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I want to acknowledge Dr George Laking, your Chair and Te Rina Moke, your Chief Executive Officer for the opportunity to be here with you all.

I have been greatly looking forward to this hui – to celebrate our medical graduates, medical fellows, medical practitioners, health workers and health professionals.

By virtue of the career you have chosen you have opted for a life of passion, a life of selfless commitment to the greater good – the wellbeing of the people.   It is good to be in your company.

Tēnā koutou e te mana whenua o tēnei rohe, Tainui waka, Waikato iwi,  e Te Whare o Te Kāhui Ariki, ka nui te mihi ki a koutou katoa.

Tēnā hoki koutou e ngā tāngata o Te Moana Nui a Kiwa. He mihi hoki ki te reo whakamoemiti i tenei ata, nā reira e te minita, tēnā koe.

Thank you to Fa’amatuainu Tino Pereira for introducing me - and to Leaupepe Peta Karalus, the Chief Executive of K’aute Pasifika Trust.

Associate Minister of Health Tariana Turia says that research reports recently released show that Māori continue to face a number of barriers preventing them from accessing palliative health.

Associate Minister of Health Tariana Turia has welcomed the Health Select Committee report for the Smokefree Environments (Tobacco Plain Packaging) Amendment Bill saying it is another significant step towards a Smokefree Aotearoa 2025.

The bill has proposed a number of amendments that will ensure that the effects of branding and advertising of tobacco products are minimised.

I want to thank Waitangi Wood and Lee Tuki, current Māori caucus representatives for the opportunity to talk with you and Warren Lindberg in his role as Chief Executive.

In ten days’ time, I will be preparing to give my valedictory speech.   Usually in election year there is a curious intensity, as campaign fever takes over Parliament.  Add to that, the frenzy that is associated with the impending closure of the Parliament, let alone the end of eighteen years of service, and you can probably guess that the demands on my time are at an all-time high.

Tēnā koutou katoa.

Ki ngā kuia me ngā koroua o Ahuriri, tēnā koutou.

Ki ngā whānau me ngā hapū o Ahuriri, tēnā koutou katoa.

Ki te Poari Matua me ngā kaimahi o Te Kupenga Hauora Ahuriri, tēnā koutou. Otirā ki a tātou te hunga ora, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou katoa.

I am so very pleased to be here at this wonderful celebration of two decades of dedication. 

E ngā kanohi o Ngāti Raukawa i konei i tēnei rā, tēnā koutou katoa.

He mihi nui rawa atu ki a koutou kua tae mai nei ki te whakanui i te kaupapa o te rā nei. Tēnā koutou.

Your Honour the Mayor and Councillors of the Horowhenua District Council.

The Chair and Chief Executive of Mid Central District Health Board.

The Chair and General Manager of Te Rūnanga o Raukawa.

The executive leadership of the bCentral Primary Health Organisation

The fabulous project sponsors of Te Waiora – Materoa Mar and Ana Winiata.

In three weeks time, at about this time of the day, I will stand to deliver my valedictory speech after 18 years in Parliament.  

The usual pre-election frenzy of making sure all loose ends are tied up has intensified beyond belief, as I look critically across all my portfolios, and assess what needs to be done before I shut down the computer and close the door.

But if there’s one thing I know for sure, it is that the future for tobacco reform has never been more promising.

Associate Minister of Health and Minister for Whānau Ora Tariana Turia says that latest figures show general practices in Whānau Ora collectives are making continued progress in improving the health of high needs populations.

The recent paper, Report on the Performance of General Practices in Whānau Ora Collectives as at March 2014, compares the results of a sample of 37 general practices, which are part of Whānau Ora collectives, against a national sample of 100 general practices.

Associate Minister of Health Tariana Turia facilitated the dual launch of Tangata o le Moana – the Auckland Regional Provider Network and the refreshed ‘Ala Mo’ui: Pathways to Pacific Health and Wellbeing 2014-2018 at Pacific Homecare in Papatoetoe, Auckland this week.

Ki a koutou Ngāti Toa, Te Ātiawa, Ngāti Kauwhata, Rangitāne, ngā iwi o te motu katoa.

Tēnā koutou, ā,  tēnā tātou katoa.

I am so happy to welcome you here to your House, in the spirit of Puanga / Matariki.

There could be no better time to be launching He Korowai Oranga than at the Māori New Year.  

Associate Minister of Health Tariana Turia has launched an updated version of He Korowai Oranga - New Zealand’s Māori Health Strategy this morning in Parliament. The strategy builds on the success of the Whānau Ora approach and introduces the concept of Pae Ora.

Associate Minister of Health Tariana Turia has announced that applications for funding under the 2014 - 2016 Māori Provider Development Scheme (MPDS) are now open.

“This is an important scheme that works to increase the capacity and capability of Māori providers to deliver effective health and disability services for Māori. It also supports activities to develop a highly-skilled Māori health workforce,” says Minister Turia.

A report released online this week by the Ministry of Health indicates that building health literacy is necessary for better understanding, prevention and management of gout.

“The report highlights a lack of information about gout that is resulting in a range of persistent inaccurate beliefs about the condition – clearly we should educate before we medicate,” says Associate Minister of Health Tariana Turia.

E ngā iwi, e ngā mana, tēnā koutou.

Tēnei te mihi atu kia koutou i runga i te kaupapa o te rā, huri atu te pō, nau mai te ao!

Nā reira, tēnei au ‘He muka nō te taurawhiri o Hinengakau’ e mihi atu nei kia koutou, tēnā koutou, tēnā tātau.

It is always good to come home.

I love the kaupapa of this hui – featuring ‘Te taura whiri o Hinengakau’ -  the plaited rope of our tupuna, Hinengakau.

A new set of standards to ensure the delivery of safe, quality rongoā services has been released today, replacing the original rongoā standards developed in 1999.

The standards, which are available through the Ministry of Health website (www.health.govt.nz), provide clear requirements for rongoā service providers along with guidance on achieving and maintaining this level of professionalism.

Tēnā koutou katoa

Thank you for inviting me here today to speak with you on this very important topic, the future of the New Zealand health system.

I am appreciative of this unique opportunity provided by your Chief Executive, Dr Dale Bramley, as well as the Board members and members of the Waitemata DHB Executive Leadership team. Tēnā koutou katoa.

I want to mihi in particular to Awhina Health Campus and its partners.

Associate Health Minister Tariana Turia announced an additional health initiative in Budget 2014 today, new operating funding of $10 million for Better Oral Health for children and adolescents over the next four years.

E ngā mana, e ngā reo, e ngā karangaranga maha, tēnā koutou.

Thank you for inviting me to the World Heart Federation World Congress of Cardiology session to share some of our experiences from Aotearoa New Zealand.

I believe that very essence of global health equity comes from realising that something as precious as health is a citizenship right that all should be entitled to.

Ka mihi atu au ki te tangata whenua, te hau kāinga, nāu te reo karanga ki a mātou.

I firstly greet the traditional owners of this land, the Wurundjeri people.

Thank you for the invitation to speak today. A particular thank you goes to the Cardiac Society of Australia and New Zealand who are hosting this conference.

Associate Health Minister Tariana Turia is this week joining a group of leading international experts to talk about rheumatic fever, rheumatic heart disease and tobacco reform at a major international cardiology conference in Melbourne.

Mrs Turia – a staunch proponent for stamping out rheumatic fever in New Zealand – has been invited to speak at the World Heart Federation World Congress of Cardiology session Taking on Rheumatic Heart Disease: the roles of public and private sectors.

Ka mihi atu au ki te tangata whenua, te hau kāinga, nāu te reo karanga ki a mātou.

I firstly greet the traditional owners of this land, the Wurundjeri people.

The issues around tobacco, trade and advertising have, of course, been particularly pronounced for indigenous peoples.  

For Aotearoa, tobacco was associated with the arrival of early Pākehā explorers and traders and was used as a currency and article of trade.  There was even an exchange of tobacco at the Treaty grounds as iwi and hapū leaders gathered to sign Te Tiriti o Waitangi.

The Government has today announced free drop-in sore-throat clinics will be expanded to target a further 90,000 children and young people who are at risk of getting rheumatic fever.

“Budget 2014 will invest an extra $20 million over the next four years to combat New Zealand’s high rate of rheumatic fever – bringing the Government’s total investment to more than $65.3 million over six years,” Health Minister Tony Ryall says.

Health Minister Tony Ryall and Associate Health Minister Tariana Turia have today announced the government is investing an extra $32 million over four years so more people with autism receive support to lead full lives.

“From today, World Autism Awareness day, everyone with autism spectrum disorder is now eligible to be assessed for support services, such as supported living, respite and carer support,” says Mr Ryall.