Medical education to improve Māori health

Abstract

Medical education in Aotearoa/New Zealand has a critical role to play in producing a health professional workforce that is prepared to meet the challenge of addressing Māori health. While cultural competence is an important aspect of this, we argue that Māori health is an educational domain in its own right with distinct learning objectives and educational approaches. An emerging consensus as to the optimal graduate outcomes and key components of a Māori health curriculum is supported by a growing international evidence base in indigenous health education. Several significant challenges exist, many of which can be overcome by reorienting institutional systems, structures and processes to support effective Māori health teaching and learning. We recommend a combination of immersed, integrated and independent teaching and learning approaches in order to promote high-quality outcomes.