Whether we work in the community, a hospital, or in people’s homes, at the end of the day most of us want similar things from our work environment. To be respected for who we are. To be supported well in the work we’re doing. To have a say over our work and be heard. And to deliver the excellent, culturally appropriate, holistic healthcare that whānau deserve.
But as it stands, the working conditions for healthcare workers are deeply challenging. Unsafe staffing levels, workers not being listened to, growing pressure from waitlists, workplace bullying, and burnout – especially from the immense stress of the pandemic – are just a few of the difficulties workers face each day.
As part of shifting those conditions, the Minister of Health endorsed Te Mauri o Rongo | The NZ Health Charter, which lays out how people in the health sector work together, relate to one another, and conduct our work to support the health of people in Aotearoa. Te Mauri o Rongo – meaning the lifeforce of Rongo – refers to Rongomātane – the atua of peace and cultivation.
How PSA members helped shape Te Mauri o Rongo | The NZ Health Charter
For over two years, PSA members shaped the charter at each step of the way with huge commitment to ensuring health workers are well valued, supported, and trained.
In April 2021, members working for (then) DHBs, community services, specialists in mental health and addictions, and those involved in Te Tira Hauora, Te Rūnanga o Ngā Toa Āwhina, the Deaf and Disabled Network, and the PSA Pasifika Network provided input and feedback during various consultation meetings. Despite challenges they faced over lockdowns, the vaccination rollout, and growing pressure on health services, members persisted to ensure the charter would live up to what workers need. More than 360 PSA members shared their perspectives in a survey that fed directly into the process. You can see what they told us at the bottom of this page.
Over the two year process, PSA members secured some crucial wins in particular to ensure workers’ voices are heard:
- Underlines that workers and their unions are treated fairly and with respect and dignity
- Mentions the importance of workers and their union under every pou
- Supports the importance of meaningfully involving unions in decision-making
- Values strong workplace relations between organisations (aka employers) and unions
- Holds organisations accountable for implementing the charter
In August 2023, then Minister of Health, Dr. Ayesha Verrall, endorsed Te Mauri o Rongo | the NZ Health Charter. It now has the power to shift conditions in health work across the motu.
How we can use it to improve health workers’ conditions at mahi
Everything we do is shaped by the values we hold close. Te Mauri o Rongo | The NZ Health Charter has the potential to genuinely platform workers' voices in workplaces to create a positive culture within Te Whatu Ora and Te Aka Whai Ora.
Here’s how we can use the charter so that it’s not just another poster on the wall, and instead a real change-making mechanism:
- Read Te Mauri o Rongo. Check out what’s in the charter to equip yourself with the knowledge of values and behaviours your workplace is compelled to live into.
- Talk to your workmates. Host a conversation with others at your work to help them learn about Te Mauri o Rongo and what it means for your team.
- Organise. Consider how you can work with your fellow members and delegates to include elements of the charter in collective bargaining, health and safety processes and provisions, to activate worker power in decision-making, and to improve workplace wellbeing culture.
- Reach out to your delegate or organiser to share ideas or let us know how you’ve been successful using the charter.
One of our best strengths as a union is our fellow members are specialists and workers across many different areas of the system – from our admin workers in hospitals, to our care and support workers in their clients’ homes, to our allied health workers across the community. That means we can share how the charter can be used across the whole system.
“The Working Group has always advocated that the charter should be established as the foundational base for Te Whatu Ora so that charter values are adhered to with any change that is implemented. Had this been in place the development of Te Whatu Ora would have been smoother sailing! PSA delegates know the value of the worker voice in an organisation, the sooner the charter is implemented the better so this can be achieved.” – Health Sector Committee member Stacey Muir
“To create a truly integrated and joined up health system we need to treat workers the same. Currently we are not valued the same or treated the same as our colleagues in hospitals. The charter is also our charter. And we will use it! Treating workers decently goes hand in hand with high quality, joined up services.” – Community Public Services Sector Committee member Michelle Troup
What’s in Te Mauri o Rongo | The NZ Health Charter
Te Mauri o Rongo | The NZ Health Charter is about the values that underpin what we do, the principles those values guide us toward, and the organisational, collective, and individual behaviours that make them happen.
We encourage you to check it out as a whole, but the four key pou are:
- Rangatiratanga: A health and empowering health system nurtures us all to serve. As organisations we support our people to lead. We will know our people; we will grow those around us and be accountable with them in contributing to Pae Ora.
- Wairuatanga: To serve all of our people we need to reach beyond the physical and intellectual and lead with heart. When we come to work, we are able and supported by others to be our whole selves. When we return home, we are fulfilled.
- Whanaungatanga: Weave our people together for a common purpose to serve our community, our Aotearoa. We are a team, and together a team of teams. Regardless of our role, we work together for a common purpose. We look out for each other and keep each other safe. Together we are whānaunga, we are the workforce - kaimahi hauora.
- Te Korowai Arataki / Te Korowai Āhuru: A cloak woven with purpose embraces and protects us in our work and embodies the physical and spiritual elements of Te Mauri o Rongo | NZ Health Charter. The wearer of the cloak has responsibility to act/embody those values and behaviours.
Related documents
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Summary of PSA Members response to Te Mauri o Rongo Word document | 31 KB
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Summary of PSA Members response to Te Mauri o Rongo Adobe Acrobat PDF file | 176 KB