The Wire with Castor

Producer Jasmine reports on response to the government's urgent disestablishment of the Māori Health Authority:

This week there has been widespread criticism shared over the government’s decision to axe the Māori Health Authority, Te Aka Whai Ora. Many public health experts, human rights organisations and fellow politicians have expressed concerns over what this move signals for Māori communities, social and political inequities, human rights, and Aotearoa’s democratic processes more broadly.

The Pae Ora Amendment Bill (that is seeing the disestablishment of the Māori Health Authority) passed its third reading yesterday after being introduced to Parliament under urgency on Tuesday. This move has meant that the Waitangi Tribunal claim set to challenge the disestablishment bill was not able to be heard before the decision to axe Te Aka Whai Ora was passed. The Waitangi Tribunal claim was also called under urgency and was originally scheduled to take place today. However, an inquiry can now only go ahead after the disestablishment bill has been passed into law, preventing any consideration of recommendations that would’ve been made by claimants Lady Tureiti Moxon and Janice Kuka.

Alongside the immediate and ongoing concerns around what the removal of the Māori Health Authority signals for Māori healthcare and health outcomes, predominant outcries today centre around political implications of this unconstitutional course of government action.

Janice Panoho, Te Kaihautū for Aotearoa’s Public Service Association, emphasised that "for such an important Constitutional issue it is vital that Parliamentary processes are used to allow proper public scrutiny and debate rather than to lock out people with dissenting voices." She and the organisation state they are “deeply disappointed in this government’s lack of respect and regard to their Te Tiriti partner.”

Earlier this week, organisation ActionStation hosted a petition to Minister of Health Shane Reti, calling to protect The Māori Health Authority. The petition has now reached almost 14,000 signatures over a three day period, meaning it has now surpassed the threshold needed to warrant a formal response from government.

The coalition is yet to announce any new formal or proposed plans that will fill the gap left behind by Te Aka Whai Ora’s removal.

University of Auckland Doctoral Candidate, Cristal Salatas, is developing a geographic information system map and dataset aimed at reducing the prevalence of premature birth in Aotearoa.

News and Editorial Director, Jessica Hopkins, started off the interview by asking Salatas about her research.

On Wednesday the 21st of February New Zealand was shocked to learn of the sudden passing of Greens MP Fa'anānā Efeso Collins.

Efeso began his career as a youth worker before joining the Auckland Council as a councillor for the Manukau ward. 

He later ran for Mayor with the endorsement of both Labour and the Greens, before campaigning for the Green party in last year's election.

In his maiden speech Collins highlighted his wish to be a champion for underserved and underprivileged members of our society;

"The government cannot be a bystander to people suffering confusion and disenfranchisement. New Zealand must close the divide between those who have and those who have not, because the reality for my community is that those who have more money often wield more power, more health, more housing, more justice, more access, more canopy cover, more lobbyists with swipe cards, and more time,"

Nicholas spoke to Green Party co-leader James Shaw about the passing of his friend and colleague Fa'anānā Efeso Collins.

New research looking into vaccination hesitancy in Aotearoa has been released from the University of Auckland.

The research was prompted by lower rates of vaccination following the covid-19 pandemic. The research aimed to uncover what was most important to Kiwi’s considerations around vaccination.

Nicholas spoke to lead investigator Associate Professor Amy Chan, about the study’s findings.