Juanita is a strong believer in working in partnership to influence change and encourages a collective approach to achieving equity in hauora outcomes for Māori.
Juanita is Deputy Chief Executive – Systems, Strategy and Policy at Te Aka Whai Ora, the Māori Health Authority. In this role, she is responsible for developing policy and strategy advice to improve hauora Māori outcomes. “This is a great opportunity to shape and influence how the health system can work better for Maori”.
Juanita came from the Ministry of Social Development, where she led the Ministry of Youth Development. She championed the voice of rangatahi in shaping government policies supporting young people to participate confidently in their communities. During this work, she focused on youth matters and strategic leadership roles across the youth sector.
She has over 20 years of experience working in the public service in a range of different sectors, including the Waitangi Tribunal, the Māori Land Court, Housing New Zealand, the Department of Corrections and the Public Service Commission.
In her work, Juanita focuses on facilitating and sharing best practices and knowledge between those from Te Aka Whai Ora and stakeholders that benefit Māori health outcomes through adopting a Te Tiriti-based approach to policy development.
Links:
