Equity: Te mana tautika
Ministry of Health’s Definition of Equity:
“In Aotearoa New Zealand, people have differences in health that are not only avoidable but unfair and unjust. Equity recognises different people with different levels of advantage require different approaches and resources to get equitable health outcomes.” 1
What does this Mean?
“Many populations experience health disparities, but the most impacted groups include some racial and ethnic minorities, people with disabilities, women, people who are LGBTQI+ and people with limited English proficiency.
“Equal access in health care has long been a goal, but more recently the focus has turned to equity. Though health equality and health equity both strive to achieve better outcomes and access to health care services, they are not the same. Equality refers to equal access for everyone, while equity aims to adjust resources for disadvantaged groups to truly create an even playing field.” 2
RNZCGP - Equity Module Cornerstone: Te Mana Taurite
This module encourages general practices across Aotearoa to learn about equity in health care, reflect on their mahi, and establish ways to support more equitable health outcomes for their patients. 3
Te Mana Taurite is made up of four indicators:
Te hautūtanga | Organisation and leadership
Pro-equity practice teams have an explicit commitment to health equity outcomes. They have knowledgeable staff who are trained in health equity in a general practice context and have health equity embedded into their governance and management.
Pro-equity practices have systems and processes in place to actively recruit, develop, and retain team members who support pro-equity values. Pro-equity practice team members understand and reflect their practice population and the communities they serve.
Pro-equity practices ensure all team members are trained in the principles and practice of health equity, reflection, and self-critique. They understand and address bias, cultural competency, and cultural safety, and create an inclusive and culturally safe experience for patients, whānau, and the communities they serve.
Te whakatere waka | Service development and delivery
Pro-equity practices collaborate with partners in the community to develop equitable services and programmes that foster an inclusive and culturally safe environment for patients, whānau, and the communities they serve.
Reading and resources
Reading about what equity is, and the key government reports and research in this space, is a great way to start this module and get a sense of the history and wider frameworks it responds to. 3
Hauora Taiwhenua Rural Snapshot
1 Ministry of Health: Manatū Hauora. https://www.health.govt.nz/strategies-initiatives/programmes-and-initiatives/equity Sourced: 11 May 2026
2 Johns Hopkins Medicine. https://www.hopkinsacg.org/health-equity-equality-and-disparities/ Sourced: 11 May 2026
3 Royal New Zealand College of General Practictioners. https://www.rnzcgp.org.nz/running-a-practice/cornerstone/te-mana-taurite-equity/ Sourced: 11 May 2026