November 28, 2023
Needs-based policy recipe for failure
The head of public health advocacy organisation Hāpai Te Hauora says the new Government’s rhetoric about needs-based rather than race-based services marks a return to the failed approaches of the past.
Jason Alexander says the coalition takes the view that targeting Māori health inequities is race-based policy.
He says decades of research shows it is an effective strategy, and a Māori-driven agency – like Te Aka whai Ora – was vital to improving Māori outcomes.
“That was the whole reason why the Health System decided to reboot itself, why we came up with Te Aka Whai Ora to really start addressing some of the inequities we see within the system, so that rhetoric is worrying for that reason. It never worked before, and I don’t see why it would work again. Moving us back in time is not a step forward,”
Jason Alexander says the coalition promises a range of health policies that will directly disadvantage Māori communities – such as rolling back Smokefree legislation.