Mission
The New Zealand Association of General Surgeons is the voice of General Surgery in New Zealand: promoting excellence, collegiality and the well-being of its surgeons and patients.
NZAGS recognises Māori as Tangata whenua (people of the land) of New Zealand. NZAGS is committed to Indigenous health and places emphasis on the most appropriate and effective ways to achieve the vision of health equity, as well as increasing Indigenous representation in surgery and creating a surgical environment that is culturally safe and more relatable to Māori and Pacifica.
NZAGS has committed to prioritising Indigenous Health, building workforce and increasing services to better meet the health needs of Māori, and Pacific Island peoples. Focus is also on collaborating effectively with our partners and supporting the communities we serve. NZAGS has adopted the RACS Indigenous Health Position Statement outlining NZAGS ongoing obligations under The Treaty of Waitangi (in New Zealand).
Māori as tangata whenua (people of the land) of New Zealand have unique rights under Te Tiriti o Waitangi (the Treaty of Waitangi) and the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP). Te Tiriti o Waitangi provides a foundation for policy development in New Zealand and means Māori values, traditions and practices are protected.
NZAGS supports the RACS Indigenous Health Position Paper.
NZAGS Supports the RACS Māori Health Position Paper
Members of NZAGS are on the Maori Health Advisory Group
NZAGS Supports and adopts the Māori Health Strategy and action plan
NZAGS will help support and promote Maori Helath Scholarships and Awards
Vision
NZAGS aims to be the body representing Specialist General Surgery in New Zealand, through:
- promoting and supporting education and training programs that produce Specialist General Surgeons of the highest professional standard
- a focus on ethical and professional delivery of the highest level of health care to our patients and the community
- assuming responsibility for Specialist General Surgical training, to the level of Fellowship of RACS
- ensuring that Specialist General Surgeons maintain the highest standards of professional competence
- providing NZAGS members with valuable benefits and services that support their professional lives as Specialist General Surgeons
- promoting research into Specialist General Surgical disorders, and advancing the knowledge of how such disorders are managed
- developing an autonomous, well-functioning society for Specialist General Surgeons, while maintaining mutually beneficial relationships with other specialty societies, interest groups, and professional bodies
- promoting the reputation of Specialist General Surgery in New Zealand
- promoting NZAGS as the authority for Specialist General Surgery in New Zealand, and having the Society recognised as such by government, health groups, and the wider community
- developing efficient and economical administrative processes for the management of NZAGS and its resources
- implementing processes that provide a secure financial position for NZAGS
Values
The core values of the society, which underlie all of its activities, are excellence, accountability, and transparency.