The chair of an interim hauora advisory committee set up to advise the health ministers on Māori Health Authority and Health New Zealand concerns says the inequitable health service Maori get won't be turned around overnight.
Parekawhia Mclean (Waikato, Ngati Maniapoto) says the committee has a couple of goals it wants to achieve but it wants to focus on its overall purpose, which is “to provide independent advice to the health minister”.
Dr Matire Harwood, Tā Mark Solomon, Rahui Papa, Amohaere Houkamau, Lisa Tumahai, Margareth Broodkoorn and Dr Jim Mather are the other members of the committee.
“I am reasonably confident of achieving the task that is required of us,” Mclean says.
The committee members have a high expectations of the health system.
“Those expectations include seeing the sorts of support to address equitable access to hauora and oranga services to our whanau.”
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Mclean said there would be some challenges.
“The system we are moving from hasn’t delivered equitable access to our people in particular. It’s not going to be turned around overnight and it's also going to take a change in mindset, attitude and culture in those entities that deliver services to our people.”
McLean says what she has seen through the Covid-19 pandemic and acknowledges is "the work our hauora Māori and oranga Māori providers did on the ground, so I would like to see more of that happening, more of that being delivered at the local level for and by Māori”.
Meanwhile, the Pai Ora or Health Futures Bill establishing the Māori Health Authority and Health New Zealand has just passed its third reading in Parliament.