Our commitment to Māori mental health

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The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists (RANZCP) is committed to supporting the right of Māori to effective health care appropriate to their culture and needs.

One of the RANZCP’s core values, as outlined in the Strategic Plan 2018-2020, is to prioritise the achievement of high quality outcomes for Māori, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

The RANZCP works with stakeholders in the Aotearoa New Zealand health sector to:

promote the mental health and wellbeing of Māori communities
support individuals, family and whanau to understand the impacts of mental health issues
ensure individuals who experience mental health issues are aware of and understand their rights and responsibilities.

The RANZCP aims to build the Māori mental health workforce by:

engaging with Māori medical students, junior doctors and house officers, strengthening their Māori knowledge, and recruiting and supporting them to become Māori psychiatrists
supporting Māori Fellows and trainees to develop cultural competency and practice that supports the values, culture and history of Māori.

Recognising the significance of Te Tiriti o Waitangi

The College’s position statement describes Te Tiriti within the context of improving hauora Māori (Māori health), and the steps the College is taking to meet its responsibilities under Te Tiriti.

RANZCP Position Statement: Recognising the significance of Te Tiriti o Waitangi.

Te Reo Māori Guide

The RANZCP recognises the importance of respecting Māori culture, in particular the Māori language.

The College is increasingly using Te Reo in communications.

To assist staff and members, we have created a Glossary of Commonly Used Words in Te Reo Māori that explains words and phrases often used at the College.

The guide also contains a section with further resources and courses you can access to learn more Te Reo Māori.

If in doubt, please contact nzoffice@ranzcp.org to check the meaning of words and phrases in Te Reo Māori.

Māori mental health resources

The RANZCP also lists a range of resources to support mental health service delivery and appropriate assessment practices for Māori.

Māori mental health resources

Support for Māori trainees in psychiatry

Grants are available to Māori trainees to assist with the costs of specialist training, participation in RANZCP congress and conferences, and other activities necessary to achieve Fellowship.

More about trainee grants and how to apply

Our Te Kaunihera mo ngā kaupapa Hauora Hinengaro Māori

Te Kaunihera mo ngā kaupapa Hauora Hinengaro Māori (Te Kaunihera) is a constituent committee of the RANZCP’s Practice, Policy and Partnerships Committee.

It provides the RANZCP with advice and support on issues relating to Māori, and advocates for the mental health of Māori.

The committee is made up of Māori community members, psychiatrists and trainees.

Tu Te Akaaka Roa

Tu Te Akaaka Roa is the Māori name for the RANZCP’s New Zealand National Committee. It was developed to strengthen the College’s Māori identity, and also highlight and celebrate the national status of the RANZCP in Aotearoa New Zealand.