ACC wins at Te Hāpai Hapori, the Spirit of Service Awards

ACC has been recognised in Te Hāpai Hapori for our mahi in providing the Rongoā Māori Service and in joining other agencies to deliver the Driver Licensing Improvement Programme.

We're honoured to have been recognised as winners in Te Hāpai Hapori, the Spirit of Service Awards.

Run by Te Kawa Mataaho Public Service Commission, the awards recognise public servants who go the extra mile, celebrating initiatives that deliver great outcomes for people in New Zealand.

ACC's Rongoā Māori Service won Te Tohu mō Whai Ratonga, the Māori Crown Award, for increasing equitable access to services and improving experiences that lead to better health outcomes for Māori.

The Driver Licensing Improvement Programme, one of our cross-agency projects, took out the Better Outcomes Award.

The programme also went on to win the Prime Minister's Award, selected from the winners of three categories, for delivering great results, value for money and exemplifying good collaboration between agencies.

This win recognises the impact the programme has had on communities across the motu, opening doors to employment, education, support for whānau and healthcare, and enabling more people to become safe licenced drivers.

We share this honour with our partners Waka Kotahi | NZ Transport Agency, Te Manatū Whakahiato Ora | Ministry of Social Development, Ngā Pirihimana o Aotearoa | New Zealand Police, Te Puni Kōkiri | Ministry of Māori Development and Te Manatū Waka | Ministry of Transport.

'A huge honour for our team'

Claiming the Te Tohu mō Whai Ratonga honour recognises the positive impact and growth of our Rongoā Māori Service.

The award celebrates outstanding public service contributions to supporting Māori Crown relationships through auahatanga (innovation), whakapūmautanga (durability) and kōwhiringa (opportunities).

ACC claimed the award ahead of City Rail Link Ltd for the Mana Whenua Forum and Te Tāhū o te Ture | Ministry of Justice for Whakaorangia te Mana Tangata.

"This is a huge honour for our team, and I want to thank and acknowledge the many people who've helped build our Rongoā Māori Service over the past four years," says Eldon Paea, Head of Māori Health Partnerships.

Rongoā (traditional Māori healing) has been available to all New Zealanders as a rehabilitation option through ACC since 2020 and has now helped over 11,000 kiritaki (clients) across the motu.

"Offering rongoā as a rehabilitation service is part of our continuing efforts to deliver equity for Māori," Eldon says.

"It presents injured Māori, and all New Zealanders, with more choice in their recovery options, and is a positive step towards delivering equity for tangata whenua.

"We'd also like to acknowledge our fellow finalists for the great work they're doing."

As part of its summary of finalists, Te Kawa Mataaho said the Rongoā Māori Service "exemplifies a commitment to protecting rongoā as a taonga and ensuring equitable access."

Delivering equity for all New Zealanders

ACC research shows Māori are more likely to sustain a serious injury than non-Māori, but are less likely to make an injury claim.

Māori clients generally account for 12.5 per cent of new claims volumes annually but account for 16.7 per cent of the population.

Rongoā claim volumes were 1.5 times higher in the 12 months to June 2024 (7,240 claims) than they were in the previous year (4,734 claims).

"Over the past four years, rongoā Māori through ACC has given people an option they didn't have before," Eldon says.

"We want to continue building that and help New Zealanders recover from injury."

Accessing the Rongoā Māori Service

If support for your injury is covered by ACC, you can request rongoā Māori as part of your rehabilitation.

More information about the Rongoā Māori Service and how it can be accessed is available on our website.

Using rongoā Māori services