PUBLIC HEALTHCARE NEEDS A UNITED VOICE

Welcome to the first update from
Kaitiaki Hauora.

KIA ORA

Thank you for signing up to hear from us at Kaitiaki Hauora.

Before we get into the update, thank you to the many volunteers who have helped get Kaitiaki Hauora up and running. Thanks also to those who have offered to help, but haven’t yet heard from us. This mahi is only possible because people across the health sector are giving their time and energy to it.

It has been eight weeks since we launched, and a lot has happened.

Since launching, we’ve been working to amplify the voices of organisations across the health sector and bring public attention back to the state of our healthcare system. A lot is happening, ranging from new research on dental care to ongoing debates about health funding and provision, so we wanted to share a quick update on what we’re seeing and what we’re working on.

You’ve joined this conversation at a critical time for Aotearoa’s public healthcare system. Over the coming year, decisions made in Parliament and through our votes will determine what kind of public healthcare system we have.

Kaitiaki Hauora | Together for Public Health is campaigning for:

• A major boost to funding to meet the real health needs of our population

• Protecting and strengthening publicly funded and provided healthcare, rather than outsourcing it to private interests

• Honouring Te Tiriti o Waitangi by devolving decision-making authority and funding to Iwi-Māori Partnership Boards, enabling them to meet the needs and aspirations of their people.

Who we are

For those new to our work, Kaitiaki Hauora is a nationwide alliance bringing together health workers, communities, iwi Māori Partnership Boards, unions, and advocacy organisations to protect and strengthen publicly funded healthcare in Aotearoa.

We are building a broad, coordinated movement to ensure publicly funded and provided healthcare remains strong, accessible, and equitable for all New Zealanders.

Since our January launch

In just a short time, our alliance has grown rapidly, and our voice is already contributing to the national conversation.

In just over a month, 573 people have signed up to support the campaign, and 26 organisations have joined the Kaitiaki Hauora alliance.

That support shows how strongly New Zealanders value publicly funded healthcare and the people who make it work.

We have:

• Published opinion pieces in major media outlets

• Provided interviews and public commentary

• Engaged with partners and community groups across the country

• Expanded organisational support for the alliance

• Launched our website, social channels, and this newsletter

Public healthcare matters to New Zealanders. We are working to make sure it remains front and centre in all decisions about health funding and public investment.

Kaitiaki Hauora in the media

Our spokespeople have been contributing to public debate through the following pieces.

• RNZ Morning Report: Warnings of ‘spiralling’ health inflation with Rob Campbell

• The Post: Public healthcare is a taonga and a Treaty obligation

• 1News: Treasury warns hospitals need investment, says Govt should borrow more

You can check out our media page here to see the full list, and feel free to share any of our stories. It all helps.

How you can help

If you’d like to get involved, we’ve set up a How You Can Help page on our website with practical ways to support the campaign. Here are a few of the things you can do:

✓ Follow Kaitiaki Hauora on social media (LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram) and share our posts to amplify the message for strong public healthcare.

✓ Download and print a Kaitiaki Hauora poster to put up in your workplace, local cafe, or library to spread the word and bring others with us.

✓ Send a letter to the editor of your local newspaper to reinforce to media that strong, equitable public healthcare is a critical election issue. You’ll find a letter writing guide and an up-to-date list of newspapers’ email addresses here.

✓ Forward this email to your colleagues and friends and ask them to sign up to our newsletter too, so they can get active on pushing for protecting and strengthening public health with you.

✓ Donate to support our advocacy and campaigning for strong public healthcare.

We’re also cooking up a small public activation in the coming weeks to highlight why strong public healthcare matters.

We’ll share more details soon, so keep an eye out for our next newsletter and our social channels.

Join us

We are inviting organisations that share this kaupapa to formally join Kaitiaki Hauora.

If your organisation supports publicly funded healthcare and would like to join the alliance, please download our onboarding pack here. We look forward to featuring you on our website and amplifying each other’s work.

Together, we are stronger and more effective.

This is about more than one election cycle.
It’s about the kind of country we choose to be.

Kaitiaki Hauora
Together for Public Healthcare