Transforming racism research commenced

Prof Heather Came is a researcher, founding member and co-chair of STIR: Stop Institutional Racism, and Head of Department of Public Health at AUT. She has worked for 30 years in health promotion and public health, and long involvement in social justice activism. Her research focuses on critical policy analysis, Te Tiriti o Waitangi, and institutional racism in the health sector.

Dr Zoe Tipa (Kāi Tahu/Ngāti Kahungunu) is chief nurse at Whānau Āwhina Plunket and was awarded her Doctorate from AUT, studying culturally responsive ways of working with whānau accessing Well Child/Tamariki Ora services.

Prof Came and Dr Tipa’s Marsden-funded research project supports Te Pātaka Whaioranga - Pharmac’s goals of entrenching an organisational approach to anti-racism and our commitment to Te Tiriti o Waitangi. It will enable Pharmac to develop a defined and sustainable process to systematically assess, identify, and map racism across the organisation. A key outcome of the research is to deliver a suite of recommended actions to address racism.

“This is an opportunity to examine and improve Te Pātaka Whaioranga using an anti-racism lens,” says Trevor Simpson, Te Pātaka Whaioranga - Pharmac’s Kaituruki Māori. “The independent Pharmac review and supplementary report by Gabrielle Baker highlighted that Te Pātaka Whaioranga must focus more on equity and be more urgent in embedding pro-equity approaches. The timing could not be more right for this project from Professor Came and Dr Tipa.”

“Te Pātaka Whaioranga kaimahi are contributing and engaging with this research as it progresses,” says Simpson. “There have been a number of well-attended workshops and drop-in sessions so far, with several more still to come – which are open to all staff.”

“This research is a chance to shift the direction of Te Pātaka Whaioranga towards a more equitable, fair, inclusive, and anti-racist organisation – one which prioritises Te Tiriti o Waitangi as our foundational document,” says Simpson. “It’s part of a wider opportunity, supported by the recent Pae Ora Act, to do better for the health outcomes of all New Zealanders.”