October 20, 2021
DHBs told to lift their game for Māori
Northland District Health Board chair Harry Burkhardt says the next few weeks are critical for the Māori Covid response.
The Ngāti Kuri leader says it’s clear the roll out of vaccines by DHBs has been uneven, and Māori involved at governance level as well as clinicians are discussing what needs to be done to fix a system that has a clear racial bias.
Iwi and hapū want that bias shifted the other way to acknowledge Māori vulnerability.
He says some of the political commentary is unhelpful, and the challenge is to move from activist to actionist.
Māori providers have shown they are capable of great innovation, which is needed when decades of underinvestment in health infrastructure and relationships has led to many whānau mistrusting the system and opting out.