Iwi leader: The PM has thrown Māori health outcomes back onto ‘the floor’

Ngāti Kahungunu chair Bayden Barber says Māori health outcomes are “on the floor”. Photo / Paul Taylor
THREE KEY FACTS:
Bayden Barber is the chair of Ngāti Kahungunu Iwi Inc. He also served as chair of Health Hawke’s Bay between 2016 and 2020, during which time the Ka Hikitia Strategy was formulated prioritising Māori health outcomes and investment across the PHO’s key delivery areas. Ngāti Kahungunu is the third largest iwi, with 40,413 registered members from Paritū in the north to Turakirae in the south.
OPINION
Earlier this week, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Health Minister Shane Reti scrapped free doctor visits for Māori and Pacific young people in Hawke’s Bay, stating that healthcare should be based on need, not ethnicity.
In the present health setting, this move is an outrage and an overreach from the central government.
Policies based on generalities like this will not lift Māori and Pacific health outcomes off the floor.
Targeting services to Māori and Pasifika is not a racist agenda, it is simply acknowledging that there are communities that do not access the appropriate primary health services they need when they need them.
It is no secret that Māori are over-represented negatively in all major health statistics.
Māori are more likely to need healthcare and the statistics I have seen show they die eight years younger than non-Māori. Our Pasifika whānau are a little better at six years younger. How is it that this can still be happening in 2024?
Will we continue to ignore the volumes of health research that concludes we have a health system that continues to fail Māori?
Ngāti Kahungunu calls for greater action from this Government by increasing investment in Māori and Pacific-targeted health initiatives.
In 2019, in my former role as the chair of Health Hawke’s Bay primary health organisation (PHO), we initiated the Ka Hikitia Strategy, which prioritised Māori health outcomes and associated funding allocations.
Ka Hikitia means to lift, and it was a deliberate strategy to lift Māori health outcomes that continued to lag compared to the rest of the community.
I mihi to the board, staff and participating general practices for their courage and also to consecutive boards and staff for continuing in this direction.
It was clear to me and others that the criteria set on “need” alone was not targeted enough.
It was not making a difference in the lives of whānau in our most vulnerable communities. Hawke’s Bay is home to some of the country’s most wealthy, and it is also home to some of our country’s most destitute.
We will not move the dial on improving Māori health outcomes until we address this issue head-on.
Ngāti Kahungunu has a vision for its people: that they are healthy, thriving, vibrant and excelling in all aspects of their lives.
We will struggle to achieve this with a Government that ignores the fact that Māori have the lowest rates of access to primary care, which in turn results in the highest rates of avoidable hospitalisations and premature deaths.
Rangatahi/youth health is especially important because most of the Māori population is under the age of 40, and as such they will be carrying our dreams and aspirations into the future.
Ngāti Kahungunu will continue to look for solutions by working with our health and social sector partners and by building strong relationships with those who can support lifting whānau health and wellbeing outcomes.
As the Kahungunu saying goes, “Kaua e hoki i te waewae tūtuki, ā pā anō hei te upoko pakaru!” In essence, never give up but keep moving forward.