Cultural Safety in Aotearoa New Zealand

Introduction

The right to experience health and well-being by accessing necessary determinants of health, and encounter quality health services is embedded in the principles of social justice, equity and rights. For Māori, their rights extend beyond the human rights afforded to everyone living in Aotearoa, to include Te Tirit o Waitangi/ Treaty of Waitangi (‘the Treaty’) and, more recently, the United Nation’s Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (signed by New Zealand in 2010). Article 24.2 states that: ‘Indigenous individuals have an equal right to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health’ (United Nations , 2008 , p. 9). Article 3 of the Treaty affirms Māori, as tangata whenua, the same (equal) rights as others living in Aotearoa, which includes health (Durie, 1998). Moreover, the Treaty guarantees tino rangatiratanga - the right to control their life.

Māori and their whānau live with signii cant disparities and inequities in their health status and health outcomes compared to other groups living in Aotearoa, despite their rights to equality in health and self-determination. They are subjected to a ‘one size i ts all’ style of health services that invariably does not accommodate their health or cultural needs (Wilson & Barton, 2012).