95bFM National's Shane Reti defends opposition to the Māori Health Authority
Interview by Aneeka Moheed, adapted by Jessica Hopkins
National's health spokesperson Dr Shane Reti told 95bFM's The Wire that Aotearoa's current health system has improved Māori life expectancy. Photo: New Zealand National Party.
The new Māori Health Authority is set to be in place from July this year, and will be responsible for ensuring the health system works well for Māori.
National Party Leader Christopher Luxon and ACT Party Leader David Seymour have both said they do not support a Māori Health Authority, with National stating it will be disestablished should they come to power in the next election.
In an open letter, the Cancer Society and several NGOs criticised their stance, arguing that establishing Health NZ is central to Te Tiriti o Waitangi and will help ensure everyone has the same access to good health outcomes.
National's health spokesperson Dr Shane Reti defended National's opposition, telling Aneeka Moheed on 95bFM's The Wire that a Māori Health Authority will not achieve the goal of addressing Māori health outcomes.
"I'm interested in health outcomes," he said, adding that the government's regulatory impact statement says no benefits will be realised from establishing a Māori Health Authority for the first five years.
Dr Reti cited that Aotearoa's current health system has improved Māori life expectancy from 30 in 1840 to 73.4 in 2022.
"The arguments made that we need to do something different because the system hasn't worked for Māori in nearly 200 years. Then how do you explain the huge increase in life expectancy? Let's not throw the baby out with the bathwater. There have been many good things that have happened with Māori health providers."
Life expectancy for Māori is roughly seven years below that of non-Māori. The Government has stated this as one of the reasons it has established the Māori Health Authority.
Reti claimed that "Māori are being set up to fail" and will be disappointed by the outcome of the Pae Ora (Healthy Futures) Bill.
The select committee report considering the restructuring of the public health sector is due later this month.
The National Party has proposed absorbing the Māori Health Authority into a "ramped up" Māori Health Directorate within the Ministry of Health, which Reti said would deliver on Māori health outcomes within the first year.
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