The New Zealand Public Health and Disability Act 2000 established District Health Boards and statutory advisory committees to ensure that the community has a voice in health and disability service planning and funding.  In addition to the public engagement process available through the Board, there are also formal consultation processes on significant work projects and where changes are proposed.  Community engagement and consultation ensure that community needs and priorities are an integral component of decisions about planning and funding.

  View current public consultation discussion document.

Auckland DHB has public documents that outline the future direction and priorities of the board available on-line.  Simply download and read at your leisure.

  Annual Reports    District Annual Plans    Health Needs Assessment Report    Statements of Intent    Strategic Plans

Services areas have developed their own ways of recognising service users and the views of the public.  Customer feedback is collected via our quality systems and the complaints process.  General Managers for Maori health and for Pacific health make sure that Auckland DHB responds to the identified needs and aspirations of their respective communities.

The Auckland DHB population is diverse with rapidly expanding new migrant populations that place increased demand on health professional for culturally appropriate services.  The city has multiple communities of interest that span ethnic groups, age groups, neighbourhoods, gender, sexual orientation and religion.  People expect health services to, at the very least, recognise and acknowledge these differences.  Responsiveness to culture is now integral to best practice and is further underscored by the Code of Health and Disability Services Consumers' Rights and Human Rights legislation.

Baseline expectations for cultural practice help improve the quality of service and assist practitioners and front-line staff respond with confidence to people presenting for care and enable basic human rights to be upheld in the health care setting.  Some groups specifically disabled people, older people and people with mental illness, require support services to help them live independently and to participate in society.  Support service and the attention to basic rights are essential to health and wellbeing.

A Tikanga Recommended Best Practice Policy has been developed to help the organisation meet responsibilities under the Treat of Waitangi especially in improved service responsiveness to Maori.  The policy does, however, have much wider application and will become the predominant best practice to help staff respond to ethnic groups, cultures and religions.  Tikanga Recommended Best Practice also recognises that many cultures incorporate traditional approaches to health alongside western medicine.

A pacific cultural competency framework has been developed to assist staff and other organisations to respond appropriately when delivering services to Pacific people.