Toitū Hauora Symposium 2025

Sovereignty in Action — Aotearoa Steps Forward

May Pritchard, Director Innovations
 Aotearoa has entered a new chapter. At the Toitū Hauora Māori Health Leaders Symposium, hosted by Ngāti Tūwharetoa with the support of Te Rau Ora, iwi leaders, Māori health innovators and Indigenous sovereignty experts from the United States gathered to shape a clear kaupapa: Māori leadership and self-governance in healthcare must accelerate — and it must be led by us. 
 
Drawing on 30+ years of USET tribal self-governance, the symposium made one thing unmistakably clear: No one grants us sovereignty. Our only task is to practise it, grow it, and normalise it. 
 
From the stories shared by Chief Kirk Francis and Kitcki Carroll, to the bold propositions from Ngāti Toa, Tūwharetoa and Te Arawa, a unified theme emerged across the day:
 
“Recognise our sovereignty, fulfil your obligations — and get out of our way.” — Message from USET leadership 
 

Key Shifts Emerging Across the Day

 1. Māori Self-Governance is Not an Aspiration — It’s an Expectation 
Speakers reminded us that sovereignty begins with believing in ourselves as a people. Like the flea story shared by Kitcki, colonisation teaches us to jump only as high as the lid placed above us. Now is the time to remove the lid — across governance, funding, investment and iwi leadership.

2. Health Models Must Be Designed by Māori, Not for Māori
Ngāti Toa’s Mauri Ora proposition and the models emerging from Tūwharetoa and Te Arawa set a powerful precedent: Our systems can no longer be reliant on Crown frameworks that were never designed for equity. Instead, iwi-led infrastructure, investment pathways and clinical governance must become the norm.

3. The Workforce is the Engine of Self-Governance
Across every kōrero — from youth councils to tribal workforce strategies — the message echoed: Whānau are the frontline of transformation. Self-governance will grow from Indigenous capability, cultural knowledge, and a workforce grounded in identity, not bureaucracy.

4. Tribal Sovereignty Requires Tribal Unity
Speakers were unequivocal: progress requires us to shift past internal politics, scarcity mindsets and division. “We can be our own biggest barrier. Unity is our greatest power.” — USET leadership fireside 2nd half Aotearoa has the population, the leadership, and the mandate — if Māori walked in one direction, we would move the whole country. 

 5. Our Kids Must See Themselves as the Future Leaders US tribal leaders reminded us that sovereignty is a long game. We may not see the full fruits of this work, but we are seed-planters. “Our role is to prepare the ground so our mokopuna can flourish.” — Shared in the Fireside Kōrero