Ngāti Kahungunu iwi leader Bayden Barber slams Government over disestablishment of Māori Health Authority

Ngāti Kahungunu iwi leader Bayden Barber has hit out at the coalition Government over its urgent action to scrap Te Aka Whaiora, the Māori Health Authority, calling it a “rash move” that would be a “huge step backwards” for Māori in Hawke’s Bay and New Zealand.

His words come during a tense period in Parliament where the Government has been accused of treating Māori as “expendable” after it began the process of dismantling the Māori Health Authority on Tuesday, only 18 months after it was set up.

Health Minister Dr Shane Reti said all Māori Health Authority (MHA) roles and functions would transfer to Health NZ Te Whatu Ora and the Ministry of Health by the end of March. The authority would no longer exist from June 30.

Barber, who served as the first Māori chairman of Health Hawke’s Bay PHO, said disestablishing a model designed to shift resources out of a mainstream system that had been failing Māori for decades showed “Māori are not a priority” for the Government.

“[Health Hawke’s Bay PHO] was very deliberate in prioritising Māori first; why? Because the evidence is very clear that Māori do not receive the same access to healthcare that others do and, as a result, our health statistics are seriously behind in every major health category.”

Ngāti Kahungunu also held a hui-ā-iwi at Waimārama Marae on December 16, where the disestablishment of Te Aka Whaiora was noted as a key point of concern.

“The health and wellbeing of our tamariki, rangatahi, pakeke and kaumātua is of utmost importance to Ngāti Kahungunu,” Barber said.

Speaking in Parliament, Reti said the Government remained committed to improving Māori health outcomes.

He outlined a vision to create an “outcomes-driven” health system, giving decision-making to local communities and delivering care “as close to the home and hapu” as possible.

He dismissed the suggestion the Māori Health Authority was still “in its infancy”, saying it had a transition period of 18 months and then had been in force for another 18 months.

Barber said he was lucky enough to experience visiting the South Central Foundation in Alaska, where they have managed to stem the tide of negative health statistics for their indigenous First Nations people.

“They are very bold in their approach to improving the health of their First Nations people. They don’t hide the fact that it starts with where the investment is targeted. Te Aka Whaiora is that bold statement for improving Māori health outcomes in Aotearoa New Zealand.

“We have some of the country’s most deprived communities within Ngāti Kahungunu. My challenge to this Government is to ensure that communities are engaged and resourced appropriately to fully implement their locality plans and complete the mahi that has already started.”

He also criticised the speed with which the bill has gone through, saying there was not enough time for iwi to air their views on the proposed changes.

“Our whanaunga, Lady Tūreiti Moxon, has an urgent Waitangi Tribunal hearing set for this week which we fully support. I hope it’s not too late.

“I would like to invite Minister Reti to Ngāti Kahungunu to better understand exactly what the plan is to improve Māori health outcomes and the role iwi, hapū and whānau will play in its implementation.”