PHARMAC signs agreements with Te Rūnanga o Āotearoa, New Zealand Nurses Organisation

Government pharmaceutical funding agency PHARMAC has today signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) with Te Rūnanga o Aotearoa New Zealand Nurses Organisation.

This MoA is the latest that health professional organisations have signed with PHARMAC as part of PHARMAC implementing its Māori Responsiveness Strategy, Te Whaioranga.

PHARMAC already has MoA with Ngā Kaitiaki o Te Puna Rongoā (Māori Pharmacists Assoc, Te Ohu Rata o Aotearoa (Māori Medical Practitioners Assn and with five Whānau Ora collectives in Rotorua, Tauranga, Papakura, Ōpōtiki and Kaikohe.

PHARMAC’s Kaiwhakahaere Whakarata Māori (Manager, Māori Responsiveness) Ātene Andrews says that this agreement with Te Rūnanga NZNO, which will be operationalised by Te Rūnanga o Aotearoa, is significant in that nurses are a driving force in health care and the largest health professional workforce in New Zealand.

“We are very pleased and excited by the work we will do together for the long term. We have also been very pleased with how these agreements have enabled Whānau Ora collectives to improve the services they provide for their people,” says Ātene Andrews.

Te Rūnanga  Kaiwhakahaere, Kerri Nuku said: "This is a significant formal relationship for us.  We have had an informal relationship with PHARMAC over the years, and we are excited about the opportunity to work collaboratively together with like minded people to improve the health and wellbeing of all people of Aotearoa.  We believe the  mana of this relationship will add to strengthening the voice of our members especially in area of medical devices, pharmaceuticals and future  ways of building Māori health workforce capabilities."

Ātene Andrews says PHARMAC’s intention is to be a long-term partner with Whānau Ora Collectives and whānau delivering health and medicines use programmes to Māori.

• PHARMAC’s current memoranda of agreement are with:
  • Te Arawa Whānau Ora Collective (Rotorua)
  • Te Pu o te Wheke Whānau Ora Collective (Te Taitokerau)
  • Ngā Mataapuna Oranga Whānau Ora Collective (Tauranga)
  • Te Ao Mārama Trust Whānau Ora Collective (Opotiki)
  • Ngā Kaitiaki o Te Puna Rongoā ō Āotearoa, the Māori Pharmacists Association
  • Te Ohu Rata o Aotearoa-Māori Medical Doctors Association
  • Kōtahitanga-Papakura, Auckland