7Health sector principles

1. For the purpose of this Act, the health sector principles are as follows:

2. the health sector should be equitable, which includes ensuring Māori and other population groups—
   1. have access to services in proportion to their health needs; and
   2. receive equitable levels of service; and
   3. achieve equitable health outcomes:
3. the health sector should engage with Māori, other population groups, and other people to develop and deliver services and programmes that reflect their needs and aspirations, for example, by engaging with Māori to develop, deliver, and monitor services and programmes designed to improve hauora Māori outcomes:
4. the health sector should provide opportunities for Māori to exercise decision-making authority on matters of importance to Māori and for that purpose, have regard to both—
   1. the strength or nature of Māori interests in a matter; and
   2. the interests of other health consumers and the Crown in the matter:
5. the health sector should provide choice of quality services to Māori and other population groups, including by—
   1. resourcing services to meet the needs and aspirations of iwi, hapū, and whānau, and Māori (for example, kaupapa Māori and whānau-centred services); and
   2. providing services that are culturally safe and culturally responsive to people’s needs; and
   3. developing and maintaining a health workforce that is representative of the community it serves; and
   4. harnessing clinical leadership, innovation, technology, and lived experience to continuously improve services, access to services, and health outcomes; and
   5. providing services that are tailored to a person’s mental and physical needs and their circumstances and preferences; and
   6. providing services that reflect mātauranga Māori:
6. the health sector should protect and promote people’s health and wellbeing, including by—
   1. adopting population health approaches that prevent, reduce, or delay the onset of health needs; and
   2. undertaking promotional and preventative measures to protect and improve Māori health and wellbeing; and
   3. working to improve mental and physical health and diagnose and treat mental and physical health problems equitably; and
   4. collaborating with agencies and organisations to address the wider determinants of health; and
   5. undertaking promotional and preventative measures to address the wider determinants of health, including climate change, that adversely affect people’s health.

7. When performing a function or exercising a power or duty under this Act, the Minister, the Ministry, and each health entity must be guided by the health sector principles—

8. as far as reasonably practicable, having regard to all the circumstances, including any resource constraints; and
9. to the extent applicable to them.

10. In subsection (1)(d), lived experience means the direct experience of individuals.