Key requirements and commitments

These actions reflect the ‘gold standard’ from the literature and is intended to be aspirational. Implementation plans will cover deliverables or activities for giving effect to focus area commitments:

External – health system, communities, and public facing

Focus area: Strategy 

• We will continue to implement the Government, public sector, Māori, other population groups, and the public’s expectations of Te Pātaka Whaioranga in relation to equity policies and strategies.
• We will develop implementation plans to give effect to this policy.  

Focus area: Governance

• We will ensure our decision-making and strategy setting processes are supported by advice on equitable impacts.
• We will support the health sector to be equitable which includes ensuring Māori and other population groups:
  • have access to services in proportion to their needs
  • receive equitable levels of service, and
  • achieve equitable health outcomes.[1]

Focus area: Leadership

• We will facilitate equitable representation for populations with the highest health inequities on our advisory groups.
• All staff will have specific accountabilities for giving effect to this policy in their job description and performance agreement.

Focus area: Partnership

• We will strengthen our partnerships with whānau, hapū, iwi, and other Māori collectives. 

Focus area: Relationships engagement and advocacy 

• We will build relationships and engage with populations with the highest health needs and other groups underserved by the health system, through our advisory groups and networks. To do this we will draw upon our Engagement Strategy.
• We will work with the health sector to increase the access to and responsible use of pharmaceuticals we already fund, by populations with the highest health inequities. 

Focus area: Communications

• We will strengthen our communication channels and content to better reach diverse population groups and communities, suppliers, medical practitioners and other health professionals, and individuals. We will publicly communicate results and performance against this policy and key deliverables as appropriate. 

Focus area: Operational

• We will adopt a pro-equity population health approach to our investment decisions.
• We will prioritise the health needs of population groups with the highest health inequities, and sub population groups, in our funding decisions. This includes reviewing our current prioritisation and investment decision-making process to ensure they are aligned with this policy.
• We will draw upon lived experience, the voices of population groups through our advisory groups and networks (qualitative evidence), and quantitative evidence to prioritise our investment. 

Focus area: Resourcing

• We will manage our investments to give effect to this policy prudently and transparently.
• We will ensure there is sufficient capacity and capability to deliver on this equity policy.  

Focus area: Measurement, monitoring and reporting 

• We commit to working in partnership with key health and disability sector agencies on developing an outcome, impact and performance measurement framework for this policy and its implementation plan drawing upon the Medicines Access Equity Monitoring Outcomes Framework.
• We commit to measuring, monitoring, and reporting on outcomes and impacts and our performance against this policy and its implementation plan.  

Focus area: Evaluation

• We will, in partnership with key health and disability sector agencies, develop an outcome and impact measurement framework for this policy and review performance against it every 2-3 years.
• We will undertake organisational equity audits and use the results to improve our performance.

Focus area: Data management

• We will manage data on population groups and our staff appropriately, in accordance with government legal requirements and policy and best practice.

Focus area: Representation

• We will continue to build a workforce that is broadly representative of the diversity and changing demographics of New Zealand.

Focus area: Pay and professional development

• We will continue to monitor, and address pay inequities through Kia Toipoto People and Pay Equity Plan. 
• We aim to incorporate equity professional development and accountabilities in all Conversations About Performance

Focus area: Capability

• We will build understanding of the common drivers of health inequities in New Zealand and how to resolve them.
• We will build critical analysis[2] for challenging health inequities and racial discrimination.
• We commit to developing equity capability self-assessments and equity Conversations About Performance domains, to assist with professional development and performance management.
• We will monitor and report on staff capacity and capability to give effect to this policy.

Focus area: Training 

• We will provide training on equity, cultural safety, health inequities, anti-racism, Te Tiriti, and human rights.
• We will provide regular updates and intelligence on health conditions and inequities for Māori and other population groups with the worst health outcomes such as Pacific peoples.
  HR systems and policies 
  We will monitor and report on capability and capacity to deliver on this policy.
• We will review and update our HR systems and policies to align with this policy.