June 21, 2021
Data shows ACC short-changing women and Maori
National Māori Authority chair Matthew Tukaki says it’s no accident the Accident Compensation Corporation has found it is biased against Māori, Pasifika and women.
An analysis of claims data for the five years to June 2020 prepared for Minister Carmel Sepuloni found women and especially Māori and Pasifika women are less likely to make claims and more likely to be declined when they do so.
Mr Tukaki says there seems to be under-reporting of injuries among Māori males who are the backbone of the construction and infrastructure industries and more likely to suffer severe injuries.
He says it points to an organisational view that Māori are trying to scam the system, made worse by the ACC’s limited capacity to engage with Māori.
"There are very few partnerships between ACC and hauora when it comes to injury assessments and then the trouble is our people trying to navigate what is a very complex system. They're really good, ACC, at belting the letters out saying a claim has been received, but they are useless when it comes to settling compensation or even ensuring that Māori, in particular, have what they need as they recover from their injuries," Mr Tukaki says.
The National Māori Authority wants to see a review of ACC’s workforce and organisational culture and its engagement practices with Māori and Pasifika.
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