Joanna Hikaka (Ngāruahine), is a pharmacist and health researcher, living and working in Tāmaki Makaurau/Auckland Aotearoa. She completed her PhD in 2021 and this paper is one of eight publications that were included in her thesis. Joanna currently holds research positions at Waipapa Taumata Rau – The University of Auckland and Ngā Kaitiaki o Te Puna Rongoā o Aotearoa – The Māori Pharmacists’ Association. Joanna’s research focuses on equitable access to health services for Māori and considers how we can develop pro-equity, anti-racist health services and in 2022 she is travelling to Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island as a Fulbright Visiting Student Researcher.

Hikaka Joanna, Jones Rhys, Hughes Carmel, Connolly Martin J., Martini Nataly (2021) Utilising te Tiriti o Waitangi to approach health intervention development and research: pharmacist-facilitated medicines review interventions for Māori older adults. Journal of Primary Health Care 13, 124-131.

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Joanna's paper describes to researchers, clinicians and policymakers how to apply the principles of te Tiriti o Waitangi, in the design of pro-equity health services research. The findings in the paper were informed by the voices of older Māori, other health care stakeholders, the literature and te Tiriti o Waitangi. It seeks to elevate Indigenous rights within the design and delivery of health care interventions, and in the research processes which inform these.

The findings support a step-by-step approach to pro-equity health intervention development.

It presents a clear articulation of how legislative principles (and Indigenous rights) can be used to structure health care interventions that deliver equitable access and outcomes, and allow marginalised groups to participate in research that upholds their mana (prestige) and power in the process.

This paper can be used to support the design and development of health care interventions and services that aim to achieve equity from the outset. It can also be used to review current services and has the potential to support identification of aspects of interventions/services that need to be reviewed and reworked to achieve equitable access and outcomes. The applicability extends beyond application in Indigenous settings to all research that seeks to prioritise fair and just outcomes.