Date/Time
Date(s) - Tue 11 August
18:00
Join three experts working at this intersection: Dr Matire Harwood, Dr Bruce Arroll, and Rodrigo Olin German for a conversation on what a genuinely human-centred health system could look like.
From HIV to Covid, Aotearoa has a genuine track record of using evidence-based policy to achieve some of the best health outcomes in the world.
But responding well to a health threat is only half the story. Increasingly, people are living with, not just surviving, from conditions that were once life-threatening. That shift is carried as much by community-led organisations as by the formal health system, often led by people with lived experience themselves. These groups provide the tailored, accessible, person-centred care that the public system often can’t reach, meeting people where they are rather than where a system expects them to be. They also become advocates, giving voice to communities that deserve a stronger presence in our civic spaces.
So what does it take to build a health system around people? One that learns from evidence-based policy success, and from the community-led care that sustains people long after the acute response has passed?
Dr Matire Harwood
Professor Matire Harwood (Ngāpuhi) is the Deputy Dean for the Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences, University of Auckland; and continues to practice one day a week as a GP at Papakura Marae. She has served on several national Boards and Advisory Committees including supporting the establishment of Te Aka Whai Ora. Matire has received national and international awards across research, teaching and clinical work, including the King’s Service Medal in June 2024 for her contribution to Māori health and the international UNESCO L’Oréal Fellowship for Women Scientists.
Rodrigo Olin German
Rodrigo Olin German is an advocate, educator and public health professional who has worked in the HIV sector for over 20 years. Rodrigo’s academic background is in economics; however, his passion is advocating for social justice and issues affecting people living with HIV – such as stigma, discrimination and criminalisation of HIV transmission. He has a particular interest in promoting and enacting the meaningful involvement of people living with HIV/AIDS principles (GIPA/MIPA).
Originally from Mexico, now living in Aotearoa New Zealand, Rodrigo collaborates at Burnett Foundation Aotearoa as the Senior Services and Community Outreach Manager. Previously, he has worked and served as a board member of HIV organisations in Mexico, New Zealand and the Netherlands such as the Global Network of People living with HIV, GNP+.
Dr Bruce Arroll
Bruce Arroll is a General Practice and Primary Health Care Professor at the University of Auckland, New Zealand, and was a practising GP at Greenstone Family Clinic in South Auckland since 2006. In 2024, he left Greenstone Clinic to join the Calder Clinic at the Auckland City Mission. He is a general practitioner, as well as providing special consultations using Focused Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (FACT) for people who are feeling stuck in their lives due to stress, pain, or low energy. He does this work with his patients and those referred by his clinic colleagues, as well as for people outside of the clinic.
The event will be livestreamed at the following link:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UjMFG8JN7oM