June 16, 2022
Māori listened to says health under-boss
The Ministry of Health’s top Māori official says Māori advice was taken into account in the evolution of the ministry’s Covid-19 response.
An independent review has found many respondents felt the ministry’s response to the August 2021 Delta outbreak did not equitably respond to the needs of vulnerable populations.
Health deputy director general John Whaanga says the ministry has worked closely with Māori health providers and invested significantly in Māori health over the past two years.
He says the Covid response technical groups included, Māori providers, iwi leaders and other Māori representatives.
“Certainly I would feel that we haven’t ignored advice – in fact that advice has been critical as we have learnt for instance and gone along and managed the response but quite rightly Māori health providers and Māori professionals and Māori health advocates have challenged us to do better,” Mr Whaanga says.