This qualitative study investigates the operation of Māori mental health providers in a New Zealand health context dominated by “Western approaches to accountability, contracting, and performance measurement”. Findings suggest that Māori mental health providers “regularly and routinely work outside the scope of their contracts to deliver mental health services to Māori”. The extra-contractual activities were attributed to the importance of “those values and norms enshrined in Māori culture” that benefit Māori mental health users. To conclude, the paper proposes a mental health sector contracting framework that is adapted to account for the inclusion of cultural values and processes.
