November 11, 2021
Whānau Ora Agency hōhā at ministry stalling
The Whānau Ora Commissioning Agency is heading back to court over access to Ministry of Health data.
After being told by the High Court to look again at its decision to withhold the data, the ministry said on Monday it was only prepared to talk with the agency about limited data sharing in rohe where vaccination outreach to Māori is most needed, as long as relevant iwi were also involved.
Agency chair Merepeka Raukawa-Tait says the process has stalled.
She says Director-General of Health Ashley Bloomfield claims handing over the data would breach privacy, even though the ministry gives similar information to non-government third parties without whānau consent.
She says Dr Bloomfield seems to believe Whānau Ora is not capable of finding and vaccinating whānau, despite the collective having vaccinated more than half a million New Zealanders to date.
While further legal proceedings seemed a waste of resources, Māori need to be vaccinated.
The Whānau Ora Commissioning Agency and Te Whānau o Waipareira are in Te Taitokerau this week helping whānau ora partners with vaccinations.