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Download AudioAssociate Health Minister Peeni Henare says Māori will lost their voice in the health system under changes proposed by ACT and National.
Both parties say they will scrap the Māori health authority Te Aka Whai Ora, and ACT has gone further, promising to make the system what it calls colour-blind.
That means getting rid of initiatives aimed at tackling what the figures show are clearly lower access to care or lower quality of care for Māori and Pasifika.
Leader David Seymour says the public service will be told that treating people differently based on race is lazy and divisive – and they must get better at targeting need equally.
Mr Henare says the outcome is clear.
“Māori lose their voice in the system and Māori lose their ability to fight for equitable healthcare and that is what the challenge is for us as we head into the voting booths,” he says.
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