Te Tiriti o Waitangi

Our commitment to Te Tiriti o Waitangi

The text of Te Tiriti o Waitangi, including the preamble and the three articles, along with the Ritenga Māori declaration1 (“Te Tiriti”), is the enduring foundation of Pharmac’s commitment to achieving best health outcomes for Māori in its work. Pharmac is committed to and upholds the articles of Te Tiriti across all its work.

Pharmac acknowledges it is in the early stages of embedding Te Tiriti into its policy and practice. The articulation of Te Tiriti principles below acts as a reference and guide for Pharmac's ongoing development and expression of its commitment to Te Tiriti.

Over time, the articles of Te Tiriti have been interpreted and expressed through a developing set of principles. The 2019 Hauora Report2 recommends the following principles. These principles apply to our work:

  • Tino rangatiratanga: We recognise and respect the right of Māori to have control over their own health and wellbeing. We support Māori in the exercise of tino rangatiratanga, through self-determination and mana motuhake in the design, delivery and monitoring of our work. We build enduring relationships and partnerships with our Te Tiriti partners.
  • Equity: Māori are our priority population for all equity work. We consider inequitable access to medicines and poor health outcomes for Māori to be unfair, unjust and avoidable and we actively work to achieve equitable health outcomes for Māori.
  • Active protection: Alongside our commitment to equity, we are well informed on the extent and nature of Māori health outcomes and what is being done to achieve Māori health equity. We actively protect tino rangatiratanga through increasing Māori participation in governance, leadership, management and decision making at all levels of Pharmac. We ensure mātauranga Māori is given respect in any decision-making process.
  • Options: We deliver for and work with whānau Māori in a sustainable, enduring and culturally appropriate way that recognises and supports the expression of mātauranga Māori.
  • Partnership: We work in utmost good faith with Māori in the governance, design, delivery and monitoring of our work to ensure our mutual goals are met. We ensure our governance and management structure guarantees we have capability and capacity to deliver on our commitments. We continually broaden our understanding of te ao Māori and build our capability to deliver on all our priorities.

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1 The Ritenga Māori declaration (often referred to as the ‘fourth article’) was drafted in te reo Māori and read out during discussions with rangatira concerning Te Tiriti o Waitangi. The Ritenga Māori declaration provides for the protection of religious freedom and the protection of traditional spirituality and knowledge. Te Puni Kōkiri (2001), A Guide to the Principles of the Treaty of Waitangi as expressed by the Courts and the Waitangi Tribunal. Wellington: Te Puni Kōkiri. pp.40-41.

2 Waitangi Tribunal. 2019. Hauora: Report on Stage One of the Health Services and Outcomes Kaupapa Inquiry. Wellington: Waitangi Tribunal. pp. 163-164.