Additional to the above Ministry of Health lead initiatives, $10m was provided from the COVID-19 Health Response contingency fund for Whānau Ora agencies through Te Puni Kōkiri.  
 
Initiatives underway
5. The Ministry of Health has developed a COVID-19 Māori Response Action Plan.  The purpose of the Plan is to drive action and define the relationships needed to prevent, mitigate and protect whānau, hapū, iwi and Māori communities from the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. This Plan is a living document that will evolve and adapt to the COVID-19 response as it progresses.
6. The Māori health team has also developed an Equity Framework for the assessment of our response to COVID-19.
7. There are a number of Māori specific actions, and a number of contributory actions underway.  For example:
a. financial assistance for Māori providers
b. supporting Whānau Ora commissioning agencies and Māori health providers to address community need eg: assistance with self-isolation
c. providing continuity of care for kuia and koroua to keep kaumatua healthy.

---