Abstract
We look at questions of Māori health equity in the fourth in the series “Where do the parties stand?”. The party responses to the Public Health Communication Centre survey need to be seen in the context of the legislation, the Pae Ora (Healthy Futures) Act 2022, which brought significant changes to the health system in Aotearoa NZ. These changes were informed by two major reviews that showed inadequate access to health services, poorer quality of care, and a failure of health services to improve outcomes for Māori, all of which contribute to the persisting inequities in health outcomes for Māori.
Our survey found that three political parties support the findings of these reviews and the new arrangements ie, retaining or strengthening Te Aka Whai Ora (the Māori Health Authority). Two other parties favoured other approaches, including greater devolution of healthcare.