Ngati Pahauwera iwi in northern Hawke's Bay says there are definitely benefits for Maori in a proposed new model of health care for the region.
Hawke's Bay DHB has allocated $5 million for new and updated integrated facilities on the Wairoa hospital site and is currently consulting communities from Mahia to Raupunga.
Health spokesperson for the iwi, Charlie Lambert, says bringing all the doctors under the one roof will be a real plus.
He says currently there are a number of individually run medical practices in Wairoa, which have a ceiling on the number of patients they can have.
Mr Lambert says that's resulted in some people not having access to a doctor.
He says having all the doctors on the same site means they'll share the client lists.
Mr Lambert says the new model could also help solve a shortage of registered nurses in Wairoa.
