Name:
Professor:
Course:
Date:
Treaty of Waitangi
The Treaty of Waitangi is often defined as the founding document of New Zealand. The treaty’s name takes the name of the area where it was first signed on February 6, 1840. The treaty was between Maori chiefs and the British crown. Thus it is written in Maori and English (Kingi). In the 1800s, the number of British settlers in New Zealand increased rapidly. The increasing population threatened the natives, which prompted the country’s annexation to transfer all the powers to the British crown. The treaty was drafted within a few days and discussed overnight by 500 Maori people. Proponents of the treaty stressed its benefits for the health of Maoris. They overlooked the impact of annexation on the leadership among the natives. It is through this document that the British and the chiefs formed a country. The principles of this treaty play an essential role in the implementation of Acts. Today, there is still controversy on the treaty applications because of the differences between the Maori and English versions.
The four cornerstones of Maori health are mental wellbeing, spiritual wellbeing, family wellbeing, and physical wellbeing. The Treaty of Waitangi was aimed at addressing health disparities that existed between Maori and non-Mäori citizens. According to Ratima et al., ethnic inequalities in health were a common problem in the 1800s. The Mäori population was significantly plummeting in the 19th century (Kingi). The treaty addressed issues of mental, spiritual, family, and physical wellbeing to address these problems. However, in most cases, these beliefs are not upheld, particularly in contemporary society where most healthcare professionals are non-Mäori or unaware of the Mäori culture. The treaty provided the natives with equal status as the Europeans. Therefore, it required that hospitals and healthcare centers to have training that is consistent with Mäori culture. This ensures that health care services are provided following the Mäori way of life.
The Treaty of Waitangi has three main principles. These are partnership, participation, and protection (Kingi). The collaboration principle focuses on working together with different communities, including Mäori, Iwi, Whanau, and Hapu communities. These communities work together to develop effective health care strategies for Maori health and provide services to the disabled. The principle of participation involves the Mäori people being involved in all health and disability sectors. This principle requires Maori to be involved in activities like decision making, delivery of health care services, planning, and development. The last code is protection. It is the role of the government to protect the wellbeing of Mäori. It focuses on providing Mäori and non-Mäori people equal status in health, social, cultural, economic, and political environments.
The Treaty of Waitangi has had a significant impact on health care delivery in New Zealand. This treaty is important because it was initially developed to ensure that the Maori population did not become extinct. In the 1800s, the population declined due to the unequal provision of health care services. The principle of participation in the treaty focuses on giving Maori people enough opportunities to provide healthcare services and disabilities. The code offers Maori people a chance to plan, manage, make decisions, and provide other health services. The treaty also promoted responsiveness to health care issues among Maori and non-Maori people. Responding to healthcare challenges affecting all populations in New Zealand has played a vital role in increasing the population. The treaty also focuses on promoting partnerships between all communities to develop inclusive health care strategies. Creating an inclusive approach in health care is essential because it ensures that all healthcare challenges facing people in communities are addressed effectively. Another impact of the treaty on the New Zealand health sector is that it was designed to meet Maori health’s four cornerstones. The treaty was intended to ensure that Maori health beliefs were upheld during healthcare delivery. The treaty had a provision that required hospitals to train clinicians’ approaches to provide heath following Maori practices (Kingi). The treaty improved health in the country because it promoted equality between Maori and Europeans. All populations were accorded equal statuses regardless of their location.
The knowledge that I have gained from the Treaty of Waitangi will be useful because it will aid in providing physiotherapy services in New Zealand. First, I will ensure that I provide my practices based on the beliefs of Maori. I intend to give the citizens of New Zealand with quality healthcare services consistent with their practices. The knowledge that I have gained from reading this treaty is that I will ensure that I uphold the cornerstones of Maori health. I will ensure that I improve the wellbeing of the people spiritually, at the family level, mentally, and physically. Addressing these areas of health will be significant because I will be conversant with my target patients’ needs. Lastly, I will use the treaty’s knowledge to promote equality in terms of health care provision. I intend to offer my services to Maori and non-Maori people equally.
Works cited
Kingi, Te Kani. “The Treaty of Waitangi: A framework for Maori health development.” New Zealand Journal of Occupational Therapy 54.1 (2007): 4.
Ratima M, Waetford C, Wikaire E (2006): Cultural competence of physiotherapists: Reducing inequalities in health between Mäori and non-Mäori. New Zealand Journal of Physiotherapy 34(3): 153-159.