Abstract
Introduction/background: New Zealand’s health sector is undergoing transformational changes that are outlined in new legislation, Pae Ora (Healthy Futures) Act 2022. Enacting these health system reforms, requires community providers to reorganise themselves into localities, placed based planning to improve health and wellbeing outcomes. Supporting those populations that have not always been well served. Localities are defined as geographically defined areas bringing services together into more responsive provider, place-based networks.
Why? The key driver for the change is to achieve health equity by reducing health disparities that exist across Aotearoa, New Zealand, particularly for indigenous Māori, including honouring Te Tiriti o Waitangi (our constitutional document that establishes and guides the relationship between the Crown and Māori). Collaborative Aotearoa has adapted the Collective Impact approach through sector engagement for our unique New Zealand context. As a change / field catalyst, the team is advocating for community health and wellbeing providers across New Zealand, to adopt a Collective Action with Communities (CawC) approach as they navigate the transformation of our health system. The approach advocates for whānau (family) and communities to centre equity and adopt a population health lens to reframe the nature of the problem, refocus the work with others, reimagine the future and who is involved. Achieving systems change will involve a better balance of power between those with lived experience in our communities that are most impacted and those who are funded to provide services. Adopting CAwC, alongside community-led development and Whānau Ora initiatives (an indigenous health approach in New Zealand, driven by Māori cultural values) will help to address health disparities and help to improve health and wellbeing outcomes for all.
Who is it for? CAwC provides the ‘How to” practical approach for primary and community service providers and key/anchor partners to gather the true aspirations of their community; contribute to making decisions about how resources are directed and to build trusting relationships in order to better serve the health and wellbeing needs of their community. Translating community aspirations into actions within practical plans is a way of ensuring we really shift the needle where it matters most. Participants will learn about the strategies that Collaborative Aotearoa has adopted to lead system change across New Zealand to improve health and wellbeing outcomes and achieve equity. This has included localising the Collective Impact approach to make it more relevant to New Zealand and the changing landscape; developing and promoting resources including an online module to create a common language to support new ways of collaborating that are essentially whanau-led; and leveraging the legislative health system reforms to support the establishment of localities. The structure of the session will be interactive to prompt discussion and reflection relating to key elements CAwC. The presentation will include an overview of the journey to Pae Ora (Healthy Futures), practical sharing of CAwC that will be brought to life through the lens of the award-winning initiative, Equally Well, which focuses on improving physical health for people experiencing mental health and/or addiction issues.
Workshop presentation.