NHC marks 10 years of making a difference - Born in a west Auckland garage, PHO celebrates its city premises

- National Hauora Coalition is celebrating 10 years since it officially began operating as a PHO.

- It also celebrated its new offices in central Auckland, which is contributing to a greater Māori presence in the city.

- Part of the new premises includes Te Turangawaewae Manahau a Tariana Turia – The Tariana Turia Centre for Excellence, to be used as a space for researching better outcomes for Māori.

So, we became the bus with 11 steering wheels and 11 brakes, trying for progress

The organisation that began as a bus with 11 steering wheels and 11 brakes is using the spirit of Matariki to celebrate its 10th anniver­sary, a new home and the beginning of its next journey.

On 23 July, the National Hauora Co­alition celebrated its 10th birthday in style, with birthday cake, balloons and plenty of kai.

The party was held at its new offices in AECOM House, central Auckland, with Dames Tariana Turia and Paula Rebstock and former prime minister Sir Bill English among the guests. Previ­ously, the coalition was located on Rose­bank Road in Avondale, west Auckland.

The successes of the coalition, which turns 10 this year, can be attributed to the “coalescing” of a group of 11 com­mitted hauora Māori advocates, says former chair Henare Mason.

Officially operational as a PHO in 2011, Mr Mason says one of its reasons for existence was the real­isation that if they failed “our grandchildren will curse us”.

“It was a simple statement of who we were doing this for. So, we became the bus with 11 steering wheels and 11 brakes, trying for progress,” he say, referring to the 11 original founders.

NHC Trust chair Dame Tariana paid special tribute to Sir Bill: “Thank you, Bill English, for enabling the setting up of National Hauora Coalition, thank you so much,” she says.

Former NHC governor Mr Mason also referred to early conversations he had with Sir Bill, saying, “He asked what we wanted ‘and be careful what you wish for’.”

Following speeches, guests gathered around two birthday cakes, iced in the NHC colours of blue, green and white, to sing “Tūtira mai ngā iwi”, before breaking for lunch and a look around the offices.

High on chief executive Simon Royal’s list was celebrating the new office space.

“Many people won’t remember, but we started in a garage in Avondale.”

Many long meetings and long nights meant employing someone to feed and watch the kids while they played in the swimming pool, he laughs.

The new building is in Te Tōangaroa, Ngāti Whatua’s commercial precinct.

“In this space, we are not only more closely connected to mana whenua, but we also make a statement by contribut­ing to a greater Māori presence in Auck­land’s central business district.”

During his address, Mr Royal pur­posefully avoided global pandemics, changes in government and health re­forms, instead choosing to focus on the “kaupapa of the day”.

“The health and wealth of our whānau, the 10th birthday of the NHC, 20 years of our kaupapa and the success we have all had to date in putting whānau at the centre.

“There’s lots to celebrate: we and other hauora Māori organisations are still here. We survived in the face of continuing institutional racism and inequity of resourcing.”

Mr Royal acknowledges the work of the kaimahi at NHC, whose lived experiences in schools, communities, clinics, waka ama and on the netball courts is a critical ingredient in the or­ganisation’s success.

“Our workers come directly out of the communities we seek to serve.”

While he celebrates the Crown acknowledging its failure to meet obligations under Te Tiriti o Waitangi, and for partially accepting interim rec­ommendations made in the Waitangi Tribunal’s “Hauora Report”, it has not been able to solve ongoing challenges for Māori.

The coalition will now be embarking on an engagement strategy to further amplify the voice of whānau in future work, he says.

Centre for excellence
As well as marking 10 years, NHC’s clin­ical director Rawiri McKree Jansen announced the opening of Te Turanga­waewae Manahau a Tariana Turia – The Tariana Turia Centre for Ex­cellence, located in the same premises.

Dr Jansen says the centre will bring together research and academic rigour from the sector to focus on the expec­tations and aspirations of whānau.

The centre will have at least three core functions:

•innovation, to drive improved health and social outcomes for whānau

•research to contribute to the pro-equity evidence base

•applied science, using the evidence base to achieve objectives.

“This is about authentic Māori-owned, Māori-led, Māori-governed space to stand, and this has been in­spired and informed by a wahine toa, so we are privileged to name this after Tariana Turia,” he adds.

Additional reporting by Alan Perrott