Manatū Hauora – Ministry of Health has adopted a new name for Allied Health – now called Hauora Haumi – for its own use as part of the organisation’s Māori naming convention.
The launch of the new name within Manatū Hauora coincides with this year’s World Allied Health Day.
The Ministry of Health’s Chief Allied Health Professions Officer, Dr Martin Chadwick says the new internal name is a prompt for a wider discussion within the sector reflecting moves to strengthen a partnership approach for all health professions.
“In te reo Māori, Haumi means ‘alliance’, ‘ally’, and ‘to join’. Haumi also describes the joints and materials used to combine the various sections of a waka. And in some iwi, Haumi was the name of an extension added to the front of a waka to increase its length,” he said.
“From my perspective, the translation Hauora Haumi communicates the indispensable nature of Allied Health to our waka and its journey.”
He says there are now more than 30,000 professionals working in allied health, across at least 43 professions.
“It’s one of the largest collective professions in the health and disability sector. Every single day allied health professionals are on the frontline treating patients inside hospitals and in primary care and community settings.”
Dr Chadwick believes the sector will become even more crucial as New Zealand’s health care system evolves.
“Allied health is a big sector, with significant potential and we want to continue highlighting as much of the good work as often as possible in the years to come. We know the past couple of years in particular haven’t been easy for any one and our allied health professionals have often been the ones helping people in their journey to recovery.”
“I also know those in the sector have been forced to think and work differently in the face of lockdowns and other public health restrictions – making more use of virtual and telehealth consultations for example.
“It’s been a busy time for the profession, with the recent publication of Long COVID guidelines adding to the growing list of resources out there on the condition,” says Dr Chadwick.
“Happy World Allied Health Day – this next year is going to be an even bigger one for the sector.”
