Data helps meet our community health needs Hei āwhina te raraunga i ō tātou hiahia hauora ā-hapori
Census information showed a large number of people had moved into the community of Te Kao, in Northland. This information helped Māori health provider Whakawhiti Ora Pai understand the changing health needs of this growing community in many important ways.
For a start, they could see what additional services they needed to offer, and the best places to offer them, to keep step with the population growth. They also knew how many new people to employ to ensure the right level of health care was being delivered so there were no gaps in their services.
This accurate understanding of the community, based on census information, also meant they could apply for funding to meet the increased and constantly changing demands of the residents of Te Kao.
“We couldn’t do what we do without census data. It’s important for our people, our organisation, it’s important for services.”
Charlotte Tahitahi-Matiu, Registered Social Worker