Our way of working

Tēnā koutou katoa, Talofa lava, Kia orana, Malo e lelei, Bula Vinaka, Fakaalofa lahi atu, Namaste, Ni hao, Mabuhay, Salam alaikum. 

The Equity Leadership team includes health managers who focus on Māori, Pacific Peoples, Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD), Youth, Rainbow, Tāngata Whaikaha Disabled peoples and low income communities. The team includes a population health specialist, as well as the Refugee Health Service team. There is a focus on environmental sustainability.  

The team leads the implementation of the Pegasus Health Equity and Population Health Strategy, Kia atawhai ki te tangata, 2022-2030. This strategy strengthens Pegasus’ commitment to achieve health equity by purposefully and strategically threading equity and Te Tiriti o Waitangi throughout our organisation, the wider primary healthcare network, and all aspects of how we work.  

The team works collaboratively with other teams, practices, pharmacies and other organisations to influence change within our organisation and across the wider health system. We focus on enabling equitable access to health care and equitable health outcomes with key population groups, especially Māori. 

Coupled with addressing issues of access, a culturally safe approach to primary health addresses inequalities in health care and barriers between different communities and health care systems to ensure a culturally competent workforce. 

Specific action to address the cultural safety of health systems and the health workforce is critical and will ensure that health services meet the needs of different ethnic groups and that the services are designed and delivered in a way that people will choose to use them. 

Pegasus has a cultural safety programme that supports general practice teams to understand cultural safety in order to improve access and the health of the enrolled population. 

Pegasus has a key role dedicated to improving health outcomes and reducing health inequalities, and to supporting Pacific Peoples in Waitaha to flourish. 

The Pacific Health Manager provides leadership for Pacific people’s health within Pegasus. This includes advice across the organisation on best practice ways to improve health outcomes and reduce health inequalities for Pacific peoples, workforce development initiatives for the Pacific peoples' health workforce, and development of cultural competency development education and training. 

As well as playing an important role within the organisation and progressing many of the activities within the work plan, Pegasus Health’s Pacific Health Manager works closely with Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora Waitaha and the managers from Ōtautahi Christchurch and Waitaha primary health organisations (PHOs), to help deliver on our shared outcomes and priorities. The Pacific Health Manager also supports the Pacific Reference Group, a Waitaha-wide health advisory group. 

Pacific peoples in Aotearoa New Zealand are a diverse group, comprising over 40 different ethnicities with unique cultures and languages. Waitaha Canterbury is home to around 23,868 Pacific people, making up 3.7% of the region's population (Stats NZ, 2023 Census). Despite their cultural richness, Pacific peoples face significant health disparities and are over-represented in lower socioeconomic groups. 

Primary health care is essential for improving health outcomes and reducing inequities among Pacific peoples, who often encounter barriers to accessing these services, such as cost and transport. Pegasus Health and other organisations are working to address these issues by enhancing cultural competency training and developing programs to improve access to primary health care for Pacific communities.  

Watch this video with the Tagata Sa’ilimalo (Pacific peoples living with disability) group at Vaka Tautua regarding life challenges, and finding the motivation to get better.